On the 18th if May 1941, at 2000hrs, in total obscurity, the incredible shape of a German naval vessel will pass through the passes at Gotenhafen in occupied Poland.
This vessel is the most powerful ever built. Even in total darkness it is a formidable sight. The Bismarck, pride of the German fleet, sails on its first mission in the Atlantic. Operation Rheinburg had begun.
On the Bismarck's bridge is admiral Lutjens, raid commander and his deputy, captain Lindemann. After one month of sea trials, they had declared the 50 000 ton ship ready for active service. The battlecruiser Prinz Eugen at 13 900 tons and armed with 203mm guns, was right behind Bismarck.
Lutjens's mission is simple: Destroy the maximum number of allied convoy in the north Atlantic. By spring of 1941, 350 000 tons of allied merchant ships were being sunk each month. Grand admiral Reader, commander of the Kriegsmarine had decide to tighten his stranglehold.
Bismarck and it's escort headed for Kattengat, the maritime route between Finland and Sweeden, on May 20th 1941.
The Swedish coast is a major threat to the secrecy surrounding the Bismarck's movement. In fact' it had been spoted by the Swedish cruiser Gotland who dispatched a message to the Swede secret services:"Two large , heavily escorted vessels spoted...". Immediatly this information was passed on to the British military attache in Stockholm.
The British admiralty is quick ti react. In Scapa Flow, base of the Home Fleet, commander-in-chief Sir John Tovey commits to action his best units. He estimates that the German warships will enter the Atlantic through either the Denmark straight or through Iceland. A formidable force is assembling to intercept.
The battlecruiser Hood, the greatest and most famous ship in the royal navy, leads the hunt. It is accompanied by the battleship Prince Of Whales, who's main armement is not yet up to speed. A shield of six destroyers will protect them.
Bismarck is again spotted along the Norwegian coast. The Prinz Eugen is foung farther north to meet a tanker; Bismarck with it's 9000 tons of fuel, does not require this. Lutjens wanted to use the poor visibility conditions to pass Iceland and facilitate his arrival in the Atlantic.
The following day, 22 May 1941, Tovey raises his flag on the battleship King George V and puts to sea accompanied by the aircraft carrier Victorious. They were soon met by the battlecruiser Repulse and several destroyers. The admiralty understood the dangers presented by the Bismarck. There were 11 convoys in the north Atlantic at the time, the most precious was the one that carried troups to the middle-east and three major units, including the carrier Ark Royal were sent to protect it.
The Germans decided to use the Denmark straight. Even thiugh it was only 320 Km wide, it is a bottleneck for large ships. The British had mined the water so much that the navigation area was reduced to about 50 Km.
Bismarck and Prinz Eugen enterd the straight on the 23rd of May at noon. At 1922 Hrs, they were seen on the the cruiser Suffolk's radar, who with the Norfolk monitored the passage. Suffolk hid itself in a fog bank to escape a large German ship that apeared 8 miles behind it. The Norfolk came to Suffolk's position but had to hide as well to avoid the Germans. From this moment, an intense radio trafic was to alert the Germans...They were expecting to meet the Royal Navy in short order...
Vice-Admiral Holland,commander of Hood headed north-west towards the intercept point. At midnight,Holland has the battle flag raised. At dawn, the Bismarck is in sight.
The Battle only lasts 8 minutes. Enormous guns thundered and when the were silent, the Hood was mortaly hit, it's back broken by 380mm shells. For a brief moment, the bow and the stern rise above the water only to sink straight down. Of the 1422 men aboard, only three survived. The tactic adopted by Holland and the weakness of Hood's deck armour is to blame. This loss comes as a shock to the admiralty. The speed of the disaster is an insult to the Royal Navy's pride. The admiralty could not have known the role played by Prinz Eugen in this battle, as well as that of Prince Of Whales who had managed to danage Bismarck.
Swordfish aircraft took-off from the carrier Victorious to carry out a torpedo attack. On torpedo hits but Bismarck's armoured belt is onlu scratched and manages to lose the British ships.
It will take 31 hours for RAF Catalina's to locate the German battleship. Bismarck was losing fuel and had it's speed reduced, it was alone, Prinz Eugen had turned south.
Ark Royal, Renown and Sheffield initialy assigned to protect a troop convoy headed, with escorts, to lead the chase. On 26 May, swordfish aircraft launched their torpedoes at Bismarck. The German response was furious, even the 380mm guns took part in the anti-aircraft fire, but two torpedoes foun their marks. One jamed the rudder and damaged a propeler. The battleship reduced it's speed to 8 knots and trced circles as mechanics tried to free the rudder. Admiral Lutjens,promised the iron cross, Germany's highest distinction,to the man who repaired the rudder. No one succeeded and Bismarck became unsteerable.
During the night, endless torpedo attacks by destroyers left no rest for the German crew. Lutjens tries to boost moral by citing British losses, but he is himself exausted and dispaired as his calls for help to the Luftwaffe and the U-Boots remain unanswered. On May 27 at 0845 Hrs, Rodney opens fire with it's 406mm guns and is soon followed by King George V and quickly, Bismarck is crushed by fire. The firing lasts for an hour until all superstructures are in ruins. Dead and wounded are everywhere. Lutjens and Lindemann are also killed.
At 1040Hrs, admiral Tovey orders Dorsetshire to fire the final shot and Bismarck capsises and sinks by the stern. What was left of Germany's greatest battleship sunk with 2 900 men aboard. The final outcome of Bismarck's first mission is a bitter one for the Germans.
For both navies, the loss of HMS Hood and of Bismarck marked the end of an era, that of capital ships. Easy to spot, dificult to maneuvre and needing a strong escort, they combined all handicaps. This will strenghten the views of admiral Donitz, ardent advocate and chief of the submarine arm. Starting in the summer of 1941, the Kreigsmarine will fight the battle of the Atlantic essentilay with U-Boots. The wolf pack tactics of Donitz wold cause the allies great concerns. German submarines would sink 3 million tons of shiping between June 1940 and July 1941.
