Naval History Forums

"Second guessing" is what we do here...that's the fun of it! :cool: Now...the (un)lucky torpedo hit to Bismarck 's rudders was due precisely to the fact that Lutjens had turned south out into the open Atlantic after Denmark Strait, giving time to the British to assemble its task forces, in...

Quite striking the amount of heat and light this question has provoked.
Again, all I can say is, if Lutjens had pursued PoW and then turned for Norway I cannot imagine Bismarck could have fared any worse than she did at the end.

To me this is an obviously correct position. I cannot imagine that the difference in speed between PoW ( with no torpedos on board) is that decisive; and a troublesome main battery could have prevented the two German ships to at least reducing her to a floating uncontrollable charnel house. Ugly, bu...

Glad to see my original post has given rise to so much discusssion and debate. :wink: Prescinding from the technical discussion concerning Bismarck versus Prince of Wales armor belts, shell quality, relative speeds, smokescreens, etc. I just cannot fathom how Admiral Lutjens thought that after the l...

Very interesting and proves that the battle is far from over. :wink: Seriously, the loss of Bismarck is ultimately due to the decision to send a modern dreadnought out on the high seas with only a new CA as companion (no carrier and destroyer screen, and no Uboats) with orders to avoid the one thing...

This question has been on my mind awhile. It relates to the fundamental dilemma facing the Kreigsmarine in WWII: told to prepare a balanced fleet by 1944 (Plan Z?) the KM found itself with a few units yet little overall ocean-going capability. Battle-cruisers and battleships sent out in "penny ...

Alright then, it seems this discussion has come to a conclusion for me. I agree now with RF and accept his (and other's ) ideas on the decision to "fight the ship" even under adverse conditions. As before, I still hold to the opinion ( as does RF it seems) that the total absence of Lutftwa...

OK then, glad to see my post has stirred such a passionate and interesting discussion. Let's try another tack: given the reality that Bismarck was a ship-of-war; and that the German Navy might have acquired an image of scuttle and refusal to fight ( The mutinies ogf 1918, the scuttle at Scapa Flow i...

Better for whom? If we take your reasoning to its obvious conclusion, then Hitler would not have invaded Poland. What sort of madness is this? Uhhh..YES...it would have been better if Hitler had not invaded Poland..dont' you think? I definitely agree with Minoru; it would certainly have been better...

I can only imagine the psychological state of Bismarck's crew that last night as the reality of an unmanoeuverable ship; and little or no hope of rescue or relief in the face of the RN forces bearing down dawns upon them. The Admiral on board despatches his melodramatic "We will fight to the la...

I cannot for the life of me imagine how after 60 years a heavily damaged and disintergrated wreck of such weight and complexity could ever be raised. Perhaps as as been said, a gun. But no more.