Naval History Forums

RF wrote"What you have failed to consider is the risk of POW and the two cruisers being lost as a result of premature re-engagement - that of Bismarck being loose in the open Atlantic with KGV as the only British battleship capable of matching Bismarck for speed." RF, I consider with all ...

RF wrote: "Bismarck was at full fighting efficiency" No, BS had lost 2 knots speed due to the bow hole, had reduced range due to fuel supply problems from the bow compartments and also lost half of her reserve energy generation (hit in generator room). Compared with PoW she had sustained ...

RF wrote: "If you wish to assert this role of attack at all costs regardless of the battle worthiness of POW and the risks to Suffolk as the principal shadowing ship you need to address these reasons for" Hi RF, I have already exposed the reasons but just to recap: a battle worth PoW had ...

Antonio Bonomi wrote: "If you carefully look at the Norfolk battle map you can see all the manoeuvres I am referring to, ... the Norfolk enemy approach while driving Holland squadron ... and the immediate disengagement immediately after the HMS Hood exploded ... and this shows it all ... "...

Thanks Dave for your valuable info ! I should then correct my statement into "a fairly good radar on Suffolk and a bad one on Norfolk".... I was convinced 284 type was a great radar especially in 1941. Wasn't it the same used with success by DoY in 1943 against Scharnhorst ? Sorry for my p...

Hello all, very interesting points of view from all of you in this discussion ! :clap: In my opinion we should always start from the strategical situation in May 1941. England destiny was tied to Atlantic routes safety, therefore the mission for Tovey, Holland, Wake-Walker and all RN Captains was to...

Hello everybody, again my 2 cents opinion regarding this discussion. RNfanDan wrote: "The failure by Wake-Walker to formulate and press home a resumed attack, however, wasted a chance to gain any sort of victory, or even a stalemate, from the first action's failure" I fully agree with you ...

RF wrote: " The expectation was that KGV and Repulse would join KGV on the morning of the 25th May, some 24 hours later. " Agree. However, 24 hours interruption is a bit too long to be considered a "Time- Out". In my opinion it should be considered abandonment of the action. Ple...

RF wrote: "That decision was not an abandonment of the action altogether, but more of a ''time out'' until KGV and other heavy units joined up with POW to renew the action." Well, with all due respect for your opinion, I can't agree. The only other RN heavy units able to join up action on...

Great summary Antonio, as you know I read the same book about Capt.Leach life and I tend to agree with you on each single point ! :clap: Antonio Bonomi wrote: "I like to point out that I completely disagree, finding them unfair, about some statements I have read on this book regarding Adm Holla...

Wadinga wrote: In my opinion, Captain Leach was incapable of making a decision about "disengaging" at 06:01 because he was deafened, stunned, probably semi-conscious and covered in the brains and entrails of other crew members somewhere in a wrecked command facility Agree. I always suspec...

Hello to everybody! I become interested in Bismarck when as a child I was gifted the Italian version of the Baron (Burkard Baron von Mllenheim-Rechberg) book "Battleship Bismarck". When I read the book, I was fashinated by this battleship short but heroic history and by the technical infor...

Byron Angel wrote: Philpotts could not withdraw from the battle altogether and head for home without permission from his senior officer, but he DID withdraw Warspite from the battle line on his own initiative at 7:00pm It's correct that Capt.Philpotts set course to the North (possibly NNE according...

Wadinga wrote: King's Regulations don't come into it, this is confusion and chaos within a barely-worked up crew. I tend to agree, and this is the key point ! As per your ipothesis, the turn to disengage can be the result of temporary inability of Capt.Leach to order the counter-turn. However, in a...

Alecsandros wrote: The drawing and the interpetation are incorrect. Sorry, but as I stated this is not the right thread to discuss protection. Just one example however: horizontal protection in KGV was even composed of 1 inch wheather deck, + 6 inch armoured deck + 1,5 inch splinter protection over...