... Reconstructed KTB has "breaking in of the guns. Sub-caliber firing of heavy and intermediate artillery" in mid Nov 1940.wadinga wrote: The Baron, page 59 in my edition says of the period in second half November 1940, "Full calibre firing! Unforgettable was the day the Bismarck's heavy guns fired their first salvo. How far, how violently would the recoil cause the ship to heel over................a few loose objects came adrift, a few light bulbs shattered.......... Of course the concussion had already been felt throughout the ship."
Next time she fired was in March 1941.
This nonsense should be reported sooner or later.Bismarck had months of training in the safe waters of the Baltic, before and after Christmas, far from threats of submarine whereas every time PoW left the safety of Scapa Flow she was vulnerable.
Bismarck was fitting out and then remained blocked in port (by ice), and then repairing damage, in Hamburg, from early December to early March ! . [exact timeline according to KTB - anchored in Hamburg Dec 10th 1940. Completing fitting out and detailing work on Jan 25th. Attempting to get out of the harbor on Jan 28th, severe damage to machinery due to freezing temperatures. This prompted Lindemann from writing in his log "the 5 weeks spent in Hamburg will never be recovered" (between Jan 25th and Fev 28th) Ship not operational until late February. Finaly departing the harbor on March 6th ]. That's 4 months in port !
That was followed by an immediate running aground, which kept the ship in port for another week.
Final (successfull) attempt to resume combat traininig on the seas was in March 18th 1941 (starting of AVKS trials).