You're welcome!alecsandros wrote:Many thanks for the info on Hood's crew !
I did not know how concerned the men on board were of Hood's decks...
Well...actually....Bretagne was apparently hit by her FIRST salvo! Resolution fired first, followed by Valiant and then Hood. Capt. Holland in Foxhound just outside the harbour noted that the first British salvo (Resolution's) landed short, the second (Valiant's) hit the breakwater sending up an explosion of concrete splinters, while the third (Hood's) straddled the Bretagne resulting in the fire, then explosion. I suspect Hood was targeting Dunkerque so it was actually a fortuitous "over"! The Mers-el-Kebir video actually supports this....alecsandros wrote:As for Hood's combat merits - she shot well and Mers-el-Kebir, apparently hiting Bretagne (which blew up) on salvo nr 3, from 17000 meters.
Dunkerque received at least 2, if not 3 direct hits from HMS Hood, which crippled her (she settled on the bottom)
Strasbourg was apparently near-missed several times by Hood's artillery during her escape out of the harbor.
Dunkerque then took 4 hits from Hood as she got underway, crippling her. I recall reading of a salvo from Hood falling into Strasbourg's vacated berth as she pulled away (I'm sure that could equally have been from Valiant or Resolution) , but I don't think any salvos followed her as she steamed out of the harbour - she was not visible to the British who didn't know of her escape until after the cease fire, and the report was discounted by Somerville initially, allowing her valuable minutes to gain a good head start.
Hood also engaged the land forts, delivering a "withering fire" according to Bruce Taylor.
And...her GO was none other than Colin McMullen!
Well we do have an idea.....Tovey said it himself in his thoughts of signalling Holland, and in the aftermath. PoW in the van, and an even more direct approach - almost end-on (Tovey wished Holland had been "steering-in more still") before turning to bring broadsides to bear.RF wrote:That poses an interesting proposition - what if Tovey and Holland had swopped commands, with Tovey on Hood at DS and Holland held back at Scapa Flow with KGV....
Given the tactical situation at 5.40 AM 24 May I wonder what tactical decisions Tovey would have made....