The Bismarck Was a Waste

Real Clear History ^ | January 16, 2020 | Steve Feinstein

[ProtectOurFreedom]

In May 1941, the new German battleship Bismarck was a huge, state-of-the-art warship, equipped with the latest long-range heavy cannon, new stereoscopic range-finders that promised unprecedented accuracy, new ship-based radar, and an intricate system of armor-plating and honey-combed water-tight compartments that rendered her virtually unsinkable. If Bismarck broke out into the vast, indefensible shipping lanes of the North Atlantic, it could wreak catastrophic havoc with the war-sustaining convoys coming across the ocean [from the U.S.]

In 1941 England, it was believed that this single weapon might determine the very course of the war in Europe. Where the entire Luftwaffe had been unable to cripple Britain’s warfighting capability with its aerial assault in the summer of 1940 and bring her to the negotiating table, now—in the spring of 1941—a single warship was threatening to do that very thing.

As the Bismarck and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen headed towards the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean through the Denmark Strait, they were intercepted by the British battleships Hood and Prince of Wales. Those two ships were all that stood between Britain’s invaluable but vulnerable shipping lanes and what they thought was national survival. In the next few minutes, perhaps the most famous and consequential surface engagement of all time occurred. The big ships fired on each other, their 14- and 15-inch guns booming.

Hood — the pride of the British navy — was struck by a perfectly-aimed salvo from Bismarck and exploded violently, breaking in two and sinking with just three survivors out of a crew of more than 1,400. After 10 minutes of fighting, "The Mighty Hood" was gone. Prince of Wales, despite suffering significant damage herself from Bismarck’s guns, scored some telling blows of her own, such that Bismarck was forced to disengage and head to home for repair.

[Rurudyne]

Considering what Stalin did to his friends....

[Rurudyne]

Like “What if the Left cared about corruption when it was their guys what done it?”

Of something more likely to actually happen like “who would win in a fight between Optimus Prime and Superman?”

[Rurudyne]

“Or” ... dumb typos

Also, truck, not monkey

[Captain Walker]

The Germans are what I like to call Smart morons. The V2 program is a perfect example. They spent the money of the Manhattan Project on it roughly, and inaccurately delivered a tonnage of explosives on target roughly equal to less than two 1000 plane Eighth Air Force bombing raids. We could better their V2 sum total once a week, and even more during the later stage the war.

The V-2 was first fired against London in September of 1944, long past the point in time in which the Luftwaffe could launch a sizeable bombing raid against targets in the city.

Was there a better way for the Germans to bomb London?

(I'm not disputing your statistics, btw, and I'm certainly not defending the practice of bombing a soft target; I just don't see what other options were available to them.)

[SunkenCiv]

Friends, family members, allies, rivals, lackeys...

[Rurudyne]

A completely random thought: while both were over the top evil, between Der Wanker and Stalin it may have actually been somewhat safer (safer from the leader that is) to be a German minion than a Rooski minion.

[hoagy62]

For your entertainment....

Bismarck-Sabaton

[CodeToad]

“Code-breaking insights”

Actually, it was the Polish that gave the Brits the insights.

[Tallguy]

“Actually, it was the Polish that gave the Brits the insights.”

Yep. But it was the Brits that gave it to us.