Naval History Forums

Hello all, this for reference from KGV GAR. 284 got target at 25.100 yards. Then 284 operator mistook Rodney's splashes as KGV's (and insisted on wrong range of 25.000 yards). First "corrected" range (unclear whether radar or optical) came only at 08:53 and it was 20.500 yards. Therefore f...

Hello Mr. TTTT, German survivors accounts are reported by both Brennecke (who summarized several survivors accounts) and Baron von Müllenheim-Rechberg (G.O. and survivor himself). They both say that it was Rodney that hit Bismarck fore turrets. While Baron reports one generically decisive hit on Bis...

Hello Mr. TTTT, I would say that first straddles/hits came from both British ships at just around 09:00, with range already down to 20.000 yards for Rodney and 18.000-19.000 yards for KGV. KGV reports claim that flagship straddled and actually achieved a hit at 08:54, however this is very unlikely b...

Hello Mr. TTTT, you are right: Germans were quite surprised not to receive any hit in the first minutes of battle (see Baron's account). Re. a single hit disabling both fore turrets, this is unlikely but not impossible (e.g. French designers over-separated turrets 1 and 2 of Richelieu's just to avoi...

Hi Byron, thanks for posting transcript of the 16" narrative. I now realize that there are large discrepancies between this narrative and Rodney's Salvo Plot from the T.S. (Enclosure N.1 to 456/G). E.g., in this latter, salvo 21 did not straddle (22 did) and no further straddle has been highlig...

Hello Byron, consistent straddling between salvo 18 and 22 (4 out of 5 consecutive salvoes straddling in 3 minutes from 09:00 till 09:03, while ship was sailing a straight course 85°) are IMHO good sign of quite accurate firing solution. However, just after that, no straddle was noticed anymore unti...

Hello Mr. Angel, thanks for this very interesting analysis. Your friend writes: "...By 0900 the enemy’s fire which had been at the rate of 1 - 1.5 salvos per minute..." It may look as a slow RoF for Bismarck, but IMHO we have to keep in mind that only A and B turret were bearing (in additi...

Hello Mr. Crandell, you write: "I have assumed that Bismarck's average rate of fire through the engagement of about one round per minute was related to the turn. If not so, then why? " Bismarck's salvoes sequence is highly uncertain, due to loss of her GAR. What we know is that she fired 9...

Hello Mr. Crandell, you write: "Then why did Bismarck stop firing when she had to maneuver to avoid the phantom torpedoes reported by Prinz Eugen?" Bismarck stopping fire is highly unlikely. We don't have any image for Bismarck turning to starboard to 'avoid torpedoes', but we have PG film...

Hi Marcelo (If I may), you are right of course: a circular screen is not necessarily a PPI, but I remember I had read about 2 to 3 linear displays for GEMA radars and last photo from Mr. fsimon seems to confirm that. Hi Frank, it looks same installation. Thanks for all info and supporting images. On...

Hello Frank,
thanks, can you confirm "my" image is related to a FuMG 40 generation radar or would it be more likely a FuMG 39 ?

hans

Hello Mr. Malara,
thanks, however, I had read that GEMA radars were not equipped with a circular (PPI like) presentation screen but with 2 or 3 linear indicators (for range, bearing and fine bearing) but I may be wrong.

hans

Hello all, I have got from a friend of mine this image. He says it contains the FuMO 26 presentation console where operator could read data coming from the radar. Is anyone able to confirm and to show me "presentation" panel(s) and other equipment ? Does anybody know where this console was...

Hello Frank, what I have found in H. von Kroge book for early 1940 (chapter 15, before introduction of TS6 and with 2000 Hz PRF) says: Even though the higher accuracy of the Messkette had not found complete acceptance with the Navy and Luftwaffe, their ease of operation, and above all their resoluti...

Hello, therefore, KGV 284 did mix her salvoes fall of shots with Rodney's and range was estimated incorrectly constant (while rapidly decreasing) at 25,000 yards from 08:49 till 08:53, except very first 2 salvoes (fired at 08:48) (thanks for this very important correction). However, KGV was unable t...