Next May 24th is another anniversary of the action at Denmarck Straits, one of the two important dates in which people in this forum are interested: the blowing of Hood and the hunting of Bismarck.
But above all it must be a tribute to the brave sailors that perished in Hood, PoW and Bismarck during this outstanding events.
Very best regards to you all.
May 24th, 2007: 66th DS anniversary!
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Karl Heidenreich
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May 24th, 2007: 66th DS anniversary!
An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.
Sir Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Churchill
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paulcadogan
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Here here Karl!
This is a very special time of year for us all.
May 22, 66 years ago Bismarck and Prinz Eugen were pushing towards the Denmark Strait. Hood and Prince of Wales surrounded by their 6 destroyers - Achates, Antelope, Anthony, Electra, Echo, Icarus - were steaming hard towards their patrol ground south west of Iceland. Suffolk was rushing to rejoin Norfolk in the Strait. King George V was raising steam to put so sea with Victorious, and Repulse was sprinting north from the Clyde to join them, leaving troop convoy WS8B to the care of the Exeter. Rodney was setting sail with the Britannic expecting to head for the USA. The Dorsetshire was in the Atlantic with a convoy. Renown, Ark Royal and Sheffield were resting easy at Gibraltar.
Thousands of men were poised to take part in the greatest sea chase in history. 3500 of them would not survive it...
WE WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER THEM!
Paul
This is a very special time of year for us all.
May 22, 66 years ago Bismarck and Prinz Eugen were pushing towards the Denmark Strait. Hood and Prince of Wales surrounded by their 6 destroyers - Achates, Antelope, Anthony, Electra, Echo, Icarus - were steaming hard towards their patrol ground south west of Iceland. Suffolk was rushing to rejoin Norfolk in the Strait. King George V was raising steam to put so sea with Victorious, and Repulse was sprinting north from the Clyde to join them, leaving troop convoy WS8B to the care of the Exeter. Rodney was setting sail with the Britannic expecting to head for the USA. The Dorsetshire was in the Atlantic with a convoy. Renown, Ark Royal and Sheffield were resting easy at Gibraltar.
Thousands of men were poised to take part in the greatest sea chase in history. 3500 of them would not survive it...
WE WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER THEM!
Paul
Qui invidet minor est - He who envies is the lesser man
This is a reminder of the very tight time parameters here - if Lutjens had sailed 24 hours ahead of the actual time he could have missed the cruisers and broken through to the Atlantic undetected, giving an entirely different course of events....paulcadogan wrote:
Suffolk was rushing to rejoin Norfolk in the Strait.
Thousands of men were poised to take part in the greatest sea chase in history. 3500 of them would not survive it...
Paul
''Give me a Ping and one Ping only'' - Sean Connery.
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Karl Heidenreich
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Hi Paul, Hi RF:
A very special date, indeed. A brief action with it´s minutes weld into our memories forever. And such beautiful ships that were destroyed. I was looking today at my 1:350 Hood and cannot stop to be admired about her lines, the beauty of it. On her side is Bismarck, probably the most beautiful battleship in History (apart from Warspite).
Best regards.
A very special date, indeed. A brief action with it´s minutes weld into our memories forever. And such beautiful ships that were destroyed. I was looking today at my 1:350 Hood and cannot stop to be admired about her lines, the beauty of it. On her side is Bismarck, probably the most beautiful battleship in History (apart from Warspite).
Best regards.
An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.
Sir Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Churchill
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paulcadogan
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Today, May 23, 66 years ago...
The Suffolk sights the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen in the Denmark Strait and sends her first report, which brings the Norfolk rushing to the scene. She runs headlong into the German vessels only 6 miles away. The mighty Bismarck's big guns fire in anger for the first time! The Norfolk receives an unpleasant taste of the efficiency of the battleship's gunnery though she is not hit as she escapes into fog to send her report...
300 miles to the south Admiral Holland in the Hood receives the news. He turns the Hood and Prince of Wales onto an intercepting course. He plans his strategy to trap the Germans between his ships and the shadowing cruisers exploiting 2 to 1 superiority...
600 miles to the south east Admiral Tovey presses on with the King George V, Repulse and Victorious, with four light cruisers and six destroyers, no doubt wishing he was 300 miles further ahead....
Other British ships continue on their respective ways, uninvolved but interested in hearing about the disposal of this latest German threat by the units of the Home Fleet....
1427 British officers and men had but hours to live....
WE WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER THEM.
Paul
The Suffolk sights the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen in the Denmark Strait and sends her first report, which brings the Norfolk rushing to the scene. She runs headlong into the German vessels only 6 miles away. The mighty Bismarck's big guns fire in anger for the first time! The Norfolk receives an unpleasant taste of the efficiency of the battleship's gunnery though she is not hit as she escapes into fog to send her report...
300 miles to the south Admiral Holland in the Hood receives the news. He turns the Hood and Prince of Wales onto an intercepting course. He plans his strategy to trap the Germans between his ships and the shadowing cruisers exploiting 2 to 1 superiority...
600 miles to the south east Admiral Tovey presses on with the King George V, Repulse and Victorious, with four light cruisers and six destroyers, no doubt wishing he was 300 miles further ahead....
Other British ships continue on their respective ways, uninvolved but interested in hearing about the disposal of this latest German threat by the units of the Home Fleet....
1427 British officers and men had but hours to live....
WE WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER THEM.
Paul
Qui invidet minor est - He who envies is the lesser man
Re: May 24th, 2007: DS anniversary!
And the fortuitous but temporary survival of POW....Karl Heidenreich wrote:... one of the two important dates in which people in this forum are interested: the blowing of Hood and the hunting of Bismarck.
''Give me a Ping and one Ping only'' - Sean Connery.
If I recall correctly, only three ships were actually sunk on the Rheinubung operation itself - Hood, Bismarck and Mashona, in that order. I think that Rheinubung must be fairly unique in that such a large naval operation resulted in such a small number of individual ships being lost, although obviously the high casualty numbers still happened because of the crew sizes of the vessels lost and the lack of proper opportunity to rescue survivors in the water.
I exclude the losses of German supply ships and tankers as that happened as a later subsequent operation.
I exclude the losses of German supply ships and tankers as that happened as a later subsequent operation.
''Give me a Ping and one Ping only'' - Sean Connery.
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paulcadogan
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May 24, 66 years ago...
"British Naval Forces intercepted early this morning off the coast of Greenland, German Naval Forces including the Battleship Bismarck.
The enemy were attacked and in the ensuing action HMS Hood (Captain R. Kerr, C.B.E., R.N.) wearing the flag of Vice-Admiral L.E. Holland C.B., received an unlucky hit in the magazine and blew up.
The Bismarck has received damage and pursuit of the enemy continues.
It is feared that there will be few survivors from HMS Hood."
British Admiralty Communique, broadcast at 9PM May 24, 1941. (In Bradford, The Mighty Hood)
Anyone have the text of the German announcement of the battle?
Paul
"British Naval Forces intercepted early this morning off the coast of Greenland, German Naval Forces including the Battleship Bismarck.
The enemy were attacked and in the ensuing action HMS Hood (Captain R. Kerr, C.B.E., R.N.) wearing the flag of Vice-Admiral L.E. Holland C.B., received an unlucky hit in the magazine and blew up.
The Bismarck has received damage and pursuit of the enemy continues.
It is feared that there will be few survivors from HMS Hood."
British Admiralty Communique, broadcast at 9PM May 24, 1941. (In Bradford, The Mighty Hood)
Anyone have the text of the German announcement of the battle?
Paul
Qui invidet minor est - He who envies is the lesser man
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Karl Heidenreich
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That´s the style! Not even with 1,415 casualties in a second made the brits to change their mind. It´s a shame that today´s western countries lost that spirit...The Bismarck has received damage and pursuit of the enemy continues.
An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.
Sir Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Churchill
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Antonio Bonomi
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may 24th anniversary.
Ciao all,
I think that after having done a 4 year work on that battle, this is a date I will never forget.
So a pray in honor to all sailors, all flags, all ships, .... died while serving with honor their countries, ..... as soldiers in war.
R.I.P. ... brave crew.
Ciao Antonio
I think that after having done a 4 year work on that battle, this is a date I will never forget.
So a pray in honor to all sailors, all flags, all ships, .... died while serving with honor their countries, ..... as soldiers in war.
R.I.P. ... brave crew.
Ciao Antonio
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Karl Heidenreich
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- Location: San José, Costa Rica
Today, 66 years ago, one of the most incredible, powerfull and awesome ship ever built was destroyed fighting a legend. Now both are myths. Their story will live with us for our lifetimes.
Our mission is to give the generations to come the story so it must never be forgotten.
Our mission is to give the generations to come the story so it must never be forgotten.
An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.
Sir Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Churchill
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paulcadogan
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"THE MIGHTY HOOD was one of the most magnificent warships ever built. Launched in 1918, she spent the interwar years cruising the oceans of the world, the largest vessel afloat and a proud symbol of the Royal Navy.
...A generation of British seamen had been trained in her. To millions of people she had represented British sea power and imperial might. With her passed not only a ship, but a whole era, swept away on the winds of the world."
(Bradford, The Mighty Hood)
May 24, 66 years ago...
As the Royal Navy, Britain and the world reels under the impact of the destruction of the Hood, there is no respite for Bismarck or her pursuers. Prinz Eugen has been detached and Bismarck continues alone having exchanged fire with her pursuers and scaring the daylights out of the little US Coast Guard cutter Modoc. The Victorious has sent her 9 Swordfish to attack and they obtain one hit. The structural damage was minimal, but the psychological impact was significant in that it caused Bismarck's first death - that of Oberbootsmann Kurt Kirschberg. Her young crew had felt the pain of losing a shipmate in battle.....
On the British side, the Norfolk, Suffolk and Prince of Wales stay locked on Bismarck's heels. King George V and Repulse steer a course to intercept next morning. Rodney, Ramillies, Edinburgh and London are on alert. Renown, Ark Royal and Sheffield set sail from Gibraltar....
Churchill orders: "I don't care how you do it, you MUST SINK THE BISMARCK!!"
WE WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER THEM
Paul
...A generation of British seamen had been trained in her. To millions of people she had represented British sea power and imperial might. With her passed not only a ship, but a whole era, swept away on the winds of the world."
(Bradford, The Mighty Hood)
May 24, 66 years ago...
As the Royal Navy, Britain and the world reels under the impact of the destruction of the Hood, there is no respite for Bismarck or her pursuers. Prinz Eugen has been detached and Bismarck continues alone having exchanged fire with her pursuers and scaring the daylights out of the little US Coast Guard cutter Modoc. The Victorious has sent her 9 Swordfish to attack and they obtain one hit. The structural damage was minimal, but the psychological impact was significant in that it caused Bismarck's first death - that of Oberbootsmann Kurt Kirschberg. Her young crew had felt the pain of losing a shipmate in battle.....
On the British side, the Norfolk, Suffolk and Prince of Wales stay locked on Bismarck's heels. King George V and Repulse steer a course to intercept next morning. Rodney, Ramillies, Edinburgh and London are on alert. Renown, Ark Royal and Sheffield set sail from Gibraltar....
Churchill orders: "I don't care how you do it, you MUST SINK THE BISMARCK!!"
WE WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER THEM
Paul
Qui invidet minor est - He who envies is the lesser man
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paulcadogan
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Continuing the day by day recollections...
May 25, 66 years ago...
Overnight, Lutjens orders a maneuver to put Bismarck on a course for France, making a large circle to starboard, outwitting the his pursuers and crossing their wake as he turns south east. Suffolk's loss of contact stuns Tovey - there will be no interception. The British concentrate ther search to the west, Repulse, low on fuel, withdraws towards Halifax - her crew no doubt dejected at having to abandon the chase and all hope of trying to avenge the loss of their "chummy ship"...
But then Lutjens does the inexplicable - sends a long signal to his High Command - which is intercepted and triangulated by the British. Tovey plots it wrongly and turns north east and causes Rodney to follow. Both ships to lose ground. Once corrected they turn south east, but Bismarck is far ahead and her exact location remains uncertain. The only force standing between her and France is Force H - the lightly armoured Renown, the Ark Royal and Sheffield. Hood's vanquisher looks like she has a good chance of escaping...
Lutjens addresses his crew and warns them of a gathering British gauntlet on their run for France, ending by saying "the question now is victory or death!" Crew morale falls, but their devotion to duty remains steadfast....
REMEMBER THEM!
Paul
May 25, 66 years ago...
Overnight, Lutjens orders a maneuver to put Bismarck on a course for France, making a large circle to starboard, outwitting the his pursuers and crossing their wake as he turns south east. Suffolk's loss of contact stuns Tovey - there will be no interception. The British concentrate ther search to the west, Repulse, low on fuel, withdraws towards Halifax - her crew no doubt dejected at having to abandon the chase and all hope of trying to avenge the loss of their "chummy ship"...
But then Lutjens does the inexplicable - sends a long signal to his High Command - which is intercepted and triangulated by the British. Tovey plots it wrongly and turns north east and causes Rodney to follow. Both ships to lose ground. Once corrected they turn south east, but Bismarck is far ahead and her exact location remains uncertain. The only force standing between her and France is Force H - the lightly armoured Renown, the Ark Royal and Sheffield. Hood's vanquisher looks like she has a good chance of escaping...
Lutjens addresses his crew and warns them of a gathering British gauntlet on their run for France, ending by saying "the question now is victory or death!" Crew morale falls, but their devotion to duty remains steadfast....
REMEMBER THEM!
Paul
Qui invidet minor est - He who envies is the lesser man