Battle of Denmark Strait - questions unresolved?

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Patrick McWilliams
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Battle of Denmark Strait - questions unresolved?

Post by Patrick McWilliams »

Friends,

With the 71st anniversary of this historic and scintillating naval engagement almost upon us, Jose has said it's ok to start a new thread on an old topic.

My point is to see if people can shed *new* light on some of the issues that remain, or may remain, open to the present.

Some of the major questions, which it's only fair to attribute to Bob Winklareth (see his use of US English!) and which are numbered for easy reference and response, include:

1. When did the German squadron first sight Hood and Prince of Wales, and what did the observers actually see?

2. What was the “suspicious object” seen by British lookouts at 0535, which led them to believe that they had sighted Bismarck and Prinz Eugen, according to Captain Leach’s “Narrative of Operations Against the Bismarck?”

3. Why did Admiral Holland order a further 20 degrees turn to starboard at 0549, just a few minutes before opening fire, which made it impossible for the after turrets of the ships to bear on the enemy and reduced his firepower by half?

4. Why did Hood initially fire on Prinz Eugen by mistake instead of Bismarck, and why were the gunners on Prince of Wales able to correctly identify the “right-hand target” as Bismarck?

5. Why did Prinz Eugen make a series of shallow turns to starboard beginning at 0603? If to avoid enemy torpedoes, why not turn fully to port toward any oncoming torpedoes, making the ship a smaller target and permitting her to comb their tracks in accordance with normal procedure?

6. Why did Captain Brinkmann lie about seeing the bubbly track of one of those torpedoes pass by Prinz Eugen, according to his entry into the ship’s war diary, when no torpedoes were actually fired by the British ships?

7. Why didn’t Prinz Eugen fire any of her own torpedoes at Prince of Wales while the British battleship was still within range?

8. Why didn’t the British heavy cruisers Norfolk and Suffolk, which were trailing the German squadron, participate more actively in the battle?

9. If Bismarck was actually on both the port and starboard sides of Prinz Eugen during the battle, as shown in the still photographs, why are there no photographs of Bismarck making any turns and other maneuvers associated with those transitions?

10. In NH-69726, is the pattern of illumination from the fireball created by Bismarck firing her guns consistent with the photograph being a port bow view or a port quarter view of the ship? Is the pattern of illumination consistent with Bismarck firing to port or to starboard?

11. In NH-69726, why are only two secondary 150mm gun turrets illuminated by the fireball from Bismarck firing her after turrets while all of the portside surfaces of the ship, even near the fireball, remain completely in the dark?

12. Which two secondary 150mm gun turrets were illuminated by the fireball: the forward and center turrets, or the center and after turrets? If the former, where is the after secondary gun turret and why is it not illuminated? Is the image of either of the two illuminated secondary gun turrets larger than that of the other, and if so, which one?

13. If Bismarck had been firing to port in NH-69726, as some believe, why is there no reflection of the fireball in the water below? Why is there no sign of the blast affect of the firing on the surface of the water?

14. If Bismarck had been firing to port in the battle film segment, as some believe, why are all of the large clouds of smoke generated by her gunfire seen only on the far opposite (starboard) side of the ship throughout the entire period of time covered by that segment?

15. When was the130-second segment of motion picture film, showing Bismarck off the starboard side of Prinz Eugen during the battle, actually taken?

16. Why did Admiral Schmund criticize Captain Brinkmann for not placing Prinz Eugen on the lee-side of Bismarck during the battle, especially since Prinz Eugen did make two turns to starboard, away from the enemy, after 0603?

17. Is it logical to believe that Lütjens would bring Bismarck up on the port side of Prinz Eugen, presumably to come between the cruiser and Prince of Wales, as the evidence indicates, and then deliberately turn to starboard and sail behind Prinz Eugen, leaving the cruiser exposed to direct fire from the British battleship?

18. What was the speed of Prinz Eugen during the battle and what was the maximum speed of Bismarck. Based on that comparison, what was the maximum distance in yards that Bismarck could gain on Prinz Eugen each minute while both ships were sailing in the same general direction?

19. How far directly astern of Prinz Eugen was Bismarck when she opened fire on Hood at 0555, considering the fact that Bismarck came between Prinz Eugen and Prince of Wales at about 0609, according to Prinz Eugen’s war diary?

20. Are there any first-hand accounts by key eyewitnesses at the scene, such as Baron Müllenheim-Rechberg, Captain Brinkmann, Paulus Jasper, Paul Schmalenbach, or RAF Flight Lt. Vaughn, that indicate that Bismarck made any turns, or was at any time on the starboard side of Prinz Eugen, during the battle?

All the best,

Patrick
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Re: Battle of Denmark Strait - questions unresolved?

Post by Dave Saxton »

1. When did the German squadron first sight Hood and Prince of Wales, and what did the observers actually see?
From Paul Schmalenbach's log notes:

0400 hours- on duty starboard watch.
0440 hours -GHG (hydrophones) picks up sound from two high speed turbine ships at 286* Foretop station optics and radar report nothing. Admiral on Bismarck is notified.
0445 hours- alarm is sounded. (radar has been tracking the two targets.)
0450 hours- ship is cleared for battle. Enemy is reported in sight-two enemy targets. It is very difficult to determine the type because of poor visibilty and interference from our own smoke

From another log:
0445 hours Alarm is sounded.
0450-ship is cleared for battle. Systems are ready
reports the firecontrol and command center
0455. Permission to fire is recevied from the Kommandant.
0510 aircraft alarm.
0518 speed 30 knots
0520 from bridge: pause firing
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Re: Battle of Denmark Strait - questions unresolved?

Post by Herr Nilsson »

10. port bow. consistent with port
11. is the portside dark?
12. forward and center. the after is covered by smoke. NH 69726 is blurry
13. there is a lot of reflection in the water
14. the clouds are on the portside
Attachments
secondary turrets firing
secondary turrets firing
NH 69726 2.png (89.64 KiB) Viewed 4964 times
a few moments before NH 69726
a few moments before NH 69726
NH 69726.png (123.19 KiB) Viewed 4964 times
Regards

Marc

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Re: Battle of Denmark Strait - questions unresolved?

Post by tommy303 »

3. Why did Admiral Holland order a further 20 degrees turn to starboard at 0549, just a few minutes before opening fire, which made it impossible for the after turrets of the ships to bear on the enemy and reduced his firepower by half?
Holland's fire power was already halved, even if he had not made the 20* turn just before opening fire; the turn was to prevent the Germans from drawing too far ahead and turning the action into a stern chase.
4. Why did Hood initially fire on Prinz Eugen by mistake instead of Bismarck, and why were the gunners on Prince of Wales able to correctly identify the “right-hand target” as Bismarck?
It was a simple case of mistaken identity. Bismarck was assumed to be leading the enemy line, and the outlines of the two German ships were very similar. From Hood's vantage point, Prinz Eugen appeared the larger of the two due to the wide separation between the ships. Prince of Wales, being astern of Hood could see the enemy from a slightly different angle and correctly identified the lead ship as a Hipper Class cruiser--probably from the placement of the main mast.
6. Why did Captain Brinkmann lie about seeing the bubbly track of one of those torpedoes pass by Prinz Eugen, according to his entry into the ship’s war diary, when no torpedoes were actually fired by the British ships?
Who says he lied. Hydrophones reported sound of torpedoes, Brinkmann reacted and saw what he expected to see although historians seem to have determined torpedoes had not been fired by either side. It wasn't the first time such a mistake was made.
7. Why didn’t Prinz Eugen fire any of her own torpedoes at Prince of Wales while the British battleship was still within range?
There was a problem with getting a range solution, and by the time the figures could be double checked, the opportunity had passed. This was probably due, mostly, to the inexperience of Prinz Eugen's torpedo department. At any rate, the PoW was never closer than 7nm and that would represent a run time of at least 14 minutes even if the range rate remained constant. The chances of a hit at that range with a spread of six torpedoes would be very slim.
17. Is it logical to believe that Lütjens would bring Bismarck up on the port side of Prinz Eugen, presumably to come between the cruiser and Prince of Wales, as the evidence indicates, and then deliberately turn to starboard and sail behind Prinz Eugen, leaving the cruiser exposed to direct fire from the British battleship?
Yes very logical so as not to endanger the cruiser by firing over her and to keep the battleship's view of the target clear. As to turning to starboard, remember, Prinz Eugen was all over the map and it is probable that Lindemann may have had to alter course to starboard at least once to avoid a torpedoes reported by Brinkmann and possibly later to avoid the cruiser herself.

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Re: Battle of Denmark Strait - questions unresolved?

Post by Antonio Bonomi »

Ciao all,

looking at the questions, I think this is a very useful read to go thru :

http://www.hmshood.org.uk/forum/phpBB3/ ... 546bbaf7b7

you will realize that many of those questions already had a response here in.

Yust to add something more, the answers to questions 9 and 20 is : YES, there are ( unknown photos and interviews ) and and all of them are conclusive.

Here above you have one Prinz Eugen officer I have interviewed, the A/A 105 mm artillery officer port side.

But than I interviewed another one, ... and this last one was the adjutant of Kpt zur See H. Brinkmann on responding to Vize-Adm H. Schmundt in Paris about Op. Rheinubung facts, ... so a very interesting one to have infos from and talk with, ... a very sharp guy despite his age, with lots of infos, photos, documents and mostly with a fresh good memory and brain.

Researches are continuing, ... everything has been saved and recorded in photos and movie.

Bye Antonio :D
In order to honor a soldier, we have to tell the truth about what happened over there. The whole, hard, cold truth. And until we do that, we dishonor her and every soldier who died, who gave their life for their country. ( Courage Under Fire )
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Re: Battle of Denmark Strait - questions unresolved?

Post by Patrick McWilliams »

Folks, there have been some very useful replies to date - many thanks. The only thing I can't square on first reading is what Tommy wrote below - though his comments may be general to the battle and not specific to the question asked. Unless I'm mistaken, by moving starboard of Prinz Eugen as both ships sailed from (their) left to right, Bismarck would have to be:
(a) exposing the cruiser to direct enemy fire
(b) shooting over her consort at a target that was obscured from Bismarck's view for a considerable section of that deviation to starboard
tommy303 wrote:
17. Is it logical to believe that Lütjens would bring Bismarck up on the port side of Prinz Eugen, presumably to come between the cruiser and Prince of Wales, as the evidence indicates, and then deliberately turn to starboard and sail behind Prinz Eugen, leaving the cruiser exposed to direct fire from the British battleship?
Yes very logical so as not to endanger the cruiser by firing over her and to keep the battleship's view of the target clear. As to turning to starboard, remember, Prinz Eugen was all over the map and it is probable that Lindemann may have had to alter course to starboard at least once to avoid a torpedoes reported by Brinkmann and possibly later to avoid the cruiser herself.
Regards to all,

Patrick
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Re: Battle of Denmark Strait - questions unresolved?

Post by Antonio Bonomi »

Ciao Pat,

what is your point here ??? Do you have a clear view of the situation at 06.03 ??

Prinz Eugen was ordered by Admiral Lutjens to keep position in line ahead of Bismarck and fire to the enemy just as a battleship.

One can have his own personal opinion here about it, ... just like Vize-Adm Schmundt disagree about it, ... but this is a well known and reported fact, by Kpt Brinkmann and certified by Adm Schniewind and Adm Carls after in writing, stil on 1941. There are official Kriegsmarine document available about it.

So the fact that the cruiser was exposed to enemy fire was a risk calculated and taken by Adm Lutjens himself.
Brinkmann did not like it at all, and F.O. Busch wrote it on his book, but it did not matter, it was Adm Lutjens decision.

Prince of Wales was firing with few guns working only to Bismarck since the beginning of the action and never switched fire to Prinz Eugen.

At 06.03 Hood was gone since 3 minutes, and no one was firing at Prinz Eugen anymore.

Prince of Wales turned back 160 degrees well before Bismarck and Prinz Eugen turned to starboard as well demonstrated by an existing photo taken from Prinz Eugen, at that point PoW could not use her fwd guns and had only 2 guns working on the Y turret still firing to Bismarck.

At 06.03 Bismarck was still more than 1000 meters behind Prinz Eugen on her starboard side with clear view of the enemy PoW.

So, were was the potential danger here for Prinz Eugen ? Were was the problem for Bismarck to hold fire to the target PoW ?

If one compare the Prinz Eugen situation at the beginning of the action with Hood firing to her 8 by 380 mm guns, with the situation at 06.03 with no one firing at Prinz Eugen since 3 good minutes, I simply do not se were the problem was to turn to starboard for Kpt Lindemann once Kpt Brinkmann issued the torpedo alarm.

So your point ( a ) was not a risk since nobody was firing at Prinz Eugen and after 1 minute PoW was not firing anymore at all.

Point ( b ) was never the case and it is enough to look at photos and PG film to realize the real direction the Bismarck guns were firing to reach PoW and how much that was distant ( angle ) from the photographer on board Prinz Eugen.

Bismarck never came close to shoot over Prinz Eugen to fire to PoW during the action; it was Prinz Eugen that placed herself after some turning in the condition to be firing ove the Bismarck to reach PoW at 06.08, .. but a clear order came from Bismarck to Prinz Eugen : " DO NOT FIRE OVER THE FLAGSHIP " and soon after " CEASE FIRE " and it is well documented too.

We are looking for the real facts occurred, not at the procedure compliance here. We all know that the procedures were different ( as noted in writing by Vize-Adm Schmundt ) but Kpt Brinkmann explained why he did not follow them ( because of Adm Lutjens clear order ) and Adm Schniewind and Adm Carls approved Adm Lutjens conduct and Kpt Brinkmann execution accordingly after, responding to Schmundt.

So the case is clear, no procedures followed, events well listed and confirmed on many Kriegsmarine official documents.


Bye Antonio :D
In order to honor a soldier, we have to tell the truth about what happened over there. The whole, hard, cold truth. And until we do that, we dishonor her and every soldier who died, who gave their life for their country. ( Courage Under Fire )
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Re: Battle of Denmark Strait - questions unresolved?

Post by paulcadogan »

Patrick McWilliams wrote:(b) shooting over her consort at a target that was obscured from Bismarck's view for a considerable section of that deviation to starboard
Antonio Bonomi wrote:Point ( b ) was never the case and it is enough to look at photos and PG film to realize the real direction the Bismarck guns were firing to reach PoW and how much that was distant ( angle ) from the photographer on board Prinz Eugen.
Just to make it clearer Patrick - the torpedo alarm made both German ships turn to starboard in quick succession placing them almost on parallel courses with Bismarck to starboard of Prinz Eugen. Prince of Wales was now on their port quarter and they fired their guns on an extreme aft bearing - so there was no interference between them at that point, each having a clear view to PoW's location.

Later, Bismarck hauled back round to port, but the Prinz continued maneuvering generally to starboard, crossing Bismarck's course before again turning parallel (back to port) at which point Bismarck was overtaking her now on her port side , by 6:09 obscuring her view of PoW, resulting in the order not to fire over the flagship.
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Re: Battle of Denmark Strait - questions unresolved?

Post by Antonio Bonomi »

Ciao Paul, Patrick and all,

Thanks for your additional explanation Paul, as usual very accurate.

Lindemann turned Bismarck to starboard immediately after having seen the flag signal of torpedo alarm showed on Prinz Eugen by Brinkmann, than Prinz Eugen turned too, a bit later than Bismarck as showed at the beginning of Rheinubung film and on existing photos.

The old gentleman I have interviewed in Kiel told me that this turning to starboard by Prinz Eugen caught him by surprise as he was not expecting it at all, he turned his head back and saw the Bismarck still firing and having turned too, … but than a shock for his head as Prinz Eugen fwd guns turned backward fired and he was very close to the end of the fwd guns if turned backwards on port side were he was on his rangefinder position ( extreme aft bearing as written by Paul ), … than the twisting and turning ….

Again, if one ask why Lindemann did not follow existing procedures on the torpedo avoidance manoeuvre, the answer is very simple, he decided what to do and sailed away moving his ship out of the torpedo range, and Brinkmann did it as well.

To complete the whole matter I think it is necessary to give Patrick some more infos, like the estimated distance between Bismarck and Prinz Eugen at the beginning of the engagement by the Germans at 05.55, as showed on photo Nh69722 that was around 2.500 meters with Prinz Eugen on the lead.

Than the estimated distance at 06.04 between the 2 German ships, just as showed on the film and photos, that is around 1.500 meters, which simply means that Bismarck gained around 1.000 meters on 10 minutes to Prinz Eugen due to delta speed ( 27 vs more than 30 knots ) and the various turning done in order to avoid incoming shells falling on them by PoW and Hood respectively.

A bit of calculation : 27 knots are 833 meters each minute by Prinz Eugen.; 30 knots are 926 meters each minute by Bismarck, so just the speed difference between the 2 German ships justify on 10 minutes the catch up of 1.000 meters done by Bismarck on Prinz Eugen on her run from behind the German cruiser, on starboard side only.

Why surely only on the starboard side of Prinz Eugen from 05.55 until 06.03 ?

Very simple, my old gentleman told me that he was looking the enemy and firing his port side 105 mm guns to PoW for a couple of minutes too after Hood was gone and PoW came closer. Bismarck never came into his field of vision at all, because in that case he should have taken her into consideration while firing his guns, and it was absolutely never the case because Bismarck was on the other side of his ship, on starboard side and the enemy and his firing direction were on port side were his attention was required, so he turned his head to look at Bismarck on the other side only a couple of times and very quickly.

So now you have additional answers to your question list ….. many were there on this forum on other threads since a long time, ... but it is always good to refresh, … and add additional evidences like in this case by battle witnesses still alive that were there on a crucial position to see what was going on. Now we can talk about real reported facts and not imaginary interpretations here : real history reporting, well recorded and saved forever.

Bye Antonio :D
In order to honor a soldier, we have to tell the truth about what happened over there. The whole, hard, cold truth. And until we do that, we dishonor her and every soldier who died, who gave their life for their country. ( Courage Under Fire )
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Re: Battle of Denmark Strait - questions unresolved?

Post by Antonio Bonomi »

Ciao Patrick,

here current status on the initial question list :

1. When did the German squadron first sight Hood and Prince of Wales, and what did the observers actually see?

ANSWERED by Dave Saxton

2. What was the “suspicious object” seen by British lookouts at 0535, which led them to believe that they had sighted Bismarck and Prinz Eugen, according to Captain Leach’s “Narrative of Operations Against the Bismarck?”
( “ There was a long wait while the horizon became gradually more distinct and at last at 05.35 a suspicious object was sighted and an enemy report made at 05.37. "Hood's" report followed immediately. Enemy bore 335 degrees. “ )

ANSWER : Probably was the mast of the German warships since the Hood enemy report to Admiralty was issued at 05.37 as you can read yourself, so only 2 minutes later.

3. Why did Admiral Holland order a further 20 degrees turn to starboard at 0549, just a few minutes before opening fire, which made it impossible for the after turrets of the ships to bear on the enemy and reduced his firepower by half?

ANSWERED by Tommy 303

4. Why did Hood initially fire on Prinz Eugen by mistake instead of Bismarck, and why were the gunners on Prince of Wales able to correctly identify the “right-hand target” as Bismarck?

ANSWERED by Tommy 303

5. Why did Prinz Eugen make a series of shallow turns to starboard beginning at 0603? If to avoid enemy torpedoes, why not turn fully to port toward any oncoming torpedoes, making the ship a smaller target and permitting her to comb their tracks in accordance with normal procedure?

ANSWERED by Antonio Bonomi

6. Why did Captain Brinkmann lie about seeing the bubbly track of one of those torpedoes pass by Prinz Eugen, according to his entry into the ship’s war diary, when no torpedoes were actually fired by the British ships?

ANSWERED by Tommy 303

7. Why didn’t Prinz Eugen fire any of her own torpedoes at Prince of Wales while the British battleship was still within range?

ANSWERED by Tommy 303

8. Why didn’t the British heavy cruisers Norfolk and Suffolk, which were trailing the German squadron, participate more actively in the battle?

ANSWER : They were expecting Prinz Eugen to be back and not ahead of Bismarck. This created a delay on the execution of the initially thought battle plan. When Hood exploded Norfolk was just joining in, but than everything changed. Suffolk surely was going to be the last one to engage enemy due to her precious radar set.

9. If Bismarck was actually on both the port and starboard sides of Prinz Eugen during the battle, as shown in the still photographs, why are there no photographs of Bismarck making any turns and other maneuvers associated with those transitions?

ANSWERED by Antonio Bonomi

10. In NH-69726, is the pattern of illumination from the fireball created by Bismarck firing her guns consistent with the photograph being a port bow view or a port quarter view of the ship? Is the pattern of illumination consistent with Bismarck firing to port or to starboard?

ANSWERED by Herr Nilsson

11. In NH-69726, why are only two secondary 150mm gun turrets illuminated by the fireball from Bismarck firing her after turrets while all of the portside surfaces of the ship, even near the fireball, remain completely in the dark?

ANSWERED by Herr Nilsson

12. Which two secondary 150mm gun turrets were illuminated by the fireball: the forward and center turrets, or the center and after turrets? If the former, where is the after secondary gun turret and why is it not illuminated? Is the image of either of the two illuminated secondary gun turrets larger than that of the other, and if so, which one?

ANSWERED by Herr Nilsson

13. If Bismarck had been firing to port in NH-69726, as some believe, why is there no reflection of the fireball in the water below? Why is there no sign of the blast affect of the firing on the surface of the water?

ANSWERED by Herr Nilsson

14. If Bismarck had been firing to port in the battle film segment, as some believe, why are all of the large clouds of smoke generated by her gunfire seen only on the far opposite (starboard) side of the ship throughout the entire period of time covered by that segment?

ANSWERED by Herr Nilsson

15. When was the130-second segment of motion picture film, showing Bismarck off the starboard side of Prinz Eugen during the battle, actually taken?

ANSWER : between 06.04 and 06.07 battle time frame

16. Why did Admiral Schmundt criticize Captain Brinkmann for not placing Prinz Eugen on the lee-side of Bismarck during the battle, especially since Prinz Eugen did make two turns to starboard, away from the enemy, after 0603?

ANSWERED by Antonio Bonomi

17. Is it logical to believe that Lütjens would bring Bismarck up on the port side of Prinz Eugen, presumably to come between the cruiser and Prince of Wales, as the evidence indicates, and then deliberately turn to starboard and sail behind Prinz Eugen, leaving the cruiser exposed to direct fire from the British battleship?

ANSWERED by Tommy 303, Antonio Bonomi and Paul Cadogan

18. What was the speed of Prinz Eugen during the battle and what was the maximum speed of Bismarck. Based on that comparison, what was the maximum distance in yards that Bismarck could gain on Prinz Eugen each minute while both ships were sailing in the same general direction?

ANSWERED by Antonio Bonomi

19. How far directly astern of Prinz Eugen was Bismarck when she opened fire on Hood at 0555, considering the fact that Bismarck came between Prinz Eugen and Prince of Wales at about 0609, according to Prinz Eugen’s war diary?

ANSWERED by Antonio Bonomi

20. Are there any first-hand accounts by key eyewitnesses at the scene, such as Baron Müllenheim-Rechberg, Captain Brinkmann, Paulus Jasper, Paul Schmalenbach, or RAF Flight Lt. Vaughn, that indicate that Bismarck made any turns, or was at any time on the starboard side of Prinz Eugen, during the battle?

ANSWERED by Antonio Bonomi

Bye Antonio :D
In order to honor a soldier, we have to tell the truth about what happened over there. The whole, hard, cold truth. And until we do that, we dishonor her and every soldier who died, who gave their life for their country. ( Courage Under Fire )
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Re: Battle of Denmark Strait - questions unresolved?

Post by paulcadogan »

Antonio Bonomi wrote:8. Why didn’t the British heavy cruisers Norfolk and Suffolk, which were trailing the German squadron, participate more actively in the battle?

ANSWER : They were expecting Prinz Eugen to be back and not ahead of Bismarck. This created a delay on the execution of the initially thought battle plan. When Hood exploded Norfolk was just joining in, but than everything changed. Suffolk surely was going to be the last one to engage enemy due to her precious radar set.
Just to expand on this....again. The cruisers were trailing the Germans, far astern to keep out of effective range of Bismarck's guns. For them to get in effective range for their guns and participate they would have to catch up. If the Germans were doing 28-30 knots, N&S would have to exceed this speed to close and if they were able to work up to 32 knots that's a closing rate of 2 to 4 knots. The battle did not last long enough for them to make it - even Norfolk's attempt to join in failed as she was further away than she thought she was.

The cruiser could not have made their move earlier as (1) they did not know precisely when BC1 would intercept and (2) closing in too early they would face Bismarck's guns without heavy support.

Holland's initial battle plan to intercept the Germans from ahead at dawn (around 2 AM), silhouetting them against the sunrise with Hood & PoW in the murky semi-darkness to the south east and blocking their path would have allowed S&N to close rapidly since B & PE would have had to turn hard to port to engage Holland. (However to the Germans S&N would have been the ones silhouetted against the sunrise and no doubt Prinz Eugen and Bismarck's secondaries would have capitalized on that!) This would have been a very interesting confrontation! Holland's turn to the north after Suffolk lost contact cost him this scenario and the ability of the heavy cruisers to take part in a timely manner.

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Re: Battle of Denmark Strait - questions unresolved?

Post by Patrick McWilliams »

On the anniversary of this great ship's sinking, it is good to see that new information on the DS battle is still being provided and that new angles are available to us.

This 'refresher', as Antonio refers to it, is most welcome.

Thanks to everyone and keep it coming!

All the best,

Patrick
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Re: Battle of Denmark Strait - questions unresolved?

Post by Antonio Bonomi »

Hello Patrick and everybody,

referring to question number 2, here on this good video you can find the answer directly from the voice of Geoffrey Brooke ( HMS Prince of Wales Artillery officer and author of the very good book ALARM STARBOARD, an highly reccomended read for Denmark Strait battle lovers ).

It is enough to reach minute 14 and 2 seconds and you can have the exact description of the event as lived by a witness looking at the horizon at the enemy from his rangefinder.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUfN2hg8niQ

as I was thinking, it was the mast,... the mast of Prinz Eugen at first, ... but again, ... trust Geoffrey and not me, ... he was there and saw things with his naked eyes, just like the 2 Prinz Eugen officers I have interviewed that were there on board the german cruiser looking at him.

Bye Antonio :D
In order to honor a soldier, we have to tell the truth about what happened over there. The whole, hard, cold truth. And until we do that, we dishonor her and every soldier who died, who gave their life for their country. ( Courage Under Fire )
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