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Re: Battle of the Denmark Strait
Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2016 10:11 am
by RF
paul.mercer wrote:
Regarding PE, surely if Hood had landed a couple of 15" hits there would be a very good chance that she would be seriously damaged if not actually disabled?
And if speed is seriously impaired Wake-Walker would have PE sunk pretty quickly - especially if POW was in company.
Re: Battle of the Denmark Strait
Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2016 7:56 pm
by Paul L
Surely Bismarck's mission was to break out into the North Atlantic, and if that fails - to release PE with its superior speed to escape and continue raiding?
Re: Battle of the Denmark Strait
Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2016 10:18 am
by RF
In reality that is what happened - except that the raiding opportunities available to Prinz Eugen were very few in the current situation, which coupled with the state of the engines persuaded Brinckmann to head for Brest.
Had Prinz Eugen been disabled during the DS battle Lutjens on Bismarck would have been forced to abandon that ship to its fate ...... possibly with echoes of the Dogger Bank battle in WW1 viz the Blucher.....
Re: Battle of the Denmark Strait
Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2016 10:27 am
by alecsandros
Agreed with RF.
Also, Churchill may have had a seizure if the entire Home Fleet would fail to destroy Bismarck.
Re: Battle of the Denmark Strait
Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2016 7:25 pm
by Paul L
If BS had followed doctrine he should have doubled back to Norway when the gig was up....I'm guessing Churchill would only have had seizure if Hood was sunk and Bismarck escaped?
Re: Battle of the Denmark Strait
Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2016 7:49 am
by alecsandros
I would expect a few good days of heavy drinking, babbling, and finally jumping from a tall window...
Bismarck back to Norway (and out of reach of RAF) , soon to be doubled by Tirpitz... would mean perpetual nightmare of a double-sortie.... necessiting quadruple fast-battlehsip force to engage them... A force which did not exist in May 1941... [the only operational fast-BB being King George Vth, and 1 month later the repaired PRince of Wales, for a total of 2 ships versus the enemy... 2.]
Re: Battle of the Denmark Strait
Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2016 8:06 pm
by Paul L
alecsandros wrote:I would expect a few good days of heavy drinking, babbling, and finally jumping from a tall window...
Bismarck back to Norway (and out of reach of RAF) , soon to be doubled by Tirpitz... would mean perpetual nightmare of a double-sortie.... necessiting quadruple fast-battlehsip force to engage them... A force which did not exist in May 1941... [the only operational fast-BB being King George Vth, and 1 month later the repaired PRince of Wales, for a total of 2 ships versus the enemy... 2.]
That definitely would support the whole value of the "Fleet in Being" role.