At the beginning of Bismarcks' final action on 27 May Schneider targetted Rodney and with Bismarcks' third salvo straddled her, with one shell only sixty yards short of target....
What if.... that third salvo was right on target, taking out Rodneys' fire control position?
If we assume as an immediate consequence that Rodneys' hit on Bruno turret which in reality happened a minute or so later, sending the sheet of flame through Bismarcks main command positions, DIDN'T HAPPEN, what then?
Schneider would have had the opportunity to fire more eight gun salvoes at Rodney....
Could Bismarck have disrupted Toveys' attack sufficiently to save herself from being pounded into a wreck before Tovey had to break off the action for lack of fuel? And come out of the battle still capable of fighting?
And eventually escape to France, with an even bigger legend status?
What if Bismarck hit Rodney first?
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Karl Heidenreich
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I don´t believe that would had saved Bismarck. Without her rudder and doing 7 knots sooner or later the British would catch her. Even, if she survived May´s 27th attack then the British could summon new units while KGV and Rodney go to replenish. But if Bismarck could have hit Rodney in the very beggining today´s aura and mithology would be 1,000% bigger.
An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.
Sir Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Churchill
Well, the main FC position hit is the Golden Beebee, isn't it? That's very lucky. You can "what if" some more. What if Bismarck then fires at KGV and hit's her MFC? And then fires at Norfolk and Dorsetshire and blows up their magazines? And then Arc Royal and her BC consort wander into the area and are sunk?
This could happen. It just isn't very likely. The truth is, if KGV and Rodney hadn't been there, Arc Royal probably could have sunk Bismarck with torpedoes, sitting duck as she was.
This could happen. It just isn't very likely. The truth is, if KGV and Rodney hadn't been there, Arc Royal probably could have sunk Bismarck with torpedoes, sitting duck as she was.
2 points:Bgile wrote:Well, the main FC position hit is the Golden Beebee, isn't it? That's very lucky. You can "what if" some more. What if Bismarck then fires at KGV and hit's her MFC? And then fires at Norfolk and Dorsetshire and blows up their magazines? And then Arc Royal and her BC consort wander into the area and are sunk?
This could happen. It just isn't very likely. The truth is, if KGV and Rodney hadn't been there, Arc Royal probably could have sunk Bismarck with torpedoes, sitting duck as she was.
1)Bismarck had her chance to blow Norfolk out of the water on 27 May when Wake-Walker and Captain Ellis mis-identified Bismarck as a British ship, approached Bismarck and sent a blick-lamp signal to her, before recognising their mistake. I can only assume that Bismarcks' gun crews were so knackered by then that they didn't fire in order to conserve stamina for the main action they knew was coming. Otherwise Norfolk should have been sunk.
2)I have heard that an Ark Royal aircrew who approached the battle scene on 27 May was told to keep out of the battle or they would be fired on by the Home Fleet. The explanation given for this was that the Home Fleet wanted revenge for the Hood and that the Mediterranean Fleet was only there to watch them do it. Whether Ark Royals' planes would have been allowed to despatch the crippled Bismarck if Dorsetshire hadn't sunk her is debateable. In the end Bismarcks own crew scuttled her - though it is clear Bismarck would have sunk anyway.
The irony here is that without Ark Royals' planes there would have been no revenge for the Home Fleet - at least not then.
Re: What if Bismarck hit Rodney first?
If Bismarck had landed a good shot to Rodney I think the it would have been a moral booster to the crew and might have made the KGV crew a little nervous; and might have helped the Bismarck survive the onslaught. KGV runs low on fuel and by the time the Ark Royal is in position to launch the HE-111s show up to damage the Ark Royal.
Re: What if Bismarck hit Rodney first?
KGV's FC would have benefited greatly if Rodney had ceased fire. KGV spotted Rodney's splashes as her own. With only KGV firing, her RFC directed guns would have very quickly knocked out Bismarck.
Re: What if Bismarck hit Rodney first?
Ark Royal was already in position. Her torpedo planes arrived during the battle and were sent back because the shelling made it dangerous for them to attack.dahlhorse wrote:If Bismarck had landed a good shot to Rodney I think the it would have been a moral booster to the crew and might have made the KGV crew a little nervous; and might have helped the Bismarck survive the onslaught. KGV runs low on fuel and by the time the Ark Royal is in position to launch the HE-111s show up to damage the Ark Royal.