How did you come to be interested in Bismarck?

[RF]

wELCOME TO THE FORUM wILLIAM.

[rea00cy]

Well... I think that two factors, the movie "Sink the Bismarck!" and a plastic model of the Bismarck - both of which happened when I was kid- caught my attention on the most famous BB of all times. What probably makes me different from other members of this forum is that that attraction was abruptly cut off for decades when my country fall behind the iron curtain and everything published in the West related to WWII was censored only to be substituted by leftist revisionism of history. No room for an imperialistic war and their BB under the new history- not even those of the western allies. It was only after I could finally escape from the "1984" drama that I lived in my country and arrived to the USA that I came across with Cameron's documentary "Expedition Bismarck" which make me reconnect to the world history and be able to continue my interest on nautical/military subjects, especially warships. I'm also an avid ship modeler too and of course, Kriegsmarine ship models from a large part of my collection.

Silently, I've been enjoying this forum and other like the Hood assocn and Bismarck-Tirpitz sites and I think I must take this opportunity to thank all members that with their interesting, sometimes comprehensive and knowledgeable posts make this forum a must to visit for me on a regular basis.

Tanks to all,

rea00cy

[RF]

Another reminder of how the communist bloc liked to airbrush out of their history anything that didn't conform to the marxist-leninist paradigm, and that truth does out in the end.

[Kyler]

Well... I think that two factors, the movie "Sink the Bismarck!" and a plastic model of the Bismarck - both of which happened when I was kid- caught my attention on the most famous BB of all times. What probably makes me different from other members of this forum is that that attraction was abruptly cut off for decades when my country fall behind the iron curtain and everything published in the West related to WWII was censored only to be substituted by leftist revisionism of history. No room for an imperialistic war and their BB under the new history- not even those of the western allies. It was only after I could finally escape from the "1984" drama that I lived in my country and arrived to the USA that I came across with Cameron's documentary "Expedition Bismarck" which make me reconnect to the world history and be able to continue my interest on nautical/military subjects, especially warships. I'm also an avid ship modeler too and of course, Kriegsmarine ship models from a large part of my collection.

Silently, I've been enjoying this forum and other like the Hood assocn and Bismarck-Tirpitz sites and I think I must take this opportunity to thank all members that with their interesting, sometimes comprehensive and knowledgeable posts make this forum a must to visit for me on a regular basis.

Tanks to all,

rea00cy

Welcome to the forum, don't let some of the wilder posts disuaded you from posting. All ways glad new people in the forum.

[Karl Heidenreich]

Is definite that this forum needs more people... posting people. And I would say that the opinion of those that lived behind the curtain is of special interest for some of us.

[rea00cy]

To all of you that commented about my post. My most sincere gratefulness for your welcome post. It is still a bit hard for me to express my ideas in English, since it is not my mother language. Also, I'm afraid that it is little what I can contribute to this forum, other than being an avid reader/consumer. Other than that, I could upload some img of my ship models for other members to see and comment about.

Regards,

rea00cy

[lwd]

...st. It is still a bit hard for me to express my ideas in English, since it is not my mother language.

Don't worry too much about that. Your English is certainly much better than my German which is the closest thing I have to a second language. This probably goes for quite a few posters here.

Also, I'm afraid that it is little what I can contribute to this forum, other than being an avid reader/consumer. ...

Sometimes a question or pointing out a logical problem can be more of contribution than a long post than dances around the topic.

Welcome aboard by the way.

[Darren43]

I sank one.
No, really.
With a HMS Rodney, to be precise.
I'm part of a scale warship combat club and well, history repeated itself. A relatively new model Bismarck encountered my elderly but well-proven HMS Rodney.
Bismarck sank, Rodney didn't. (just).

[RF]

The model Bismarck here obviously wasn't a patch on the real Bismarck.....

[frontkampfer]

I too first became interested in the Bismarck because of the movie "Sink the Biamarck" and the song recounting the same. However, my interest was in large part due to my father being an ex-battleship sailor. He was a Firecontrollman for the main 16" guns on the USS Missouri. He was a plank owner and was present at the surrender. Dad told me about his service, what he did, how it directed and fired the guns.

He took me to see the movie at our local theater and I remember being in awe when HMS Hood blew up! I asked him was it possible and he said it was and it did happen. I remember being stunned and then worried that what happened to the Hood could have happened to him. Later when I saw the scenes of the Bismarck sinking and the struggles of the crew I was quite frightened. He explained to me that those things happened in war and were the risks a person took. I had a greater respect for my father after seeing portrayed what a battleship was, it potential and its possible fate. As I grew older I appreciated Dad's service even more and I made sure that my children knew of it. It must have made an impression on them too since my son, who was quite close to my father joined the navy and he said it was in part because of Dad's service!

[behblc]

An "Airfix" kit for my birthday many (many ) years ago , and a copy of Ludovic Kennedy's "Pursuit" , this backed up by his excellent and now very sadly neglected documentary made for the BBC in 1972..... when I think of the often repeated material seen on "Sky" and "History Channel" at the moment why oh why are quality well made documentaries like his cut up for the usage of lesser "shows".

This in a nutshell describes how I came to be interested in Bismarck and things Kriegsmarine related - my late father encountered her "little brother" along with "his" "big sisters" in the Channel in February 1942...... he was on a MTB punching well above his weight.

[RF]

Never underestimate what an MTB can do, behblc - remember what happened to the Austo-Hungarian battleship St Stephen, back in 1918.....

Or indeed to the hilfskreuzer Komet in the Channel in October 1942.

[madmike]

my interest in the bismarck came from my father,(he was ex-australian navy)and told me the story of the bismarck when i was about 7 or 8 years old,i think the one thing about the bismarck legend that grabs hold of people,Is the fact that ONE ship(bismarck)would put such fear into a nation(Britain)as to what she MIGHT have done,if she got lose in the convoy lanes.And the lengths the royal navy went to to destroy her.she was when built the most modern and powerful battleship afloat.From what my father said she(bismarck)had the ability to destroy convoys in very short order.and the ability to match or exceed any royal navy battleship that the brits sent against her,( one on one ).but old dad did say by 1944 the US Iowa class battleships were more than a match for bismarck.One of the things my father said that stuck in my mind was bismarck flew the imperial german battle ensign(WWI)and not the nazi naval ensign.I dont know if thats true(does anyone know if that was true?)and why was bismarcks full plans classified for so long after the war was over.(If she was just a up graded Baden class).

[RF]

One of the things my father said that stuck in my mind was bismarck flew the imperial german battle ensign(WWI)and not the nazi naval ensign.I dont know if thats true(does anyone know if that was true?)and why was bismarcks full plans classified for so long after the war was over.(If she was just a up graded Baden class).

The Bismarck sailed under the swastika in common with all other KM ships. Admiral Lutjens had his own Admiral's pennant, based on the Imperial Navy, which is probably what your father was referring to.

[madmike]

Thanks RF, i always wondered about that.