KMS Bismarck and KMS Prinz Eugen

[NASAAN101]

Guys,
From what PE fromer crew members said they were a good half day sail Behind their Bigger brother. And being that colse to brest, what germany sould have do was said the twins were out, even if were still in brest, and scare john a little, might make thing twice about atttack Bismarck.
NIKKI

[maurice_h]

Guys
From what I have read, the fatal torpedo struck the steering because Lutjens ordered Bismarck to turn to port to avoid the attack, if she had kept on a straight course the torpedo would have struck further forward leaving the rudders intact and the ship maneuverable, thereby allowing her to escape.
maurice

[NASAAN101]

that right. if she stayed the way she was it would have hit in he middle of the ship, Not on the his Achilles Heel, which the rubbers were.. but i thing that how it is with all ships, i could be wrong on that..
NIKKI

[panzermahn]

Hi all

My vote would be that if KMS Prinz Eugen stayed with Bismarck, both of them would reached Brest severely damaged. Taking account into Bismarck's jammed rudder (the main cause of the Bismarck's defeat), one possible way that Prinz Eugen could towed Bismarck (I am not sure how this could be done though) just right to the safety zone of the Luftwaffe air cover from France. Possibly the Luftwaffe could send FW-200 Condors right to their maximum operation range and that would put fear in the Rodney and King George V. Or alternately to lure the British Home Fleet into a submarine wolf pack line but that would be highly impossible.

One of my favourite scenarios (which I actually created the scenario in the old video game Fighting Steel) is that I had all German capital ships (Prinz Eugen, Tirpitz, Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, Admiral Scheer, Lutzow, Admiral Hipper) coming to the rescue of Bismarck with at least two wolf pack submarines to take it out on British Home Fleet in a repeat of Battle of Jutland/Skagerrak as in WW2 where the Germany Navy plan to take out at least half of the British Grand Fleet with submarines/destroyer attacks to equal the numbers of the High Seas Fleet.

Panzermahn

[lwd]

.... Possibly the Luftwaffe could send FW-200 Condors right to their maximum operation range and that would put fear in the Rodney and King George V. ...

Condors would have been shredded if they tried to engage warships.

Their wasn't a safe line where the LW could guarantee protection. For one thing I believe some British subs were waiting off France as well. Eulgen towing Bismark would have been a Britt submariner's wet dream of a target.

[phylo_roadking]

Condors were relatively successful bombing freighters, for they developed a technique of straddling a target with a stick of three bombs - if only to make up for their appalling bombsight LOL...at least ONE of which would be near enough to the hull of the target to buckle her thin hull plates. And a Condor DID damage an RN destroyer off Norway in 1940 this way....but buckling the side armour of a battleship this way would be almost impossible.

And anyway - they'd be vulnerable to Ark Royal's fighter element.

[panzermahn]

.... Possibly the Luftwaffe could send FW-200 Condors right to their maximum operation range and that would put fear in the Rodney and King George V. ...

Condors would have been shredded if they tried to engage warships.

Their wasn't a safe line where the LW could guarantee protection. For one thing I believe some British subs were waiting off France as well. Eulgen towing Bismark would have been a Britt submariner's wet dream of a target.

Hi lwd

Yes, no doubt that the FW-200s would be shredded but I think it would at least distracted the Home Fleet, leaving enough time for Bismarck and Eugen to try to reach the safety zone under Luftwaffe air cover. Once they reach even closer to the French coast, the Luftwaffe could send the Do17 and He111 to shake off the pursuing Home Fleet but again, this scenario wouldnt unlikely happen since the Royal Navy won't be deterred by air attacks due to the fact that Uncle Winnie ordered the Home Fleet to get the Bismarck regardless of the cost.

The moment Bismarck's rudder was jammed, it was nothing more than prolonging her sinking. As far as I recalled, there were at least two U-boats that actually sighted the Home Fleet but they were lacking torpedoes..


Panzermahn

[NASAAN101]

guys,
let me add a twist in here if the twins were also there would John Tovey have gone in on the attack on Bismarck or would he just go home and wait then go and hit him when they in brest?
Nikki

[panzermahn]

guys,
let me add a twist in here if the twins were also there would John Tovey have gone in on the attack on Bismarck or would he just go home and wait then go and hit him when they in brest?
Nikki

Hi

I don't think Tovey would wait for Bismarck or Prinz Eugen to steam to Brest and then attacked them. As I mentioned earlier, Uncle Winnie ordered the Royal Navy to get the Bismarck regardless of the cost. Only the atomic bomb would have saved Bismarck from the fury of the Home Fleet since the pride of Royal Navy, HMS Hood was sunk with all hands except for three men.

Just my 2 cents

Panzermahn

[NASAAN101]

Guys
if the twins were also there would John Tovey have gone in to attack Bismarck or were they all dead meat?
NIKKI