KMS Bismarck and KMS Prinz Eugen

[TPMM]

What do you think about this?

[sniper1shot]

I put my vote under the "reach port damaged" heading.

-I think that with the anti-air capabilities of the Princ Eugen they would of shot down a few more of the British planes.
Was it not a good shot (or lucky) from only 1 Swordfish that put a torpedo into the rudder of the Bismarck that severly hampered its sea worthyness? Thus enabling the British to catch up and fight it out.
-Plus the British would of had 2 ships to worry about instead of only 1.

Not a bad "What if" question.

[redcoat]

-Plus the British would of had 2 ships to worry about instead of only 1.

Not a bad "What if" question.

If the Prince Eugen had still been with the Bismarck when her steering was damaged, the only sensible option would have been to take off the Bismarcks crew and scuttle her, with the PE then running for port.
One heavy cruiser was not going to make the slightest difference to the RN battlefleet bearing down on them

[sniper1shot]

not going to make the slightest difference

makes for another target that the RN would have to neutralise.....makes for less guns firing at the Bismarck. Sometimes only the slightest difference makes all the difference.
The PE would also be lending her guns into the battle. Everything counts in a fight like that.

I believe the Germans would of fought it out regardless and not scuttled before the fight. My personal thought on that one.

[Andy H]

not going to make the slightest difference

makes for another target that the RN would have to neutralise.....makes for less guns firing at the Bismarck. Sometimes only the slightest difference makes all the difference.
The PE would also be lending her guns into the battle. Everything counts in a fight like that.

I believe the Germans would of fought it out regardless and not scuttled before the fight. My personal thought on that one.

Why I can't fault the obvious logic to that statement, I would agree with Redcoat. The sheer weight of RN forces bearing down on the Bismarck was overwhelming, and PE's contribution would not have tipped the scale to any appreaciable extent.

Regards

[Tiornu]

The major difference that PE's presence would make at the last battle would be the increased number of German fatalities.

[TPMM]

Thanks for your interest.

By the way: are there any restrictions about the number of pools posted on Feldgrau?


Best wishes.

[Commissar D, the Evil]

By the way: are there any restrictions about the number of pools posted on Feldgrau?

"Nothing to Excess". That was an ancient Greek philosophy that is still applicable today.

Best,
~D, the EviL

[TPMM]

I'll try to remember that

Best wishes

[Andy H]

The British had also set a line of Submarines on the approaches to the main French ports. So even if either ship had broken through (in whatever state), they were far from safe.

Not sure if any suitable FAA or Coastal Command assets would have been available to also intercede.

Regards

[NASAAN101]

ya, they both would have been sank, but it would have been an ugle fight all the way round.. Let Biz deal KGV and Rondey and PE deal with Norfolk and Dorsetshire.. what do you guys think..
NIKKI

[hucks216]

One aspect that may have helped the Bismarck is that the PE was often mistaken for her, and it wouldn't of been easy to tell from a distance to a pilot of a swordfish coming under fire - after all, HMS Sheffield was attacked at one point. Depending on the spacing between the two ships (i.e. if the pilots had come across just the PE and had not seen the Bismarck in the near vicinity) it might just of been a possibility that PE could of attracted alot, or all, of the torpedoes meant for Bismarck, thus leaving Bismarck to continue to outrun the Royal Navy force.
As for the submarine line stationed by the French ports, a) these may of come under attack, or forced deep, from German aircraft/escort ships sent out to provide protection to an incoming Bismarck, and b) PE managed to get through ok, so it would of been possible.
A lot of variables, but an interesting topic.

[NASAAN101]

hucks216,
I learned this the hard way, they both might have been sank, this was on another froum that i'm on. If PE stayed with biz, she's also dogmeat.. but she maight have given her Bigger brother Biz the fight he needed to chase KGV and Rondey off.. Maybe! Maybe Just maybe they could've gotten home together..
Nikki

[hucks216]

hucks216,
I learned this the hard way, they both might have been sank, this was on another froum that i'm on. If PE stayed with biz, she's also dogmeat.. but she maight have given her Bigger brother Biz the fight he needed to chase KGV and Rondey off.. Maybe! Maybe Just maybe they could've gotten home together..
Nikki

I think that is the central point of my argument - if Bismarck was with the PE she wouldn't of had to fight off the KGV & Rodney because Bismarck may not of been targeted by the Swordfish (PE receiving the torpedo strike instead) and so free to run. KGV etc only caught up with the Bismarck because she was going in circles, without that torpedo hit she would of continued on her way to France and the British force would not of caught up with her. But that's the thing with 'What if's' - one 'what if' usually leads to another. As I said in my previous post it makes for an interesting discussion.

[NASAAN101]

You got that right.. Both she and her brother were cool lookin ships. and I loved the colors on both ships in 41, the black on white on gray.. But i still think if Biz Manger to get past the second torpedo attack she and PE could gottin back together and made it to brest and then the question become could she and the twins have protected him long enought to go throug the Channel.. and was it going to happen or no?
NIKKI