Operation Rheinübung - First and Last Voyage of the Bismarck
2019 ж. 26 Мам.
4 657 118 Рет қаралды
78 years ago today the pride of the Kriegsmarine slipped beneath the waves.
Today, we tell the story of that fateful mission.
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Pinned post for Q&A :)
Would a Nelson class with engines of the hood be a more formidable ship to face.
I notice you used clips from "Sink the Bismarck!" Have you thought about doing a movie review of either that film or some other WW2 Naval film looking at their accuracy?
Which ship in your Opinion deserves the most longest range hit in naval history Warspite for Guilio Cesare or Scharnhorst For HMS glorious
You said in at least 2 videos (the recent one on Storozhevoy and in another about some US Ship, I cant remember) that long barrels make heavy AA guns less efficent in the AA role. The examples were about Storozhevoys main guns and the US 5 inch 38 cal. Why is that? For me, a longer barrel equals a higher muzzle velocity which should make it easier to hit aircraft at long range.
What is a Naval Doctrine and how do you pick the right naval doctrine for your navy?
"I am a Pole! I am a Pole!". One of my favorite little moments/events in WWII.
I'm not a nazi or smth else, but i find this annoying, sometimes hilarious
@@Madmiata79 why?
@@Madmiata79 Because he doesn't understand its significance in the overall history of WWII. Either that or some Polish kid thumped him at school.
That and " This is Ching Lee "
The Polish version of U.S.S. Johnston.
1 hour and ~45min long and not a single advertisment hats off to you!
KZhead doesn't monetize videos with swastikas regardless of the context such as instructional history topics. I agree it's ridiculous 😡 it's just a ww2 totally technical and historically important subject here.
I actuality got an ad
Eli Wiederhold me too
Espinoza
There is plenty of free ad blockers out there, i personally use this one: AdBlock Best ad blocker, it says it wants you to pay, but just close the tab and you have a very nice ad blocker. Edit: i do not work for them
This is what the History Channel never was, never could be, but should have been.
The history channel is damn near criminal in my mind. Negligent, knowingly misleading people because it sells. Fantasy for adults. Bringing up the magical Templars again...
@@AJNpa80 It's just so BAD, a true embarrassment. Haven't watched it in years. Channels like this are truly the best.
I remember good content on history channel when I was a kiddo, idk what they have the stupid shot they do now, although I did learn about the pilgrims attacking the stuffing mines on another planet ruled by turkeys and the pilgrims prevailed giving the world stuffing on thanksgiving for all eternity, thanks history channel
The history channel used to be amazing. It used to have back to back world war 2 documentaries most of the day. You must be a younger history fan if you don't remember the good days of history channel before it went to shit!
Nope, in the 90s we called it the Hitler channel, you may be forgetting that they also ran junk pseudoscience, amateur archaeology, mystical maybe shows back then, mixed in with some more history shows, which sometimes also tried to grab the viewers attention with the same "some believe" crap they went on to use in buckets. They just realized there was no need to keep up the ruse. There are a few HC retrospective reports, what went wrong, where they changed, debunks of the myth of the good old days of a purely educational channel, you'll find they just turned up the volume, lost their shame, and tipped the ratio, when the history part was all WW2 they had already started the slide, as that's the low hanging fruit, ratings, viewers love some snazi gold.
I can’t imagine anything much worse than being sucked into the ocean as a ship goes down. Many men escaped the Hood as it exploded but when the ship began sinking it sucked all the men underwater with it like a massive flushing toilet 🚽. Only 3 men made it back up. It makes my blood run cold to think about it. My Uncle was blown off a ship during a Kamakazi attack in the Pacific. He cried out to God that if he would spare his life he would serve God the rest of his life. Somehow he survived and he kept his word. He became a Pastor until the day he died at 97 years old ( died 3 weeks ago).
I've heard that the ship going down pouring out huge bubbles as it goes. The men fall through these bubbles and after falling through the bubble didn't make it back up. The disorientation in such a circumstance would have to add to the problem of serving. Brave men. rip
surviving not serving.
Years ago in Ohio, we had a Polish Priest who had a similar story. He served in the Polish military and was a prisoner of war in Poland! The order was given by the Nazi officers to take the group of captured Poles into the forest and shoot them all! The prisoners waited and far outnumbered the Nazis guards . They all ran away catching the small unit of Nazis off guard and the firing began. He told my Polish mother speaking the language so my brothers and I couldn’t understand what he was saying! He made a promise to God that he would serve him if he was spared. God answered his prayers and he was wounded but not mortally. He hid and was nursed by local villagers and eventually was captured by the Russian military and set free after the war! He eventually made his way to America and kept his promise! He was a frequent visitor after Sunday mass. This was back in the mid to late 1960’s.
@@anthonyburnam3415 not men ...boys...
@@mottthehoople693 didn't stay boys for long. War will do that.
Fun fact : Oskar (The Bismarck cat) was also pulled from the sea and survived the war. He actually survived three sinkings, KMS Bismarck, HMS Cossack and HMS Ark Royal.
Nine lives indeed
I didn’t know Bismarck had a mascot. Great piece of trivia there.
@@asteropax6469 It may have been apocraphyl.
This has been debunked as just a sailor's tale. Given how many of the crew of the Bismarck were left to die by the Royal Navy under "no stop" orders, and the dire conditions of those that were rescued, it is next to impossible for a small feline to have survived. There is also conflicting evidence, as the cat aboard the Bismarck, and cat of British ships in photos are different.
Oh so that's why the Meowficer in Azur Lane that looks like Bismarck is named Oskar lmao
Those 3 survivors from the Hood, it just shows how horrific the loss of a ship can be, almost all or nothing. RIP brave men.
Army: Crawl through the mud and get shot at. Navy: Keep your uniform mostly tidy, but if the ship goes down, you're screwed. Marines: If the ship goes down, you're screwed, and if it doesn't, you get to crawl through the mud and get shot at. Air Force: When's happy hour?
The Lusitania went down in only 18-minutes after being torpedoed by a German U-Boat, in 1915, during WWI. Luckily 734 survived (1,924-1,119). Was close to the British Coast! Still, pretty amazing survival percentage (38%).
I think one of the Hood's survivors was waived through a doorway, "No after you." Followed by understandable tears. True horror.
Hear here...
@@christosvoskresye CIA-- happy hour's whenever we say it is lol...
Do you think the captain of the Rodney was like: "Fuck it. Ship's being refitted anyway. Let's see how much these boilers can REALLY take. And what happens if you fire everything at once?"
Main Engineering: Don’t you do it. Captain: Imma do it!
Rodney waited a long time for her fame, interrupted her refit to slug it out with Bismark and hardly anyone knows her name.
@@billiardsandsnookervideosn8319 indeed... I had never known the name of this ship before I found this channel. I knew of hood and prince of Wales, how could I not... But the other British ships involved I never heard mentioned by name. Truly a shame...
@@adenkyramud5005 Rodney emptied her 16inch shell magazine into Bismark, definitely deserved an attaboy for that. Rodney was one of the three Nelson Class battleships and they were the biggest battleships the UK ever built, Rodney was one of Nelsons Admirals so got his name on one of the Nelson ships. This Chanel made a quite good video on her and the other Nelson ships, well worth watching them. N
"Sir... would you mind explaining why you had NovaCat written on the bow?"
Bismarck: "So, I sunk the most famous ship in the Royal Navy" Royal Navy: "And I kinda took that personally"
The biggest Reverse card in WW2
@@andybushi6418 I mean, the Brits were here because they took the existence of Bismarck personally tho. :D
Proceeded to turn Bismarck into the most famous German ship while at it.
funny how the bismark and the ship it sunk are exceptionally famous but not the ship that sunk the bismark
In a way they were constructed for that purpose and it ended rather quick for both of them great ships.
I can’t remember where I read it, but I distinctly remember reading someone’s reasoning on why (seemingly) naval warfare seems to be relatively “civil” compared to land wars. As I recall, it boiled down to “all sailors know in their guts that, regardless of who their enemy is, they have one common foe: the ocean itself.” I have no idea how accurate this sentiment is, but it seems fairly on-point to me. Soldiers don’t usually have to worry about the ground under their feet trying to kill them; sailors are well aware that the sea will coldly try to murder anyone left adrift in its waters.
I would say that it is generally factually correct statement if You look at modern history of naval warfare, except to that rule would be Imperial Japanese Navy during the war. In a best case scenario tha japanese crew would machinegun hapless survivors as a afterthought, in a worst case, they would beat the survivors, torture them and finally behead them by sword.
I think Monsarrat said it pretty well in his introduction to The Cruel Sea. "But the men are the stars of this story. The only heroines are the ships; and the only villain the cruel sea itself."
@@lizardb8694 There were examples of IJN submarine crews giving food water etc to survivours, just as there were examples of US Navy Crews machine gunning survivours in the water.
THERE'S A GERMAN SONG THAT SAYS THAT: 'NO FLOWERS BLOOM ON SAILOR'S GRAVES'-!
That's certainly poetic, but I think it's more accurate to say that a man without his ship can't fight at sea whereas on land a man with a rifle and one bullet left can still fight. Therefore, it only makes sense to consider seamen on a wrecked/sunk ship as non combatants but not a lone rifleman.
80 years ago this morning HMS Hood was lost. It it heartening to see that inspite of all those years that the ship and the brave 1415 sailors lost with her are not forgotten and still to this day are being discussed. Respects to their memories.
GOD BLESS THEIR SOULS
They have no grave but the cruel sea, No flowers lay at their head, A rusting hulk is their tombstone, Afast on the ocean bed. They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, We will remember them. Lest we forget.
Bismarck and gnisenau sailors are much more brave and memorable than the hoods by choosing to go down with ship instead of dying instantly
@@noahlinden9641 that's crazy but I am on the Germans side so it's ok
@@richardmartin8998 gotta say that bit at 42:30... DANG.... Hood certainly went down fighting that's for sure.
I'm ex- Navy. I remember during my initial training a Petty Officer (retired) who had been a survivor of the Barham, told us the need for unquestioning discipline. He told us the story of the Warspite taking a 500lb bomb during the battle for Crete, happening at almost the same time as Operation Rheinubung . It started a fire in the shell hoist. The order came to flood the magazine. Men followed the order knowing that 50 men were down in the magazine. if they hadn't followed that order the whole ship may have exploded. I can imagine how those guys felt as they opened the sea cocks. I would love to know who it was that kept hoisting the flags from the exploding boat deck, 24 of his friends nearby dead or dying. Signal 2 Blue to Prince of Wales and he did it. They were all special people.
This is only a problem if you actually have empathy. A person only focused on himself but with a highly logical mindset will do what is needed to survive. 'I have to cooperate with these things because its in my interest' ' I have to manipulate x by laughing at his jokes because its in my interest of survival' etc. Psychopaths can be highly effective at cooperation if they view it as useful but they'll also kill you with no hesitation if its considered the logical way to survive. Ted Bundy was thought of as a nice guy even worked at the suicide hotline. He didn't care about anyone but himself. Again letting your comrades die is only an issue if you view them as people. If you view them as useful tools for your own personal advancement its not an issue. Psychopaths are the best leaders at the end of the day since emotions are a fundamental human weakness and they have none.
@@florinivan6907 These are normal men who got drafted. You are literally projecting.
@@jobdylan5782 Whenever someone states something controversial the standard reply is 'you're projecting'. Well what makes you think you're not projecting your own nature onto others. Also just because you have biases doesn't mean you're wrong. Here's my advice come up with newer standard replys 'projecting' has been overused grandpa. Did your dad dig up this reply from working in a mine and said 'here sonny here's a standard worn out reply to use'.
@@florinivan6907 it's not controversial, especially not your last "point". You're just a bumbling idiot who's either projecting because you a weirdo or making things up to slander a bunch of long-dead men. Either way you should be ashamed.
@@jobdylan5782 Technically its closer to libel slander is spoken and this is written. But more importantly they're all dead. The only people who can still feel some issue are the descendants because the men are dead. They're not here to feel awkward anymore they don't care and even their kids are mostly old or very old. They're gone. And again really weak insults idiot weirdo. Were did you learn those? I have no respect for washed out guys who will be dead soon enough who can't even be bothered to give a good insult. Gramps the cemetery is waiting you should move. And if you have a lot of years left try learning to insult people its an art form.
That barfight analogy was probably the best I've heard to describe the Battle of Denmark Strait and the RN reaction. BZ
Such an appropriately English metaphor, too.
@@hatchcrazy Or UK/British Isles metaphor, at least. The Irish and the Scots will fight the English and each other over who has better barfights!
LOL. KZhead's closed captions thinks Admiral Doenitz's real name is Admiral Donuts. The are all sorts of funny things coming from this system.
Clearly the system confused the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffle
@@Wafflepudding LOL. Perhaps.
It's light red armor!
How about Craigslist Marines
😱😂😂😂
The British sailor who tried to rescue the badly-hurt German survivor was Midshipman Joe Brooks, who went after an armless German who was clinging to a rope with his teeth. He lost track of the survivor and barely got back to the Dorsetshire before it left.
Midshipman Joe Brooks was reprimanded by Captain Benjamin of HMS Dorsetshire for his actions. He eventaully served on Royal Navy X-craft "midget subs", and won the distinguised service cross for his part in a submerged attack on a floating dock in Trondheim, Norway in 1944.
@@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684 !!
The whole scuttling controversy is the equivalent of someone saying " You can't fire me! I Quit! " Just before getting sacked.
Bismarck was going down either way so it doesn't really matter
The die was cast when Bismarck lost control of it's rudder, Lindemann knew the ship was doomed he could have put his hubris to one side ordered abandon ship and scuttled it, it would have saved thousands of lives.
@@robertdraper5782 I honestly feel like the commander of the Scharnhoest later in the war should have surrendered after he lost his engines given the conditions he knew his men would be facing once the ship was sunk.
@@TheSchultinator They could have followed Cpt Langsdorff's example, he scuttled the Graf Spee when he knew there was only one outcome and put the lives of his crew first.
@@robertdraper5782 Agreed
Funniest line: 49:55 “In the background, a few intelligence analysts were probably quietly given some one-way tickets to join the other soldiers preparing for Operation Barbarossa.” Edit: There is also the line at 15:23-“Not wishing to go down in history as an especially heavily armed version of the Titanic, speed was reduced to 24 knots and the ships began to maneuver to avoid the worst of the ice”.
Great stuff here.
1:10:40 I am a poll. Proseds to thow stuff that has no chans of hitting bismark just to troll her
It's horrifying to look at the timestamps on the Battle of the Denmark Strait, and realize that the combat lifetime of the _Hood_ was shorter than the average for KZhead videos I watch.
She was engaging French forces for several hours during Operation Catapult.
@@Ozraptor4 Yeah, but it was _only_ the French. They don’t count.
@@Ostentatiousnessness harsh
Sir we’re taking on water No f’ing way. Hitler is gonna be PISSED
@@Ostentatiousnessness they kicked ass in the First World War and were pretty much the shit when Napoleon was around.
The guy who jumped in to help injured German sailors, what a God damn lad.
My understanding is that there were others that climbed down the nets too
A very refreshing approach to have that story told by a German and an Englishmen with great accuracy and attention to detail on both sides. The best and most comprehensive report on the battle I've watched so far.
Out of curiosity I checked, this is your most popular video, I can tell you I keep coming back to hear it again. It's such a great story / story telling.
The abrupt noise of that typewriter is my only criticism.
Could not agree more. I was using headphones and the volume of that machine clacking is the only problem. So I'm good.
Polish destroyer basically standing outside his window at night pelting it with rocks and shouting at it. Meanwhile everybody else is just going "yeah... he does that."
"as if I were in the striking chamber of Big Ben. I picked myself up, thinking I'd made a fool of myself." has to be the most British thing ever uttered.
This channel is an absolute gem. Watched this on the big screen in the Belgian naval academy
That must have been bloody awesome 😎
The Coast Guard cutter was the USCGC Modoc (WPG-46). She really played a more critical role in running down the Bismarck than she is often given credit for. She was on Greenland ice patrol and had responded to an SOS from several torpedoed ships from a convoy in the Bay of Biscay, along with her sister Northland and the much smaller USCGC General Greene. While rescuing survivors, she was amazed to see the grey outline of a large battleship loom up out of the gloom. The Modoc's radio operator had copied the British message ordering all RN ships to intercept the Bismarck. The captain was therefore aware of the rough position of the Bismark, but never expected to find herself this close to the path of the ship. She signaled Bismarck with signal lamps and radio but received no reply as she steamed past in silence. The Modoc's radioman immediately got on the aircraft radio the Modoc carried, raising that American piloted Catalina. She was able to give the Catalina the last seen position of the Bismarck. The Catalina was able to locate the Bismarck within fifteen minutes of getting the message from the Modoc, and was then able to notify Coastal Command. Thus, Modoc played an important part in the final location of the Bismarck. The three cutters continued to rescue men in the sea, all the while frantically signalling the Prince of Wales of their identities as Norfolk prepared to lob eight inch shells toward what it presumed to be a German destroyer. The Bismarck was already past the cutters, and the PoW was able to relay the cutter's friendly status to the other British ships and stop the Norfolk from opening fire, helped by a timely jam of her forward turrets. The three cutters patrolled the area looking for survivors but found none, only wreckage, floating corpses, and body parts, before making way again for Greenland. It was the closest to a major historic battle ever witnessed by Coast Guard Cutters
Thank for that information
The entire affair occurred a year and a half before the United States entered the war. The accounts of the battle released by the British after the Bismarck was sunk did not mention any American participation because that would have indicated an American violation of the country's "neutrality" at that point. That account became the legend, and, as they say, when the legend becomes fact, print the legend.
Me: *has plans for today* Drachfinel: uploads 2 hour long video. Me: "guess I need to reschedule"
Operation Reschedule-burg
@@BHuang92 operation neuplannung.
I'm working a double today. My breaks are filled. Well, they traditionally are around 10 minute videos.
Drach has that effect on navally obsessive people lol...
Me, I download a copy to my computer then keep my schedule...
That pub / bar room brawl analogy was brilliant
Random US Coast Guard cutter. (RN): "What the deuce are YOU doing here!?" (USCG): "Neutrality patrol. That's our story, and we're sticking to it."
(USCG): "And would you mind not torpedoing me; I'm clearly not a battleship or german you (long string of expletives)."
Actually it was part of the IIP that patrols the North Atlantic to monitor icebergs and thus avoid a second Titanic incident. More info on it here www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=IIPHome
The Polish ship trolling Bismarck, as Pilate says in Life of Brian 'The little rascal has spirit, bravado, a touch of derring-do'.
Oh errr about 11 sir
1:11:00 for context.
The Poles sought revenge for nazi war crimes against them and they were a huge asset, this and the 303 squadron. Ignorant latter generations of brits label these heroes "eastern europe immigrants" and expel them on the nazi style pure breed fantasy that is brexit. I for one will never forget our Polish friends and to me you are always welcome.
Phonetic spelling: 'The wittle wascal has spiwit, bwavado, a touch of derwing-do'
Maitrik Patel Didn't a Polish ship keep firing at night to keep the German sailors at their posts- depriving them of rest and sleep. Or was that a different battle.?
Polish Destroyer: Fight me you over glorifyed tub!
"I fart in your general direction!"
What with the Poles and the Bismark and the Norwegians and the Scharnhorst, it's like having nautical terrors snapping at Germany's heals.
@@LucaHMafra I had exactly that in mind ^^
@@jonaspfister682 had to be done. シ
They were pissed.... Hatred of Germany to the death...
1:10:00 The captain of U-556 was a friend of the Bismarck's, who provided the band for the sub's launch. In exchange, U-556 swore loyalty to Bismarck and would offer assistance if it were ever needed. ;-;
syaondri Apparently they were well-positioned but ran out of torpedoes. It’s a “for want of a nail” scenario
U556 left the scene on midday on the 10th relived by U 74.
Props to the Rodney and her crew! Absolutely amazing the amount of damage the Bismarck took.
Understatement, 9 gun 16”, all together, at point blank range, 9 hits…..no other ship in history has unleashed that, AP coming out the other side of the B, unreal.
Superb video. Particularly impressed with the in memory of all that died from both the Kriegsmarine and the Royal Navy note at the end. That was high class. May all lost or have since passed, from whichever country rest in peace. Keep up the good work guys.
With the amount of content produced by Drachinifel, I have to wonder what his work-life balance is like. Keep up the good work, nonetheless.
Probably takes adderall,, I know I do lol...
I wonder what his day-job is?
@@sergarlantyrell7847 ..I dunno,, from the subject matter you'd think Drach would be a foreman down on the docks in East London, it'll probably turn out he owns a coffee shop and you know what? That's cool with me...
@@sergarlantyrell7847 has said a couple times that he is an engineer, dont know exactly what field.
@Jimmy De'Souza FELIX DE SOUSAS BROTHER,, kzhead.info/sun/YLuwettto3pto4E/bejne.html
Churchill: Sink the Bismark Tovey: It's burning, listing, not firing back, can't steer, the scuttle charges have gone off, and the men are jumping off the deck. Churchill: Did I stutter? Tovey: No Sir, you did not.
Just another opportunist politician thinking of himself as a great war hero
If viewers have not watched Drach give his lecture about his theory of the exact moment of Hood's demise it is worth the time to locate it and watch.
best 5 minutes guide ever
Even if it was way more that 5 min.
@@GnonplussedGnome "more or less"
5 minute guide 🧐
That part about the Polish crew trolling the Bismarck with "I am a Pole" and distracting them is a thing of hilarious beauty. It's a sort of mad genius that wins battles and wars. Also HMS Rodney's captain was well aware of the WASD hax.
those torpedobeats though
@@aaronstorey9712 Cosigned by Kamchatka
@@naverilllang no thats torpedoboats
Wouldn't have changed a thing when the only Problems Bismarck had were a Destroyed Rudder and a broken Radar. That Pole was annoying but nothing else than an annoyance.
@@TheRealJohnux also made sure the crew at at station all night long
Every time I hear about the sinking of ships and the tremendous loss of life, no matter what what side it is a clear reminder of how terrible war is. My father was in the pacific on a LST and survived if he had not I would not been born a few years latter. Thanks for your exceptional videos and all the research you put into your videos. I do not know how you ever find the time to make such great videos yet I am glad you do. I feel it is important to know history and hopefully learn from it.👍👍
My dad missed being sent to the Hood in the draft sheds at Portsmouth by one man in front of him and was sent to another ship instead! i count that as a lucky escape.
ORP Piorun ( Number G65) was built in Clydebank. She helped defend the town from German bombers. She was credited for saving the town, her crew firing until they ran out of ammunition. There is now a monument to her and her crew near the old shipyard.
So did sister ship, ORP Błyskawice in her shipyard of origin.
Dad was seconded to the Ark from the air force as an air fitter before the war and was with 820 squadron fairey swordfish.After maintenance the fitters were often taken up on test flights and dad said with a good head wind the old girls on take off would go backwards.This is a tour de force what with continuity interceded with personal accounts truly unprecedented; I honour you.
Have you been to Yeovilton RNAS? My grandfather was a TAG on swordfish and walruses and served on Norfolk and Rodney. After PQ 17, he was brought home from Russia on KG V. On a catapult launch, the TAG and observer faced each other and would try to trick each other to get the best grip position for launch.
As a former sailor one great fear, drowning in ice cold water and various things that want to eat you.
If the water is cold, then there are no sharks. But you will freeze. If the waters are warm, then say goodbye to your legs
At least the cold water is quick(ish). Even in the Irish Sea in middle of winter on average you've got minutes without a survival suit and that's if you don't go into instant shock and come back up to the surface. Ex RNLI and 10yrs working at sea. Ending up in the drink and fire were always a terrorfying prospect for sure.
I've watched this video 5 or 6 times already from start to finish. It's like watching a classic movie only much better!
Raise a glass to the fallen, today of all days. Some 3400 men served proudly and gave their lives in the course of the operation, and the rules of the sea suggest that we honor all of them, friend or foe. Thank you, Drachinifel, for a great video.
Cheers
I have no respect for any German who fought for Hilter.
The law of the sea, render help to ALL that need it to save their lives.The law stays the same in peacetime also. I know because I live by the sea. I grew up knowing and respecting this law.
Hi Scott, I’ve been a Merchant Seaman for many years and Im not aware of any rule that says we should honour our enemy. Certainly ones fighting to support an evil regime. We should certainly seek to save life and aid others in distress, but not honour those same people if they are supporting an evil system.
@Russ Gallagher Well put.
Congratulations both of you for an exemplary video; I have not watched or listened to anything about the Bismark and the hunt for it as comprehensive, informative and unbiased as this production. The production and research is a tour de force and in my opinion your best work so far; your presentation between you is measured and professional, well done. Well deserved regards
John Hargreaves recent years endearoplanne
I was already really enjoying this episode...what really made it worth it was the analogy at 50:21. Perfect visualization and perfect foreshadowing.
brilliantly done! great job - RIP to all lost on both the Bismarck and the Hood.
Respect to all the sailors lost on both sides on Hood and Bismarck. I can only imagine the hellish scenes on Bismarck's last moments afloat. Very good video and well done lads!
It must have felt like the end of the world for them
Bismark was the monster, and the Rodney and King George were the knights. They made the sea safe for the allies again
They were all just sailors doing their duty at the end of the day regardless of beliefs or ideology. Tragic loss of life on both sides.
@@Chino56751, That is a view of perspective. Colored by politics. Death, And Death at Sea can be horrific. We need not trivialize/propagandize the deaths of the Sailors.
@@Chino56751 If that's what you want to call beating a dead horse in a conflict you could have prevented.
You make better content in 2019 than the History Channel did back in its heyday in the late 90s. Just incredible. I wish you well!
I’ve literally considered cashing out a rather sizable portion of my bitcoin just to fund this guy for a bit
@Ron Lewenberg the political geo-strategic target of the US was to weaken Europe with internal wars. In our days the Europeans understood to fight Germany weakens themselves. Now the US are only able to provoke quarrels in the European periphery as Ukraine, Georgia and the Kosovo. US propaganda is the biggest on the planet to destablize overseas countries. We should not believe the historical and the current media bullshit.
@Jurassic Aviator This is not only actually the case. This is your history at all. I had this debate with Veterans Today on their forum some years ago. They, as the most US citizens, never took their own history seriously. The entire move to the West was war, against British canada, against Mexico, the Barbary wars, Japan, against Spain, you name it. War of aggression is the main US business model, being never attacked by anybody. 1944 Bretton Woods gave additionally the world leading currency weapon, better than any fleet. When Woodrow Wilson came into office, the strategy to weaken Europe was defined and published. At least the stupid Brits lost the pound sterling as the leading currency and sold their empire for 53 old destroyers to the US, because Dönitz had won the war at this stage.
@Jurassic Aviator the difference to the past is, that now, US corps and admins buy simply the best brains on the planet for development and progress. There is no real technical and eminent advantage on the planet anywhere, so no war, genociding the inhabitants, makes sense. WWII was the biggest bucaneering raid ever in history. The Soviets and the US were involved in a speed-race to robb German technology. Rockets, jet-engines, nuclear progress, agriculture you name it. They did not cared about the killing of 7 Mio. German people during the war and several mio. after the war. After Yeltsin opened Soviet archives, Putin classified all soviet warfiles soon again. The Brits blacked their own since the war. Your current president Trump analysed or realized the major problem of US forces in general very well. The US are still able to lay an entire country into ashes, but they are not able to win a war anymore.
@@danielsummey4144 Then do it.
As a Bismarck fanitc having seen the movie in downtown Detroit in 1960, this documentary is the best I've ever saw! In the battle sequence, it sounded like a prize fight! Again as a Naval enthusiast, I again bow to the MASTER! KEEP SAILING BUDDY!!
That mighty German battleship is just a memory, "Sink the Bismarck", was the battle cry that rang through the Seven Seas
I never get tired of hearing the story about the last voyage of the Bismarck. This is the best account I’ve ever heard. Quite complete. Didn’t know so many British ships were ordered to look for the Bismarck. I liked the bar analogy given. Everyone in the bar ready to jump in to revenge their friend after a lone stranger strikes him.
I imagine it was speech time on the rodney. 'Right lads, the Hood has just gone down, orders have come through, the bismarck is to be sunk. We have are to join the hunt, All hands to stations, I know our old girl is up for a fight, but we may have to thrash her to get there. Good hunting.' Or words to that effect
No, from the start when Bismarck and Prinz Eugen broke into the Atlantic, they needed to be hunted down. The historical record is pretty clear that the Brits were dead set on that. The risks to shipping in the Atlantic was just too high to accept.
@@wierdalien1 Man LARPers like you are so weird lol
For those who don't speak German... *Rheinübung* translates literally as _"Rhein Exercise"_ or figuratively as _"Exercise Rhein"._
I saw about every "Victory at Sea" and ships training shows ever made while I was in US Navy sub-school. I've seen many documentaries on the sinking of the Bismarck. This is the best SEA BATTLE documentary I have ever seen. It's Exceptional in every way possible. The sailors' descriptions of what was going on are incredible. Thank you so much! I guess someone in the U.S. Government forgot to tell our Navy that proximity fuses were crap.
I absolutely love the double team approach. There is just so much information to absorb about the Bismark. As you both noted the story is absolutely chock full of exciting military history and military technology. I was a bit blasse initially, but then the well scripted and well presented facts with their relevance came and I started to learn details about the Bismarck and her last mission. I'm hooked damnit, now I have no choice but to review all of your videos. Cheers from Canada.
I first read a book on the sinking of the Bismarck in the mid sixties as a an eleven year old boy. My late father was a veteran of The Royal Navy from Plymouth, but spent the war years in Scotland escorting convoys with his mates between Rosyth and Sheerness. I was appauled at the hammering the Bismarck got especially in her final moments when she was in her final moments and said so to my father.' She sank the Hood,and could have gone on to sink many both Naval and Merchant a lot of men,'came the reply. People today dont really concieve of what Hood really meant to the nation and the navy then. She was known affectionatly to a lot of the navy apparently as 'Britains Big Bullsh - - - - - B - - - - - - Built in Browns' This due to any trouble across the globe,and Britains politicians would dispatch Hood. Her size and majesty not to mention her potential firepower was usually enough to calm things. Built in a yard in Scotland not ten minutes from where I live that also gave birth to Britains last Battleship The Vanguard. That yard closed and became a 'development opportunity' some years ago. It is now Clydebank College and Health Centre .Their is a memorial nearby to Polish Sailors who ran to their ships guns while their vessels were under repair in the yard during the Clydebank Blitz. The Germans did not just sink a ship that day They destroyed a legend going back twenty years.
5 minute guide to warships. More or less. BUT NOT TODAY!
In English, 'five minites, more or less', can be a lifelong friendship.
I have yet to have watched one under five, but I am not complaining, I really enjoy all Drachinifel's content.
mostly more
Very interesting and through, I had no idea that a Sunderland flying boat was present in the area around the Denmark Strait during the battle and obliging the AA batteries of the Germans to engage them, nice little nugget of information there. The final battle of Bismarck was also made very vivid, 16'' broadsides from HMS Rodney passing right through the ship must have been quite a thing, though horrible to witness. One small detail that I feel was worth mentioning is that the night time destroyer attack was lead by Phillip Vian, the same man who captured Altmark in a Norwegian fjord in 1940. Vian was seen as one of the most aggressive and able commanders in the Royal Navy by this point, so much so that Admiral Tovey gave him no direct orders on how to proceed with his attack but rather simply said something like "the old pirate knows what to do..." It is too worth mentioning that this entire breakout was taking place at the same time as the Siege of Malta was approaching its height and the German airborne landing and invasion of Crete at the far end of the Mediterranean and demanding considerable resources on the part of the Royal Navy. As a matter of fact the cruiser HMS York was disabled and later sunk there. So too was the cruiser HMS Gloucester, sunk by stukas after running out of anti-aircraft ammunition. HMS Orion was heavily damaged and myriad destroyers were also sunk or damaged in the waters around Crete. Bismarck's breakout at the same time as all this happening was no coincidence but part of a larger strategic plan to stretch the Royal Navy to breaking.
For Rodney it was a simple clay pigeons shooting. A midshipman could have commanded Rodney in the final battle of Bismarck without any danger of a failure. With a Bismarck at 28 knots, Rodney's and KGV's T would had been always crossed.
@@hajoos.8360 Drachinifel stated that Bismark's fire was accurate and that misses were due to minor course alterations by the captain. Even partially immobilized Bismarck needed to be approached with a good captain.
@@jimmiller6704 Fine, that Drachifinel was on the ship during the final battle of Bismarck. The rudder was jammed in one propeller, 7 knots and unsteerable. That Bismarck not survived is only the failure of the coward Lütjens. If you want, it was a construction failure. Already during the trials in the Baltics it was clear, that Bismarck was not steerable without both rudders.
The Royal Navy may have been stretched but I would argue that a lot of its troubles were of its own making. Despite incorporating aircraft carriers into the fleet and the relative success of the Swordfish against the Bismarck, the vulnerability of RN's own capital ships to air attack was a lesson that was never learned. The mentality was still to engage in Jutland-type battles, which is why it sent the Prince of Wales and Repulse without any carrier-based support to their inevitable demise even after the time-frame you mention.
@@roryobrien4401 I don't believe that's entirely fair to them. While I will admit that the RN air-arm was well behind that of the other major navies, much of that can be attributed to the timing of the war. With the war starting in 1939, the Brits didn't have much of a chance to modernize their air-arm, especially considering that the bulk of their aeronautical engineering had to go towards long-range bombers and short-range defense aircraft, all of which would have been quite the challenge to re-build as carrier-based aircraft. Spits and Hurricanes were not blessed with the range you'd expect from a carrier aircraft, and taking on the extra weight of strengthened landing gear and a folding wing was not going to help matters. What you would have wound up with was an interceptor which, given the relatively poor range of the Me 109 and Fw 190, would have been spending most of its time harassing slow, unescorted bombers over the Mediterranean, something an old Skau wouldn't have had too much trouble with. Would such an air arm be useful in Malta? Probably, though I doubt anyone responsible for allocating airframes would have been pleased with the prospect of diverting valuable, top-of-the-line airframes and manufacturing equipment to produce something that was likely over-qualified for its job when those same aircraft were so badly needed in Britain. Particularly as these aircraft would constantly be surrounded by the Mediterranean coast, which could keep sending planes until something gave out, at which point all you'd have done is wasted a couple dozen advanced airframes. Combine this with the fact that carrier-based planes are not well-known for their strategic bombing characteristics, and you wound up with an aircraft design industry that simply was not afforded the time or opportunity to develop a proper carrier plane. ... And in case you bring up Japan and the US, their modern aircraft, the Zero, F4F, and SBD, only began service in 1940, suggesting that the Brits had only just missed their chance at modernization.
Thank you for such an informative and entertaining video. My father was in the US Navy on a destroyer in the south Pacific. The DD664 the Richard P. Leary. His ship was in the battle of Leyte Gulf and was part of the torpedo runs that were made. I don't think there will ever be a generation as brave and heroic as my father's generation. Thank you.
Kudos to Tovey for standing up for the captain of the PoW and the cruisers.
Is that really you James? You'd normally be accusing RN officers of all manner of evil and deceitfulness. But in this case very well said.
@@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684 WTF are you talking about? Who are you even? I can only guess that I must have contradicted you on some ignorant or ill informed comment you made somewhere on YT, and you then assumed you understood my entire world view. Clown.
@@jameshenderson4876 I've obviously made a mistake. The other "James Henderson" who I often cross swords with in various comment sections, while a deluded nazi fanboi, has not yet shown himself to be an irate, rude, ignorant little prick like yourself. My bad.
@@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684 Agreed. I have encountered the same individual.
@@dovetonsturdee7033 Obviously a young blustering lad, flexing his keyboard muscles. If you met him in real life he wouldn't say boo to a goose.
At 38:26. German sailors with tears in their eyes. I had to stop there. I had tears in my eyes.
Its horrible how these unbiased and well researched videos make you root For each side. It all feels So pointless in the end
@@anttitheinternetguy3213 it was. That war should have never happened
Pause to consider the Ark Royal Swordfish strikes. A bunch of 20 something guys, taking off at dusk from a spec in the vast ocean, in a storm, with the ship pitching 50 feet up and down and green water breaking over the bow, in an iced up open cockpit and then attacking at speed slower than most commuter traffic against the most modern battleship in the world. And describing the whole event and spectacle as getting them "quite excited." Today most young men their age seem to complain that getting a drivers license is too hard.
I like your sentiment but the Bismarck was not the most modern Battleship in the world. Both North Carolina and Washington had been commissioned before the Bismarck sailed.
20 year olds today are busy worried about trigger warnings and checking their racial privilege. 🧐
@@Manospondylus Poor comparison. Brits have a tendency to make gross understatements, and combat pilots, especially naval combat pilots, are naturally more adventurous than average.
@@johnshepherd8687 the swordfish were still to slow for Bismarcks AA-fire. And the cloth-wings did not animated the AA-shells to explode. Here you see the failure in PE's detachement. A AA-crossfire might had been more successful.
I agree. Young chaps today should have to dodge live fire when taking theirs driver's test. Teach those young punks some character.
Prinz Eugen has always been my favorite ship. Stood toe to toe with ships twice it's size and scored hits on both! Not to mention sticking an 8" middle finger at 2 atomic bombs!
Then you probably would like to know that both of them pronounced the name wrong
@Yours Truly probably artificial voices anyway. Don't lose sleep over it
@@ValleyProud916 They pronounced it the German way. Napalmratte is German…
"Hello I'm from Bavaria that's the part of Germany that produces the good beer" Well it's good to see that he knows the best way to introduce his homeland.
I doubt real Bavarian would say about being 'part of Germany'. For frak's sake, in Aviation Museum in Munich there's Eurofighter Typhoon with blue-white chessboard shield and "Bavarian Air Force" on vertical stabilizer.
Okay, I've finished watching it. And my goodness, there's so much terrifying detail in this video. 41:50 That last torpedo shot from the Hood is the stuff of legends - some hero managed to fire off a torpedo in the final seconds of his life, never knowing the incredible effect he just had in the war and possibly saving the crew of the Prince of Wales. Even besides him, those heroic British sailors 36:00 managed to fire off one more shot from the turret as they were sinking. That's just so incredible. Yet on the flipside, the horrifying accounts of the death and damage upon the Bismark. The graphic descriptions of bodily debris...the hopelessness, the sailors trying to surrender. This is true terror right here. If the Germans had just surrendered when it was truly hopeless, how many more may have survived the war? If the secondary gunners on the Bismark had just held their damn fire, would the Brits have honoured the surrender signal and started boarding survivors earlier? If that damn uboat hadn't been there to spook the cruiser, how many more sailors could have been saved from the water? I'll lose sleep over this tonight, because there was just so much unspeakable horror that could have been avoided. Remember, as shocking and horrifying as those accounts are, we only heard about it because some survivor had to witness it and report it later. These horrors didn't just happen in a vacuum, they were /witnessed/ by others who had to carry the burden of those memories for the rest of their lives. I found myself weeping several times. This was an epic and legendary navy battle, yes, but it's also a horrifying tale at the same time. RIP all those brave sailors.
After the Hood, I don’t see the British fighting very honorably when the tide was turned.
Lindemann demanded the pursue of PoW, which would have been the right decision. And later on the detachment of PE was against all squadron-rules in naval history, an additional failure of Lütjens.
@Just Hans ask Drachinifel how many seconds Bismarck's shell needed to reach the target. I think the shells needed more than 20 seconds. So there is no self-destruction-mode in battleship's shells. And Brits never hesitated to shoot against a sinking ship, have a look to the Dresden and Emden case already in WW1.
@@danielsummey4144 Hood was sunk by the same recklessness that sank so many British ships at Jutland: failure to observe safe handling practices with ammunition. She was doomed the moment the ready racks started burning, because of the British Navy practice at the time of over-stocking ready storage and handling passageways, as well as leaving open or flat out removing flash-doors between the powder storage and the ready stores, in favour of increased rate of fire (as documented in another Drachinifel video)
@@ShuRugal citation please
British destroyers signed with following: i hear boss music. Polish destoyer in the group: plays its own boss music as it says come at me.
Could also apply eurobeat music as well.
Absolutely excellent presentation. Cutting through the myth and the lore all these years later was excellent but clearing the fog of battle was exceptional.
Love the minute by minute. Was a great battle. I love that even in war there is compassion. While you want to celebrate victory knowing 1500 people are drowning in front of you must be an astounding feeling.
I just imagine in the middle of the night, a destroyer coming close to Bismarck and signaling: „I‘m polish, I‘m polish, I‘m polish.“ and then firing everything it has on board.
Keep the Germans awake, even small calibre fire would rake the deck and maybe kill or injure a few men, war is hell.
D*ck move anyway
@@finanzam1 well earned dick move
Kurva 😂😂😂
Im not leaving you alone until you do something about it you big dirty bastard
24:24, I watch every Bismarck documentary in eager anticipation of these words. It’s my favorite quote from the Second World War.
This channel is amazing and this video put me over the edge of loving it. It just sort of dawned me how damn cool large naval warfare is, in that it's a ton of people working together on a giant machine, on the unpredictable ocean, working in concert, no way to just leave the ship. They have an entire language of their own. So many concepts i've never even considered, and Drachinifel describes them so casually. Really fascinating stuff. Also among all the technical data, like salvo #s, which I enjoyed, the human stories, harrowing accounts. I have heard some of the bare details of this event before, but this video gave me a new perspective on the events. Thanks Drachinifel
Simply one of the greatest naval stories to ever take shape. So many ins & outs, an epic venture !!
Petition to rename the format the 5 hour guide to warships.
I would watch the sh*t out of that!
How about 'Human stupidity on display'?
kzhead.info/sun/admuc8xvfahvmnA/bejne.html Here you go, 5hrs 22 minutes of Drac.
In my third grade class (was probably 9-10 years old) there was a children’s book on the Bismarck. I remember picking it up and reading it just after we had done Cub Scout trips sleeping over on the USS Massachusetts and USS Salem. That was a little over 20 years ago and I remember thinking when reading the book what it would have been like to be trapped in those steel hallways or on the bridge having a shell weighing as much as a car whizzing through. I’d imagine if I was on the Bismarck or Prinz Eugen and saw the Hood go down or on one of The Royal Navy ships watching the Bismarck’s final moments, I’d be one of those who probably had to wipe a tear away. The sailors on all sides were so brave and these stories are truly awesome.
Great story a lot of brave sailors. Too bad the human race must always be killing each other. Seem to be part of being human.I wonder if it will ever change🤷♀️
I was riveted to this analysis what an interesting story of the sinking,such loss of lives brings you to value life and those that sacrifice theirs for freedom.
Stumbled into your channel over a month ago, I absolutely love the content that you put out. The most educational episodes I've ever come across. Keep up the good work
I can't tell you how many time I have seen and heard this story. From the original British movie (and the accompanying hit single) to your epic retelling. However, I can tell you that: a- This was far longer than that first movie, b- The use of eyewitness reporting and the plethora of images contributed to a very compelling story, c- The way the story was put together from a British and German perspective by both presenters. All aspects of your video absolutely captured me. I hadn't expected to sit for nearly two hours spellbound. Wow, well done guys.
Thanks, it is good to remember in the end they all were sailors who doing their duty faced horror. Court marshalling the Prince of Wales captain was beyond belief. I'm glad the commander stood up against it.
Ross Swenson Seriously, even though PoW was the better-designed ship, she was in no shape to fight and backing down was the right choice.
Agreed. If anyone were to be courtmartialed, it should have been vice admiral Holland for even starting the engagement on that fateful morning.
@@BrickworksDK Except in theory, Hood and Prince of Wales (along with Norfolk and Suffolk) have a two-to-one advantage against Bismarck and Prinz Eugen. Hell, I'd wager that British fire control and RADAR is superior to the Germans'.
@@lawrencegabrieln.fabula2380 True. In theory the British should have outnumbered and outmatched the Germans. But they didn't... Norfolk and Suffolk were too far away. And while Hood and Prince of Wales were closer and in a position to engage, a course change by the Germans put the British ships at a disadvantage, having a long run-in where Hood would be vulnerable to plunging fire and (even worse) where they could only bring their front turrets to bear. Upon realising that, Holland should have broken off and joined up with the cruisers. From there he could either have waited for a more opportune moment, or simply contented himself with shadowing the Germans until reinforcements arrived. Engaging an equal force from a position of vulnerability (Hood lacking armour and Prince of Wales being barely combat ready) was a serious mistake. But it was unfortunately yet another instance of this peculiar British mentality where manliness and courage was valued higher than preserving men and material.
They court marshalled Aquaman or you meant Prince of WALES ? :D
I never knew naval warfare was this deadly until recently, 1415 souls gone in a matter of minutes is tragically insane
It doesn’t hit you until you see their weapons in person. When I was in the Marines I was on many ships thinking “this bitch could level an entire city” because most of them actually could. Even old ships used as museums are still extremely impressive. I recommend touring the midway in San Diego
Thank you gentlemen, an interesting diversion in these trying times, and a reminder of how I come to have the things I do today.
This is he best detailed account of the sinking of these two great ships. Hats off to you!!
Drach, you picked a very worthy associate. He was extremely enthusiastic and knowledgeable - something missing from most presentations these days. Danke
Excellent analysis from you both, you truly brought the entire episode to life with your pinpoint eye for detail...Ironically we might not have had a third Doctor Who had a young "Jon Pertwee" not been transferred off The Hood just a couple of months before her final battle with Bismark.
Was it months? I thought it was literally days. As far as I'm aware he disembarked on the 16th at Scarpa flow... the same day my great grandfather did.
I read the Sinking of the Bismarck (William L. Shirer) as a child (like 10 or 11) and have been fascinated with naval warfare in WWII ever since. loved this video, great job.
Drach .... this was among the best docs I have ever watched. Your material is always superb but this was a crowning event. By employing a colleague from Germany to narrate some aspects on their side made it all the more absorbing. Huge kudos to both of you. I love the movie (although the blowing to pieces of one of the night marauding destroyers was clearly nonsense) it does capture the magnificence of those big guns in the turrets etc. huge fan. Keep it up. You are a rare bright gleam amidst all the rubbish out there. I believe I will sponsor. This kind of work should be supported.
The Battle of the Denmark Straits looks like a mini version of Jutland -- a tactical victory for the Germans but a strategic victory for the Royal Navy as Bismarck was forced to abort her mission.
And another battlecruiser exploded...
Maty83 But this time, not because of human error. This time it was just plain unlucky.
Carlos Saraiva Hood’s loss had nothing to do with human error, the Admiralty did learn from Jutland even if they suppressed their mistake there.
@@bkjeong4302 1. Holland mistook Prinz Eugan for Bismarck. 2. Hood was out-classed 3. Hood was out of position. 4. Hood had no actual battle training, but lots of pompous flag waving. I'd say those are errors made by humans. Hood made major mistakes, Bismarck made few.
@@lingcod91 1 and 3 are true, but 2 and 4 are not: due to Bismarck being badly designed by 1930s/40s standards, the two vessels were about equal, and while Hood was inexperienced Bismarck didn't have battle experience either.
Phenomenally thorough and totally engaging. Bravo! This video sets new standards for excellence in historical presentations.
I still can't get my head around the German Admiral sending long radio massages when he must have known he was being hunted. Utterly senseless... Thank you for this video. Superb work !
In his defence, it is possible that Suffolk's radar transmissions were still being detected aboard Bismarck, and the Germans didn't know that they were in insufficient strength to return to Suffolk. Lutjens may well have believed that the British cruisers were still in contact. However, British HF/DF skills were impressive, and even without radar they could determine Bismarck's position quite effectively. Another example of Lutjen's amateurishness, like his failure to top up Bismarck's tanks in Norway.
Battle of samar.. 40 minutes+. Channel dash, a bit shy of 40 mins. North Cape, 35min.... Rheinübung 1 hour 45 minutes? Ok, my evening is saved!
Hearing the sailor's testimony is very sad. The near death experience, the dead friends... But it seems Hood continued the explosive tradition of British Battlecruisers.
I say this as a huge fan of the Hood: she should never have been finished. The huge design flaws were known before she was complete, and the alterations didn't fix them. Her sisters were abandoned for good reason. And sending a knackered old battlecruiser to fight an enormous new battleship was a frankly stupid move.
Alun Beard Given that Hood was actually quite well-armoured for a battlecruiser and than Bismarck was a glass cannon by WWII battleship standards, it was a closer contest that often made out to be. Or it would have been, if not for Hood being in an extreme state of disrepair.
@@bkjeong4302 A top-condition Hood might have fared better, true. But she was in a terrible state at that point. For a "glass cannon" Bismarck took an incredible beating before she went down. As I understand it her design was in many ways basically a continuation of High Seas Fleet dreadnought design.
Alun Beard Bismarck was essentially an upgraded Bayern (especially in terms of speed and offensive capabilities). The problem was that the 1910s armour designs used for the High Seas Fleet were badly out of date by WWII. The same problem of weak deck armour and thinner armour Hood had due to using incremental armour schemes also applied to Bismarck (albeit not quite as badly), as Germany never got the chance to apply all-or-morning armour schemes due to having to rebuild their navy from scratch post-WWI. This wasn’t a problem against Hood and probably wouldn’t have been an issue when facing off against the Queen Elizabeths or R-Class (which also had incremental armour due to being WWI-era designs), but against her contemporaries, all of which had all-or-nothing armour? She definitely was a glass cannon. Yes, she wasn’t easy to outright sink, but she WAS rather easily disabled.
The two ships are indeed a lot closer than many assume but raw armor thickness and gun caliber isn't quite the only factors in play. Bismarck had better guns. Hood was using comparatively old guns where as Bismarck have quite the new, high velocity main guns. Bismarck was designed with incremental armor because it was intended to operate in more narrow confines of the North Sea. Or at least the confines that lead to the North sea such as around Denmark and the English channel. The German navy also intended the Bismarck to not only counter enemy battleships, but also participate in commerce raiding where smaller caliber guns may come into play striking the weaker areas of the ship. Also Bismarck wasn't poorly armored even when using incremental design. 12" was comparable to most battleships then in existence all the while still have moderate levels on the upper citadel. Only KGV class had significantly thicker belt armor. Richelieu was only ever so slightly thicker. Bismarck makes up for this with the turtle back armor. Its laid out so that the turtle back is right behind the belt. Low angle impacts will have to go through the belt AND the deck armor at a steep angle. The great amount of space between the belt armor and deck also serve as a effective means of decapping incoming rounds. The turtle back isn't really outdated, although the belt didn't extend as low as other BBs. The advantage disappears when at long distances due to plunging fire, but Bismarck's deck is about as armored as any other modern BB, maybe a inch thinner at most; so not as big of an issue as it would first appear. Hood have much thinner deck armor. If all 3 armored decks were combined, hood would have a thicker deck armor than Bismarck. BUT they are separated quite a bit on 3 layers with significant gap that a round can bypass one or two of the upper layers and thus penetrate much less than paper stats imply. The upper deck is easily bypassed due to it being at the top of the hull. The main deck right below can be bypassed if a round penetrates the relatively thin middle belt. The lower deck is at the waterline, so is unlikely a round could sneak past. But the lower deck accounts for 1.6" of armor. At least 2/3rd of the armor is in the two upper decks which are comparatively easy to get between. Bismarck wasn't easily disabled either. The weapons were generally disabled by direct hits. Any battleship getting a direct hit to the turret is going to get disabled, at least temporarily. The turret face may take the hit but the barrels are exposed to the impacting round. The rudder was torpedoed, that is a weak spot for any ship... No one really armor the rudders. The steering gear might get at most 4". The firing control systems are also unarmored as in all ships. Splinter protection at bare minimum, but they are intended to use radar/optics so are naturally exposed. All of these were struck and led to Bismarck being disabled. I wouldn't call this glass cannon, it's just what it is.
Best presentation ever! My father was in the US Army Air Corps during the war, and he taught me (through music) to love Germany and German culture. Perhaps, as 2021 begins, we can believe that wars like this may end forever!
It sounds good, but I suspect there is at least 1 more…..I hope not….
Sir, your videos are outstanding. Please keep up the great work. I used to build the scale model version of all these Ships of World Wars 1 and 2. Where yourself and Mark Felton are a class above.
I'd not heard of the torpedo and the cause for the critical turn by Bismark that allowed Prince of Wales to open the range. Now I understand your allusion from this week's Drydock when you were talking about hull mounted torpedo tubes on capital ships. Thank you for another excellent production!
This would have made no difference, if the German squadron would have altered course to pursue PoW.
This video was so well done. Despite knowing the broad strokes of it all and having researched deeply into some specific parts of i, I was still tense all the way through. (So tense I found myself on my feet and pacing at one point.) The pacing and writing was that good. The collaboration was great. The voice work was great. The new information I learnt was great. Thank you both.
I agree. Already knowing Hood was sunk, I found myself hoping that it was all a mistake and that she'd poked Bismarck in the eye. I also learned new facts, like the visual tracking of rounds as they hit Bismarck and the damage witnessed being wrought. Bismarck was going to sink. Once the RN caught her, she was always doomed. My final observation to those who insist that the RN didn't sink her would be this. Had Rodney and KGV not pulverised her at point blank range with more than 400 hits, she would not deliberately have been scuttled by her crew by choice. To suggest that she was sunk by her own crew is like saying that after a massive fire destroys your entire house you driving a bulldozer to flatten the remnants through it was your choice.
@@ScienceChap Bismarck's fate was not caused by the RN. It was caused by the bad German leadership of her admiral and the miserable german admiralty, who placed the cowards into a commader-in-chief-position.
You gentleman have done a magnificent job with this video. You even got some items I haven't heard yet. Well done!
Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale . A tale of a fateful trip
RIP brave men on both sides.
"Emergency to Admiralty and C in C Home Fleet. One battleship and one heavy cruiser, bearing 337, distance 17 nautical miles. My position 63-20 North, 31-50 West. My course 240. Speed 28 knots.”
Marvellous production, concise and factual. Wouldn't expect anything less. Cheers Drach, appreciate your work.
"I am a Pole" cracked me up. And the whole thing about them fighting anyone.