RustyBattleship

Rather than write a whole book, I will just hit the highlights that formed my theory of why the Bismarck was put in such jeopardy. It took me about two years to research this and start putting the pieces together. I needed a sledge hammer (in my head) to make some of them fit, but here goes.

We have to start way back on April 9, 1940 when Denmark ceded Greenland over to America when Germany occupied Denmark.

Now we jump to 1941 when DKM Bismarck was fueling up in Gotenhafen. A fuel hose broke and it was 200 tonnes short of a full top-off.

Bismarck and Prinz Eugen later anchored in Grimstadfjord, Norway. Prinz Eugen topped off her fuel tanks. Bismarck did NOT but still took the time to be repainted in a haze gray.

Operation Rheinburg had begun, but several months too early.

Originally, the Bismarck was to team up with her sister ship Tirpitz and Lutjens' former two Battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau (with which he sunk over 20 ships earlier that year). Probably Prinz Eugen's sister ship Hipper would join up also making a very powerful Battle Group.

But this wouldn't happen until August at the very earliest when Tirpitz was fleet ready and repairs on the two smaller Battleships were complete.

Rheinburg HAD to start NOW, in May. Supposedly to spend several months at sea raiding convoys.

With only two ships? No Destroyer escorts? No refueling tankers? No submarine pickets?

Something was in a hurry here and it wasn't convoy raiding.

Lutjens took total command and insisted on breaking out through the Denmark Strait north of Iceland despite objections from even higher command.

Their departure was kept secret from Hitler until the ships were past the point of no return (without refueling).

Lutjens passage was at an alarmingly slow pace and fog covers actually passed the ship. By picking up a couple of knots he could stay hidden in the fog patches.

When a British Cruiser spotted him, he opened fire -- and missed with visibility of only 6 miles. Also the recoil of the 15-inch forward guns knocked out his Radar. However, Prinz Eugen's Radar was still working but had shorter range.

Lutjens was ordered NOT to take on any enemy (British) Battleships. When Hood and Prince of Wales came along, he had no choice.

You all know the history of the battle so I won't go into detail here except to say Lutjens made a horrible decision afterwards.

He lost a lot of fuel and instead of fuel oil he had full tanks of sea water up forward trimming the ship down by the bow. His Naval Architect recommended scuttling both anchors and their chains to reduce weight.

However, that would require the ship to slow down to do the removal safely without further damage to the ship. Lutjens claimed he may need those anchors for his return to France.

And just what was his stern anchor for?

He was behind schedule. For something.

In the meantime, the USCGC Modoc met with the USCGC Northland and spent about an hour together exchanging info on their search for possible survivors of a U-boat attack. On board Northland was the new Governor of Greenland and TWO State Department representatives. Supposedly those three were there to convince the Greenlanders (mostly Eskimos) that possession by America was not going to be as nasty as their former German owners said they would (there were still German communications posts in Greenland that some of the Greenlanders had already taken out).

Now remember, Greenland was already FREE of Germany for over a year. And what the hell does an Eskimo care about whose in charge in town?

Modoc and Northland split up with Modoc heading South and Northland (supposedly) toward Greenland.

In the meantime, both German warships were being tailed closely by two British Cruisers and the quickly repaired Prince of Wales, with a couple of Aircraft Carriers in support.

Now, the unthinkable happens. Lutjens orders Prinz Eugen to split away. He would no longer have the support of her 8-inch guns and massive AA batteries.

Remember, AA batteries.

Very shortly after the split, Bismarck crosses the bow of Modoc and passes by her port side only a mile away.

A few minutes later Modoc spots British aircraft and they begin to form a line to torpedo Modoc, but then spot the Bismarck only 6 or 8 miles further away. At the same time the British ships were preparing to fire on Modoc until a sharp eyed gunnery officer noted that German Battleships do not paint their smokestacks Yellow.

Modoc witnessed the first torpedo plane attack on Bismarck with awe. That was until Bismarck used its main batteries to fire in FRONT of the aircraft so the columns of water would bring them down. Then Modoc went into full flank and got the hell out of there.

Actually only one plane was brought down by the water column tactic but none by anti-aircraft fire.

Anti-Aircraft fire that could have been enhanced if Prinz Eugen was still --- ummm ---escorting Bismarck.

One torpedo did hit Bismarck's side armor but did not penetrate (the Kipper torpedos of Swordfish airplanes were not considered the world's best).

The same is true of the later second attack when one VERY LUCKY torpedo hit the rudders of the Bismarck.

This is not to say that the hit would not have been made if Prinz Eugen was still there. But it would have made it much more difficult for the planes to get into proper launch mode. So the chances of such a lucky hit would have been greatly reduced.

Well, the rest you know.

Or do you?

What happened to Prinz Eugen? Very little is mentioned of her so-called Raider patrol.

What happened to the two State Department reps on board Northland?

What happened the next month in June of that year?

What happened in December of that year?

My theory (laugh all you want as I'd rather make people happy than sad) is:
Prinz Eugen was NOT Bismarck's escort. Instead, Bismarck was Prinz Eugen's DECOY so the Cruiser could rendevous with somebody (Northland perhaps?) and have a certain package of proposals given directly to FDR.

Was the rendevous made later but kept secret? If so it would reinforce the idea that FDR wanted war and was going to support Russia anyway when Operation Barbarossa was launched in June. And in return the third member of the Axis powers would be ordered to stay away from Hawaii -- for a while.

You decide.

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Able to leap tall tales in a single groan.