Operation Rheinübung
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In World War II, Operation Rheinübung (Rhine Exercise) was the sortie by the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen, which left Danzig (now Gdańsk, Poland) on 12 May 1941. They were under the command of Admiral Lutjens.
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[edit] Background
During both World Wars, Britain was dependent upon its Merchant Navy to bring in food and other essential materials, and great efforts were made to protect this lifeline. Likewise, Germany recognised that, if this link could be snapped, then Britain would probably be defeated, irrespective of other considerations.
By May, 1941, the Kriegsmarine warships, Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and Admiral Hipper were at Brest, western France, posing a serious threat. Two new warships then became available to the Germans: the battleship Bismarck and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen. To meet this new threat, the British had stationed, at Scapa Flow, the new battleships HMS King George V (sometimes referred to as 'KGV') and HMS Prince of Wales ('PoW') as well as the older battlecruiser HMS Hood. Elsewhere, at Gibraltar, Halifax (Nova Scotia) and at sea were the battleships, HMS Renown, Repulse, Revenge, Rodney and Ramillies and aircraft carriers HMS Ark Royal and Victorious. Cruisers and air patrols provided the fleet's 'eyes'. Also at sea, or due to sail, were 11 convoys, including a troop convoy.
[edit] Bismarck sails
On May 21st, the Admiralty was alerted by agents in the Swedish government that 2 large warships had been seen in the Kattegat. The ships took a brief refuge in Norwegian waters (Bergen Fjord) on 18 May, making a break for the Atlantic shipping lanes on the 22nd. By this time, the Hood, Prince of Wales and destroyer escort were en route to the Denmark Strait, where two cruisers, HMS Norfolk and Suffolk were already patrolling. The cruisers HMS Manchester and Birmingham were to guard the waters south-east of Iceland.
Once the departure of the German flotilla was discovered, Admiral-of-the-Fleet Sir John Tovey (Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet) sailed with the King George V, Illustrious and escort to support those already at sea, the Repulse joining soon after.
On the evening of 23rd May, the Suffolk and Norfolk sighted the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen in the Denmark Strait, close to the Greenland coast. The Admiralty was alerted and the two British cruisers, hopelessly out-gunned, shadowed the Germans. British naval groups maneuvered to intercept or to protect the troop convoy.
[edit] Operations of the Bismarck
[edit] Battle of the Denmark Strait
The HMS Hood and HMS Prince of Wales made contact with the Germans early on the morning of 24 May and the action started at 5:52am, with the combatants about 25,000 yards apart. The Hood suffered an early hit which started a rapidly spreading fire amidships, then, at about 6am, a German shell (it is believed) detonated her magazines and she exploded and sank within minutes. All but three of her 1,417-man crew died. The Prince of Wales continued the action, but suffered badly, had mechanical failures with its main guns and broke off under a smoke-screen. In return, Bismarck had been hit only twice; one shell, however, had ruptured her fuel tanks and she leaked fuel noticeably. This would be a critical factor as the pursuit continued.
[edit] The Bismarck Chase
The Norfolk and Suffolk and the damaged Prince of Wales continued to shadow the Germans, reporting their position. At 6:40pm on the 24th May, Bismarck turned on her pursuers to cover the escape of the Prinz Eugen. The Prinz Eugen returned directly to Brest after 10 days.
At 10pm, the Victorious was 120 miles away and launched an air attack of 9 Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers, guided in by the Norfolk. In poor weather and against heavy fire, they attacked and scored a single hit under the Bismarck's bridge. The aircraft returned and all were successfully recovered by Victorious, despite poor weather, darkness, aircrew inexperience and the failure of the homing beacon.
At 3am on the 25th, contact was lost with the Bismarck. Where had she headed? At first, it was thought that she would return to the North Sea and ships were ordered accordingly. By the time the alternative of Brest was trusted, the Bismarck had broken the naval cordon and gained a lead. By 11pm she was well to the east of Tovey's force and would, fortuitously, avoid the Rodney. She was also short of fuel oil, due to the battle damage she had incurred. From the south, however, the Renown, Ark Royal and the cruiser HMS Sheffield were approaching to intercept.
The British were also beginning to have fuel shortages and Bismarck's escape seemed likely. At 10:30am, on 26th May, a Catalina flying-boat, based at Lough Erne, Northern Ireland, found the Bismarck. She was 700 miles from Brest and not within Luftwaffe air protection. This contact was taken over by 2 Swordfish from Ark Royal.
Ark Royal launched an attack, but, unaware of Sheffield's proximity, the British ship was subjected to a 'friendly-fire' attack. All torpedoes missed and Sheffield gained firm contact with the Bismarck and held it. Ark Royal launched a second attack with 15 Swordfish and they achieved 2, possibly 3, hits on the German ship, including critical damage to her steering gear.
The Bismarck was now unmaneuverable, the jammed rudder forcing her to sail in circles. At midnight, Lutjens radioed: 'Ship unmaneuverable. We shall fight to the last shell. Long live the Führer!'.
[edit] Bismarck's end
The battleships Rodney and King George V waited for daylight on the 27th May before attacking. At 8:47am, they opened fire, quickly hitting the Bismarck. Despite near-misses on the Rodney, the British ships had silenced most of the German guns within a half-hour. Despite close-range fire from the Rodney, a list to port and widespread fires, Bismarck didn't sink.
At the end of their safe endurance and mindful of possible U-boat attacks, the British battleships left for home. Gunfire had not sunk the German ship and so the cruiser HMS Dorsetshire attacked with torpedoes and scored 3 hits. Scuttling charges were soon set off by German sailors, and at 10:40am, Bismarck capsized and sank. One hundred and ten were rescued by Dorsetshire and the destroyer HMS Maori. After an hour, rescue work was abruptly ended when there were reports of a U-boat presence. Another 5 were picked up by a U-boat, U-74, and a German weather ship, Sachsenwald. Over 2,000 died.
[edit] Prinz Eugen alone
Prinz Eugen, undamaged, went further south into the Atlantic where she refueled from a tanker at sea. She suffered engine troubles, abandoned her commerce raiding mission without having sunk any merchant ships, and returned to Brest, France.
[edit] See also
'Pursuit - the Sinking of the Bismarck', Ludovic Kennedy, 1974
'The Second World War', Sir Winston Churchill
