Bismarck Biography ship

Fearing further losses, Adolf Hitler ordered to limit the operations of large ships. The Nazis were forced to focus on the underwater war. According to the plan of the main command of the German Navy, the ships were supposed to strike at the British sea caravans in the Atlantic Ocean and divert attention from active preparation for the attack on the USSR. However, Bismarck and Prinz Eugen were seen by the Swedish cruiser Gotland, who reported the course of the German squadron in Stockholm.

Among the Swedish sailors there were sympathized by the British. They sent a encryption to London. It reported a course of promoting two heavy German ships and escort groups. Pretty soon both ships were seen and photographed in the Norwegian port of Burgen. And at this time in the Atlantic, there were a total of 11 English sea caravans. Fearing for their fate, the Admiralty mobilized all the forces available to destroy Bismarck and Prinz Eugen.

Two King George V and Prince of Wales, as well as the pride of the English Navy-the Hood cruiser, came to intercept the German squadron. Hood, on which Vice Admiral Lancelot Holland was located, and Prince of Wales received an order to join them for a joint attack. On the night of May 23 to 24, Holland informed the Operation Plan for captains: Hood and Prince of Wales were supposed to attack Bismarck, and Suffolk and Norfolk - open fire on Prinz Eugen.

The sea battle began at about 6 a.m. German ships took a more profitable position. In a situation where British ships could not use the fodder guns of the main caliber, the Germans skillfully used the enemy’s tactical mistake and brought down all their firepower on Hood. After the second volley, a strong fire broke out on it, and later the explosion thundered.

Holland did not try to leave the drowning ship, remaining in his Admiral chair on the bridge to the end. Together with the Vice Admiral, his entire headquarters died. Only three sailors were able to escape. The disaster for some time demoralized the British. Meanwhile, Bismarck and Prinz Eugen opened fire on Prince of Wales, in which eight shells in a short time. Saving a battleship from death, the commander decided to withdraw him from the battle.

German ships also suffered damage: Bismarck was damaged by a nasal fuel tank and a fuel oil leak began. Norfolk and Suffolk went in pursuit of enemy vessels. On the evening of May 24, Bismarck suddenly turned around and went to meet them. The British moved away and lost sights. At the same time, Prinz Eugen managed to hide in the southwest direction. The British coastal radio stations managed to sang Bismarck, but made a gross mistake in determining its location.

As a result, the English squadron, sent to intercept Bismarck, went in the opposite direction at full speed. Later, the giant ship was discovered in the area of ​​French Brest. The hunt began again. In the morning of May 26, the flying boat Catalina discovered Bismarck. During the day, the British deck aircraft monitored the position of the German battleship and its speed. Around May 26, the first attack was made on Bismarck, which, however, did not give the desired result.

Only during a repeated attack, one of the released torpedoes fell into the stern of the German battleship. The followed explosion at Bismarck jammed the steering wheel and damaged the screws. As a result, he forced to change the course and went in short. By mistake, British aviation attacked her own cruiser Sheffield. However, due to problems with fuses, the torpedoes did not get into it.

Trying to evade the torpedo, Bismarck, after loss of control, approached Sheffield for the distance of visibility and fired at it without getting hit. The German command was almost unable to help his battleship. Luftwaffe aircraft could not act at night. The pursuit of Bismarck continued. A detachment of British ships caught up with his target on May 27 at about 9 a.m. At that moment, the opponents were almost in counterclaims.

The first contact with Bismarck was Norfolk. A fierce battle broke out. An hour after its beginning, the entire artillery of the main caliber of Bismarck was disabled and only the anti -minute guns continued to shoot for another 10 minutes. British battleships began to disperse so as not to interfere with each other. At that moment, Admiral Lutiens sent his last radiogram: “The ship is not able to maneuver.

We will fight to the last shell. Long live the Fuhrer. " Wenced down by smoke and flame, Bismarck still kept a given course. British battleships shot him like a training target. Soon the order came to finish Bismarck with torpedoes. But even after a torpedo attack, the ship did not sank. In Bismarck, he turned over and went under the water only after the surviving German sailors opened Kingstona.

This happened in miles from Brest. In the last battle of the battleship, more than 2 thousand survived and raised a man to British ships.After the loss of Bismarck, Hitler began to limit the sea operations of large surface ships, fearing further losses. Share in Bulgaria began events in honor of the Flight of the Great Victory! News, Europe on March 17, join the international festival “Live!