Sinking of the Battleship Bismarck - Animated

[@TheOperationsRoom]

Hello Ladies and Gents. Your positive comments really are appreciated. I create these videos in my spare time around a full time day job. Each one takes around 60-70 man hours of effort to produce, even longer on complex videos like Schweinfurt-Regensburg and the Battle of Midway. My goal is to reach 100k subscribers by the end of 2020. If you enjoy The Operations Room, it would be awesome if you could please subscribe!

[@oldgitsknowstuff]

Which Schweinfurt/Regensburg raid ? August 17th '43 by the US or The raid by RAF Bomber Command on 30/31 March '44 ? Many thanks.....

[@wilsonpendarvis3710]

BB36 please. It's worth your time, and my subscription. Plus you have a great production. Thank you

[@gregspooner4735]

Fantastic work clearly understood

[@officialspock]

Subscribed to you

[@shahedmiah6511]

Subbed. Your content and delivery is of a very high standard.

[@Digmen1]

My uncle went down with the Hood. He was a stoker. My mum never forget him. He was so proud to be on the Hood.

[@strisksmind8603]

DigNap15 same : o

[@goki6548]

Rip...

[@snroyvskp22]

He saved the world from the untold danages from Bismark. Having been sunk, she The Hood actually spurred the British on to sink The Bismark. Your uncle will never be forgotten

[@pashvonderc381]

RJino 600 knob!

[@rjino6005]

GERMANYYYY hahahahhh goofy

[@wamyx8Nz]

I heard a story that Bismarck survivors were treated well and some even offered rum. That's the difference between infantry fighting and sea fighting. In a land war you are face to face with your enemy and it is kill or be killed. In a sea battle all sailors share a common enemy: the sea itself.

[@andrewsutcliffe4889]

My farther was on HMS Tartar and the only film of the Bismarck sinking was taken from his ship. After Bismarck sank he told me that they went in to pick up the hundreds of survivors in the water. They threw landing nets over the sides of the ship for the german sailors to climb but as they began picking them up a U-boat was detected and the Captain ordered ahead full and left the majority in the water.

[@wamyx8Nz]

@Last chance Cowboy That may well be, however the British ships in the area had every reason to be extra paranoid. They had after all intercepted German naval orders for all nearby U-boats to protect or avenge the Bismarck. That said, Churchill was once asked how he thought history would remember him, and he replied (paraphrasing) "I expect I'll be remembered very well because the winners write the history, and I intend to win." Given the pointless terror bombing of cities like Dresden later in the war, I would not put it past him to issue such an order.

[@andrewsutcliffe4889]

@Jonah Whale I only know what he told me and since the film of Bismarck sinking was taken from Tartar I guess it must of still been there. My father was never noted for telling lies.

[@wamyx8Nz]

@Jonah Whale I think you would get conflicting results. Many war crimes were ordered by allied commanders. None ever stood trial. That's reserved for the losers. Any incriminating documents would have been destroyed long ago.

[@wamyx8Nz]

@Last chance Cowboy I agree. But I also feel we are unfit to judge him looking almost 80 years into the past when the balance of the war was still in flux and attitudes were totally different. That's one of the things that always pisses me off; judging historical figures by modern moral standards. That said, I can agree that his morality was much more in a grey zone than the shining savior we have been presented with.

[@internetstrangerstrangerofweb]

No wonder why the British prioritized taking down the Bismarck. It’s 500 miles long!

[@lucaspeng5063]

it is?

[@hafizamzar475]

@@lucaspeng5063 r/whoosh

[@lucaspeng5063]

@@David-qu5bn oh

[@somedood9989]

If I scaled the bismarck up, would it be actually 500 miles or no?

[@ak-6924]

are u talking about the ship or ur dads pen?

[@hywel4767]

My Grandad was an officer on HMS Dorsetshire, he was incredibly proud of their involvement. I can’t imagine the bravery and heroism from both sides displayed in this exchange. They were an incredible generation, still fills me with pride almost 80 years later

[@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684]

My Father was a stoker onboard Dorsetshire, and took part in the rescues.

[@davidlawton878]

@@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684 My great Uncle was a POSM serving on board Dorsetshire and used to recall this very engagement

[@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684]

@@davidlawton878 We should ALL be thankful for their courage and duty served, but as often as not nowadays I find myself on here countering the anti British claptrap thats passed off as "gen(uine)" in the comments. Do you know if your great uncle was still onboard at the time of HMS Dorsetshire's sinking in the Indian Ocean David?

[@karlfritz47]

Can't deny it took just about everything to sink Bismarck..there has to be credit to them for holding thier own

[@hywel4767]

@@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684 my grandad was on the Dorsetshire when it sank, my grandma got a letter from the mod saying “missing presumed dead” or something along those lines. Unbelievable what they went through

[@2ndkombat]

1 thing that amaze me is not how Bismarck hold on its own but the amount of warship that the Royal Navy were able to field & call upon.

[@Eruthian]

They were still a Naval Empire back then. the mainland might have been under high pressure but the Royal Navy was still standing as an imperial fleet. And still huge.

[@BHuang92]

That's what happens when the flagship of the Royal Navy, HMS Hood sinks. The Germans had the mistake of incurring the full wrath of the largest navy at the time.

[@ChrisCoombes]

Exactly

[@1993Crag]

It didn't really hold its own tho...

[@1993Crag]

@Charlie B Bismarck couldn't cause trouble as it was...

[@tfranken1561]

LESSON ONE never consider your ship unsinkable. They seem to sink

[@THEfamouspolka]

Does seem to be a trend in the North Atlantic.

[@LINK-is3oc]

So that's why the uss Iowa class didn't sink

[@tfranken1561]

GD ARKYPLIER BB-63 USS MISSOURI, my favorite battleship, Iowa class will outlive us all

[@LINK-is3oc]

@@tfranken1561 yeah sure

[@oldgitsknowstuff]

All unsinkable ships are in Davy Jones Locker.

[@kmsbismarck1775]

How to sink a ship: Name it "unsinkable" and wait

[@ammpdmtb9828]

Robert Caffarella the narrator did at the start of the video

[@ammpdmtb9828]

Robert Caffarella fair enough

[@jigglediggle29]

@Robert Caffarella It wasn't Lütjens, it was an actor. The Germans never said something like that, not Adolf, not Großadmiral Raeder etc.

[@Statek63]

Bismarck was scuttled by it's crew.

[@harrysmith1070]

@@Statek63 It was already sinking, scuttling charges just hastened her sinking

[@PolakInHolland]

You failed to mention one of the highlights of this story - the Polish destroyer steaming suicidally close to the Bismarck whilst tailing her to discharge her (comparateively) puny guns whilst flashing ''I AM A POLE'. Now that's bravado.

[@dovetonsturdee7033]

But foolish. She was supposed to maintain contact with Bismarck, and to carry out a torpedo attack upon her. She was the only destroyer in the flotilla to lose contact, and the only one not to attack with torpedoes.

[@pepebeezon772]

Chad piorun

[@holdfast453]

There would be no destroyer without the British carriers and battleships. There would be no Poland without Russia, USA and Britain. Know your place, kurva!

[@julianozaur444]

Polish fleet can do what it wants​@@dovetonsturdee7033

[@TheBennitoz]

@@dovetonsturdee7033 kzbin.info/www/bejne/nn25nqSwgZKEr8U

[@andycrockett6301]

Thank you. My uncle that I never met was on the Dorsetshire, and went down with her in 1942 - I have his medals. Thank you for telling this story so evocatively, and so clearly. RIP all brave seamen lost, on both sides.

[@MothaLuva]

He went down without his medals? Or did they float? Sorry for your loss.

[@andycrockett6301]

Man of Mayhem - thank you. My Grandparents (his parents) had most of his medals at the time, the remainder were awarded posthumously. My mum, Billy’s sister, gave them to me before she too passed a couple of years ago.

[@Interdictiondeltawing]

Andy Crockett wait is it the sinking of Dorsetshire and Prince of wales in pacific ?

[@andycrockett6301]

@@Interdictiondeltawing HMS Dorsetshire and Cornwall were sunk in the Pacific.

[@hywel4767]

@andy crockett My Grandad was an officer on the Dorsetshire and was onboard when it sunk. He was a fortunate survivor, i recall my Grandma telling me she received a letter saying he was presumed dead missing at sea. If i remember correctly they spent around 30 hours in shark infested water while initially the Japanese flew over machine gunning the survivors in the water until the ship finally sunk. Also i think she said the survivors were eventually picked up and taken to hide in merchant ships in the Maldives. Absolute madness. Wish i was older to speak with him about what he endured, alas he died when i was 10 and too young to comprehend his valour and sacrifice for queen and country.

[@Kevin-mx1vi]

Many years ago I worked with a man who served on H.M.S. Rodney at the time. From his station on deck he could see Rodney's shells in flight and witnessed the disabling hit on Bismarck's B turret. He told me that the shell struck between the guns, penetrated, and blew the turret's back out.

[@skoniramont]

so basically a "headshot"

[@28pbtkh23]

That must have been a hell of a sight.

[@scubber10]

Thank you, great info similar to what my Dad said.

[@mickb1214]

Other accounts describe that as a later hit at close range. There was a hit from Rodney at 09.02, 15 minutes into the action, that appears to have struck the base of Bruno, jamming it in training and cutting the hydraulic supply to Anton - so that both forward turrets put beyond use.

[@cezarysztolc6856]

Iain Baker not rly it’s called eyes use them to see big ship at close range go boom

[@suffern63]

Bloody hell,14 seconds in and I can already see how difficult it was to sink it,look at the size of it on the map!

[@cezarysztolc6856]

XD

[@crad5476]

yeah man, could be considered a whole country.

[@terruskaa]

***NEW WORLD OF WARSHIPS MAP*** Name:whole Frickn Atlantic Gamemode: Sink bismarck Size: 1000 × 1000 km Difficulty: Impossible Battle Time: about 28 Days

[@thefish1196]

@@terruskaa love it

[@terruskaa]

@Neochrisnezuizoisi Modifications: 8 submarines per battle, Bismarcks stats are times 5 except speed and firing range, bismarck has a black water trail that disappears after 4h The Map is Round and not flat

[@crayzmarc]

My grandfather was stationed in Iceland on a merchant recovery Tug. They had orders to go and pick up survivors from the sinking of the Hood, but out of the 1418 only 3 survived. A year or less before he died he mentioned seeing dead bodies and limbs floating in the water, he'd never spoken about this before and it was as if he was purging himself of these negative memories before he left us. It clearly traumatised him and he held it in for almost 80 years.

[@Trek001]

Good of you to mention the Polish ship - that was a right tough girl and closed in to point blank range and even signalled "I am a Pole" before firing three salvos at her Bridge

[@28pbtkh23]

Trek001 - great story about their signal and then closing in to point blank range. That would have made the film so much better if they had included that scene. A bit vengeful but understandable given the blitzkrieg of 1939.

[@skdKitsune]

Very brave move. With dozens of allied ships behind her back and the enemy ship in flames, unable to fight back. And the poles wonder why no one likes them lol

[@fishbmw]

@@skdKitsune Completely wrong,the Bismarck was not "in flames". The action mentioned concerning the Polish destroyer Piorun happened before any british heavy units were able to make contact with the Bismarck let alone fire on her, the largest ship in the vicinity was the Sheffield. The destroyer action involving Piorun happened on the night of 26 may 1941,she eventually lost contact with the Bismarck at 23:55. British heavy ships weren't in position to open fire until shortly after dawn the following day (27/5/41) at appoximately 08:55. Your ignorance & lazyness to fact find these events before posting completely incorrect nonsense is only matched by your stupidity in the statement that "And the Poles wonder why no one likes them.

[@heinrichmirgrautsvordir6613]

@@fishbmw Well, the Bismarck had no way of fighting back and after the Bismarck shot back they retreated cowardly out of range, firing multiple torpedos, but non of them hit. Sry, but the Bismarck was already dead, it had no chance to fight back, so all what this destroyer did was mocking them and then retreated imidiatly after. It didnt manage to hit the Bismark once or even get close to it, while the Bismarck managed to get a near hit at 12km. So I wouldnt really call that a heroic action

[@fishbmw]

@@heinrichmirgrautsvordir6613 You have immediately contradicted yourself "the Bismarck had no way of fighting back and after the Bismarck shot back ". Bismarck had sustained no damage to any of her armament at this stage & yet you repeatedly state she had no way to fight back,very strange & quite wrong. Fully loaded these destroyers weighed 1,800 tons ,Bismarck weighing in at 50,000 tons & yet you call the crew of these destroyers "cowardly" for conducting normal destroyer tactics against arguably the most potent capital ship afloat in 1941,you sound like a fool. How can you discribe any of these combatants from either side as cowards? Get some respect.

[@oldgitsknowstuff]

In 2012 I asked my dear old Mum (a Blitz & Battle of Britain Veteran, and Honorable War widow) about the sinking of HMS Hood and what effect it had on the people of Britain. (I recall the sinking of HMS Sheffield during the Falklands conflict and how it upset me) . Her reply was that the destruction of HMS Hood was, in her words, 'like a dagger through the heart of the nation'. So.. Jerry hurt us badly and I realise why Winston Churchill gave the order to 'Sink the Bismarck'. There are no cries of 'Hurrah' , This was a job that had to be carried out without pity or mercy, and for the morale of the British public. No judgement, no condemnation, war is hell and I hope we have learned from this encounter. Respects to all of the fallen sailors on either side, Bloody Politicians, we do their dirty work and die in the process. Respects to them all.

[@paulsimmons5726]

Indeed...

[@daveelliott5855]

Words we'll said, pity the arrogant politicians cannot see it and will never admit it, and as a memorial I have 1:350 scale KGV and POW to build I will also get the Bismarck, the galentary of those men on both sides is incredible doing what they thought was right. Sadly we never kept a KGV class battleship ada living memorial for today's and tomorrows generations.

[@oldgitsknowstuff]

@@daveelliott5855 . Well Dave, you must consider that today's world environment is 80 years distant from WW2, literally, and even though Armistice day was today, (11/11/18 anniversary) the guns stopped firing on the Western front 101 years ago. Actually, I have 350 scale ship kits of HMS Hood & HMS Prince of Wales. No model of the Cruiser Dorsetshire in 350 scale is available. Got a 350 of the, Tirpitz but like all my loft full of unmade kits....they remain UNMADE. Perhaps in my afterlife I'll get around to making them Meanwhile, we can appreciate our 'fallen heros with respect. High 5s and respects to you Sir.

[@oldgitsknowstuff]

@@daveelliott5855 Just as a Quick PS to my message.... HMS Belfast is moored upon the Thames as a memorial to our Maritime fallen.

[@oldgitsknowstuff]

@@daveelliott5855 . Have a look on eBay. Search for 1/10 scale military busts. Tell me what you find. Good luck. JDS.

[@sgtrpcommand3778]

A sad irony is that the message intercepted by the British was regarding a Luftwaffe Officer asking if his son serving on Bismarck was still ok after the first battle.

[@KaiserStormTracking]

Ironic. Poor guy. He may have been the enemy but I feel bad

[@cvdheyden]

@@KaiserStormTracking There is no need to feel bad. We should respect the sailors who went down. Mostly young men who were not allowed to grow old.

[@KaiserStormTracking]

@@cvdheyden Yeah. Its not thier fault thier leader was a crazed maniac

[@cvdheyden]

@@KaiserStormTracking Yes and no. It is not very beneficial to consider Hitler as a demon. I agree, he was a true maniac. Many put everything on him but he had great support and scientists are firguring that out these days. Also the connection with the WW I and the Versailes treaty. Of course those mostly young sailors had no chance, no choice. This is the tragic thing. The old ones who are guilty will always survive and send the young recruits as kanon fodder. Very sad. I am very happy that finally enemies have become friends even though the British hate the Germans for every win of a Football Match (No worries, I have 60% British genes and am very cynical....)

[@glennpickard2239]

The book i read said that the unecessary intercepted message between Berlin and the Bismark was about a birthday message ! Poor discipline if so. This interception gave the Brits Bismarks exact position !

[@susandemetry7158]

I can't help but feel deep remorse for the sailors on those ships who lost their lives, regardless of which side they were on.

[@jimmyfale6370]

Yep'' war is terrible

[@A_J502]

A war at sea. No battles. No monuments. Only casualties. RIP

[@1977ajax]

I never get this when people say it. I believe it deserves a bit more thought. The German crew were fighting to spread the horrors of Nazism across as much of Europe, and indeed the world, as they could, and they expected to return home to large conquered estates in the east with plenty of Slavic slaves to work for them. Don't understand why you would have 'deep remorse' that they were prevented; sounds to me like a bloody good idea to stop them, and all the respect goes to those who did.

[@koftaman567]

Not all German soldiers were naz!s, I'm pretty sure alot of them were forced into war

[@sapiensiski]

Fuck nazis tho

[@stevehall4175]

Those Swordfish pilots were beyond brave. The biplane was very slow, and needed to hold a straight line for long enough, and be in close enough to effectively drop the torpedo. They had a high attrition rate, and were totally outclassed if attacked by German aircraft. Great depiction of the battles TOR.

[@dumbsharkyboii6485]

But their manouverbilty is incredible

[@ericaarcadia7178]

@@dumbsharkyboii6485 And their survivability as well.

[@Hexaion]

@@dumbsharkyboii6485 Also they are basically paper made (wood and fabric), so AA shells sometimes didn't arm when hitting (or at least, less often than against metal planes)

[@dumbsharkyboii6485]

@@Hexaion Yep

[@MP7_Enjoyer]

Their low speed actually gave them an advantage against Bismark because the Germans expected the current generation of planes to be the ones they were fighting. So they set most of their guns to move faster to keep up with the fighters

[@tastyfoodspicyworld6888]

Ngl i have a lot of respect for the Bismark crew, "we shall fight to the last shell" wow, that is determination

[@aristosachaion_]

Scharnhorst's captain radioed the same message just before her final battle with HMS Duke of York, HMS Belfast, and the 4 other destroyers that had been pursuing her.

[@SanarySeggnete]

But they couldn't do that as HMS Rodney shells disabled both turret A and B at the very beginning of the battle ...

[@WaveForceful]

I dunno, they willingly followed Hitler. They dont deserve respect for that.

[@blitzy3244]

@@WaveForceful Stfu

[@WaveForceful]

@@blitzy3244 No, you cant ignore that.

[@ougentrost]

„She went down with her Colors flying!“ I am immensely proud about my dad, petty officer and main guns range finder on the „lucky Prince“, the most stunning beauty on the waves, Schwerer Kreuzer Prinz Eugen. My respect as well to the opponents, the British sailors on HMS Hood. Brave guys. Soldiers on the seas respect each others.

[@YblockEnthusiast]

Such a beautiful story, honestly in another 400 years this will be like the old tales of yore that we heard of as kids. The absolute bravery and stubbornness of the German crew on Bismarck is inspiring, as is the incredible coordination and might of the British navy.

[@Yolocaust_]

Beautiful? 😂

[@NapoleonGelignite]

My Engineering drawing teacher (in the 80s) once mentioned to my friend and me that was on the Rodney when she went up against the Bismarck. We were gobsmacked.

[@oldgitsknowstuff]

Strange you should say that... I recall a conversation with a Health and Safety officer and veteran of the Mediterranean conflict. His words...'We were 1 mile from HMS Barham when she overturned and exploded, one of her main gun turrets flew over our destroyer causing us all to duck'. Another quote was...'our destroyer was flat out, doing 35 knots when HMS Hood overtook us'. Strewth, a Sports Battlecruiser!!.

[@a.cat8110]

My great grandad was incharge of one of the destroyers

[@DyslexicSolMusic]

"2,000 men & 50,000 tons of steel, Set the course of the Atlantic with the allies on their heel".

[@Ravioli_-vd4wb]

I'm so proud there's always at least one person writing out sabaton lyrics on historical posts/videos

[@DyslexicSolMusic]

@@Ravioli_-vd4wb yup. Im one of those people

[@shashanksekuri7231]

Firepower, firefight, battle stations keep your targets ready in sight

[@crankthetank3581]

@E.W. Hans to lead the warmachine, to rule the waves and lead the kriegsmarine

[@AlexanderEM4840]

@@crankthetank3581 The Terror of the seas, the Bismarck and the Kriegsmarine!

[@louisavondart9178]

HMS Hood was a battlecruiser and she was old, compared to HMS Prince of Wales which was actually a battleship. The crew of HMS Hood called her the worlds largest submarine as she was badly designed and sat too low in water. In any kind of rough sea she shipped water over the bow which flowed through ventilation shafts and into the crew quarters. There was a high incidence of tuberculosis in the crew as a result. As it was, she was no match for Bismarck and destined for destruction. However it wasn't a plunging shell through the deck that finished her. It was a shell that penetrated BELOW the belt armour and detonated in the 4" magazine, which started a fire that spread to the main gun magazine located right next to it. Eye witnesses reported a blazing pillar of fire coming up the torpedo flat ventilation shaft located directly above the 4" magazine a few minutes before HMS Hood blew up. It wasn't an instant detonation caused by a direct hit to the main gun magazine. Still, that's what happens when you head to head with a beast like Bismarck.

[@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684]

Hood was easily comparable to Bismarck. The simple fact of the matter is that Bismarck landed a million to one hit on Hood. When the "dice gods" didn't smile on Bismarck 3 days later King George V & the Rodney declawed and beheaded "the beast" at no cost to themselves !!!!

[@MrEsphoenix]

Yes the Hood was old and had issues, but both the Hood and Prince of Wales could have taken on the Bismarck and escort single handily on paper. Both had better armour, comparable firepower and the PoW had better fire control systems meaning better accuracy. It got bloody lucky that it landed sick an unlikely shot on the Hood (The shell needed to have fallen short and skipped off the water to get the right angle and hit below the belt armour, which would normally be under water, but was exposed by the wake of the ship as it moved), and the Prince of wales had issues with new technology and crew that led to it's guns jamming. It's a myth that the Bismarck was the most powerful ship in Europe at the time. It was dangerous because it was faster than British Battleships with comparable armour and firepower, meaning it could take out convoys and patrols then get away before anything that could oppose it arrived, but it couldn't go toe to toe with British battleships and hope to come out of it in one piece.

[@b_de_silva]

@@MrEsphoenix yeah, in reality the bismarck was actually a really bad design, for a ship that displaced more than 50k tons it was very lacking, the british would have made a ship that was better armed and armored with 50k tons to play with.

[@Cailus3542]

That's actually a misconception. Hood was actually a rough match for 1940's battleships such as the Richelieus, Bismarcks, Littorios and North Carolinas. She had similar armour, firepower and speed to them all, despite her age. It was a one-in-a-million hit that sank Hood, and oddly enough, could have just as easily happened to an Iowa-class battleship in the same situation. Bismarck itself wasn't particularly noteworthy either, frankly. It was fairly typical of the period. The Richelieus and Littorios were very similar in terms of capabilities. Bismarck's reputation as some sort of "super ship" is a myth that developed due to its legendary voyage, rather than because of the ship itself.

[@davidedbrooke9324]

If you go watch drachnifel his explanation seems to be right. Like yours.

[@Cancun771]

0:52 Love how the German ships plowed straight through the island of Anholt.

[@randycox3522]

typical

[@pepebeezon772]

Well, that wasn't an iceberg

[@ieat10kittens94]

Stahlinium cannot be stopped

[@cold_raptor]

​@@ieat10kittens94See what you did there

[@kallekonttinen1738]

You forget that Swedes saw Bismarck and Prinz Eugen and warned Brits well before ships were in Bergen.

[@rhecker9770]

You watch too many movies...albeit a classic. Sink the Bismark!

[@28pbtkh23]

Kalle Konttinen - thank you, Swedish people 👍

[@Nykrel]

So much for 'neutrality'

[@Nykrel]

@Britannia Your intelligence certainly doesn't surpass your ignorance. If Sweden was 'neutral' then Norway was also 'neutral.' This is something you should have figured out by yourself.

[@Nykrel]

@Britannia Where did your rationality run off to? Back to Uranus?

[@greatflights8094]

Great video! I’ve never had a clear overview of what actually happend and how many units were there. The British power was incredibly overwhelming!

[@TheOperationsRoom]

Thankyou, make sure you subscribe for the next video :)

[@greatflights8094]

The Operations Room Already have 👍🏼

[@greatflights8094]

Feel free to have a look at my channel aswell! Might simulate this battle with 1/350 rc battleships in the near future :)

[@TheOperationsRoom]

Clocked the Yamato, you might find use for that too after my next video :D

[@tomlorenzen4062]

@@greatflights8094 entire British navy sent to sink one ship...incredible

[@alanjm1234]

My granddad served on HMS Mashona, a destroyer also involved in the sinking of the Bismark. They pursued Bismark until they were perilously low on fuel. After Bismark was sunk, Mashona was attacked by Luftwaffe bombers. With insufficient fuel to maneuver she was sunk.

[@aregularinternetuser339]

ah yes the liftwaffle, also known as the WWII fun police

[@bigbadword]

Torpedo planes: *sees Sheffield "Looks like Bismarck to me!"

[@Nairam10]

They probably had to much tea the day before😅

[@AFGuidesHD]

this is yet another example of how much of war really is luck.

[@AdamMGTF]

Totally understandable. Their profiles are similar and from altitude with all the uncertainty of war. It wasn't an uncommon issue from 39-45

[@karlthefrog8412]

@@AFGuidesHD Hey man, i see you love history too...

[@ronaldthompson4989]

@@AdamMGTF "from altitude" on a torpedo run?

[@phoenixwright5743]

Germany: “The Bismarck is unsinkable!” RMS Titanic: *Sighs* “Listen lad...”

[@humassiddiq3689]

It has been established now that the crew of the Bismarck sank the ship themselves so the British can’t credit themselves with the sinking although they can feel proud of the damages they caused to Bismarck

[@silverhost9782]

@@humassiddiq3689 Semantics. For all intents and purposes the Royal Navy sunk the Bismarck

[@radicallarry1006]

Yea, but that was British Engineering. Far worse than the clearly superior German Engineering

[@silverhost9782]

@@radicallarry1006 the 'superior German engineering' thing was a post war phenomenon. Under the Nazis German engineering wasn't especially advanced, indeed it was grossly inefficient. Both the Titanic and the Bismarck had big problems in engineering/design terms

[@phoenixwright5743]

Radical Larry German Engineering wasn’t very good during WW2 either, you could hardly call the Ferdinand or the Tiger engineering masterpieces either.

[@stephenbreen7570]

Could you imagine what a pain in the ass, the Tirpitz and Bismarck would have been together in the Atlantic?

[@KaiserStormTracking]

Imagine the USA as axis and using thier Iowa classes against the Royal Navy

[@Retrosicotte]

Had Terpitz gone out, the same thing would have happened. There's good reason germany gave up trying after this.

[@KaiserStormTracking]

@@Retrosicotte Battleships won't ethical for Germany. Thier battleships were small. Most of thier fleet were subs and "pocket battleships"

[@randomrazr]

@@KaiserStormTracking who would win, Iowa or bismark

[@KaiserStormTracking]

@@randomrazr Iowa

[@arabeeahmedchowdhury6912]

Calling a ship unsinkable is pretty much saying it’s gonna sink. Titanic, Yamato both demmed unsinkable yet they sank.

[@isaacdestura7495]

They basically were. It took hours of sustained attack from a much larger navy to sink either

[@Jerinx90]

@Chong Li what i see the bismarck still stand again 5 bttleship, torpedo, bomber.. it its unsikable

[@quiveringcalm4697]

@Chong Li could you please cite your source for hoods flash protection system being tampered with, as the particular problem was resolved about 25 years earlier after the battle of Jutland.

[@martinda7446]

@Chong Li Ha, ha, ha, ha. ''HMS Rodney could have sunk the Bismarck on its own'' ha, ha, ha The Germans scuttled the ship too, they never actually sank it.

[@Great16]

Every ship is sinkable, whether it happens or not it depends on what they do. Bismarck could've returned to Norway, as both Suffolk and Norfolk are no match for Bismarck and Prinz Eugen. They took a wrong call of keeping going south.

[@cvince2862]

I have watched the film 'Sink the Bismarck' half a dozen times and never really understood the battle. Your depiction has now made it crystal clear, thank you.

[@DrLoverLover]

Maybe you should have attended animated school

[@ianedwards3482]

Wow. First time on the channel, this is fantastic work. You clarify time-space contexts with brilliant succinctness. Thank you for your labours. It's clearly a labour of love, and I hope you are gratified by all the positive feedback and the huge numbers of viewers you have earned

[@rossbrown6641]

Another clown who exclaims WOW!

[@ianedwards3482]

@@rossbrown6641 classy, man, classy. Comments sections are just great with convivial attitudes such as yours. Keep on raising the tone brother, you're doing important work 👍

[@PCSheepy]

Enjoyed that. I knew most of the story but not about the Sheffield being misidentified band attacked by the swordfish.

[@dogsnads5634]

When the mistake was clear, after the torpedoes were launched (the weather and visibility were atrocious) the Swordfish strike force signalled 'Sorry for the Fish' to Sheffield. Whats also not made clear is just how marginal the last strike, critical, strike from Ark Royal was. It was getting dark and in very bad weather. The Swordfish was probably the only carrier aircraft on earth that could have gotten off the deck and returned in those conditions, a characteristic that often gets ignored when comparisons are done. In the North Atlantic that was often critical.

[@PCSheepy]

Dogs Nads ah love that. Best of British that comment. 👍🏽. Thanks

[@daveadkins3780]

@@dogsnads5634 Love the 'Sorry for the Fish' message!

[@topbanana4013]

so you new most of the story but never watch the film sink the Bismark ??? it shows the swordfish attacking Sheffield in the movie kzbin.info/www/bejne/aHyzcoN-jMR4oaM skip to 1:12:32

[@mickb1214]

Not all the torpedoes exploded on hitting the water or shortly after. About half-a-dozen ran true, and Sheffield had to manoeuvre forcefully and carefully to dodge them.

[@miccrhaafetl5101]

I'm going to build a warship and name it "It's Sinkable"

[@PeterPaul325]

or "unsinkable II"

[@wisconsinfarmer4742]

@@PeterPaul325 or unsinkable also

[@AFGuidesHD]

HMS Sinkable

[@aksalaheddine78]

Guess my idea ain’t original

[@AbiSanyaolu-l5u]

I love your sense of humour😂.

[@chazdude3644]

Naval battles are so incredibly epic.

[@franksantos3418]

Just wanted to say thank you. I’m a huge history buff and know this battle well. Seeing the battle tactics from above is a nice prospective. Nicely done too.

[@28pbtkh23]

It was good to learn that the British Admiral had respect and admiration for the Bismarck and its crew.

[@hazmatt3250]

Iain Baker the simple fact is, had it not been for the war, many of the sailors and airmen of those nations would have gotten along very well. It’s like the pre-WWI aviation world. Many pilots from Britain and Germany knew each other from international flying conventions and air shows. It’s a bleak thought to know that, early in the war, many of those pilots were shooting down people they’d become acquainted or friends with before the war started.

[@28pbtkh23]

HAZMATT - that’s an interesting snippet of history about the WW1 pilots. It reminds me of what one of veterans of Easy Company said in one of the episodes of Band of Brothers: “if it wasn’t for the war, we might have been friends.”

[@AmTomtom]

Always respect the enemy - they've got a say at the table

[@gryphgaming1887]

except the fact he let most of the crew drown

[@28pbtkh23]

GryphGaming - not quite. One of the ships in the fleet had detected a U-Boat so they decided to withdraw rather than risk getting sunk. Most would agree that it was sad that the survivors were left to die but the British ships would have been compelled to follow an order to leave the area.

[@aldenconsolver3428]

First let me say I like your animations they do a good job of clarifying what happened. Second) You should really look into Drachinfel's and Friedman's work on this subject. A conclusive case is presented to indicate that Hood was struck below the armour belt. At that point in time plunging shell fire had become significantly more destructive than anybody expected (reference US and Japanese battleship design at the time, especially the Tosa tests the Japanese ran). This combined with the nature of the standing wave depression created by Hood pretty well solves the case that what happened to Hood was a shell hit in the wave trough slightly forward of the rear elevated turret. Most likely the shell set the 4" AA magazine afire which set off the cordite of the 15" guns. The pillar of smoke forward of the aft mast seen seconds before Hood exploded would have been directly over that 4" magazine. If you take a look at where the Prince of Wales's 14" gun struck and penetrated Bismark below the water line you can see what the modern guns could do when fired in excess of 20,000 yards

[@douglasb5046]

Yup. Agree

[@EVERTONFC.]

You know your stuff.

[@VincentComet-l8e]

This is very informative. And much clearer than other videos, actually showing the positions of the ships throughout. Full marks!

[@reidbronson6358]

Wow. Excellent video. I’ve never seen the sinking of the Bismarck presented in this format. Very informative. This is the clearest presentation of the battle I’ve ever seen. Please do more naval engagements using this format. My Dad’s Catalina went down during the opening round of the Battle of Midway: the Battle of Dutch Harbor. Would love to see the Battle of Midway using this format. Thank you for this great video.

[@Fugettaboutit]

Just amazing how immense these battleships were.

[@megapangolin1093]

Beautifully explained and presented. Rodney was my father's ship, I have read many different explanations of the defeat of Bismark, but this is significantly the most clear and helpful. Thank you.

[@Imnotyourdoormat]

outstanding precise and descriptive video...for serious studies of these legendary naval battles, these visual step-by-step outlines and battle-plans that are displayed clearly and methodically are king....for me, these breakdowns of strategies from "the Operations Room" are of the highest kind and calibre worthy of review, digestion and commendation....kutgw!!!

[@srf2112]

What a stunning example of courage and selflessness on both sides. It's unfortunate that war is often required to bring this quality out in people. If only we all had the same selfless courage when it comes to helping others and making the world a kinder place. My father fought in action in WWll. He was proud of himself and his fellow soldiers but never of killing. peace

[@BBCKT]

There is an error in reporting how Bismarck slipped away from Norfolk and Suffolk. Bismarck made a large circle out to the West and came around across its own track and the track of the following British ships and slipped away. It was a brilliant move by Lutgens. Unfortunately, he thought he was still being shadowed by the radar when in fact he had slipped past the radar's range.

[@ianrobinson6821]

Santo p0rn

[@photoisca7386]

All these brilliant moves, Lutgens, Rommell etc, best equipment, best soldiers. How come they lost to a bunch of amateurs and peasants?

[@BBCKT]

@@photoisca7386 I would have to speculate that Germany lacked the time and the resources to sustain a longer conflict while the Allies had strong industrial support to supply the weapons of war.

[@andrewstackpool4911]

Correct and that is portrayed accurately in the movie. One other error. Lutjens was NOT a Nazi.

[@generalblitzblizzard7334]

@@andrewstackpool4911 the same goes for most other german soldiers at that time, most of them were forced into doing so cuz they thought if they not fight that they will be killed for treason

[@barrybarry9714]

Great video. Brings home how refined pre-chip based computing fire control systems had become... hitting a target 8 miles away ! With both ship moving... Seem to recall HMS Warpsite hit an Italian battle cruiser at 15 miles and the Germans managed a hit at a similar range against the RN

[@ricoh.3162]

​@BritishempirewillneverdieScharnhorst hit Glorious at the same range.and the British Empire is dead poor kid

[@Patrick_Cooper]

I really liked seeing the battle for the Bismark from a map perspective. It helps the narrative I have seen a million times in old TV shows and such. But I do love videos of WW2 that have actualy battle film and show mostly that . I bet there is so much more out there we will probably never get to see...

[@zachsimusprime]

Bismarck’s final hour was nothing short of impressive. Wow.

[@dovetonsturdee7033]

What was impressive about being a helpless wreck, being used for target practice?

[@zachsimusprime]

@@dovetonsturdee7033 I was pointing towards the fact that it withstood so many shots from so many warships. It seems even it’s adversaries were a bit in shock because of it.

[@KatyushaLauncher]

@@zachsimusprime Bismarck literally died in the first 30 minutes of her last engagement, how is that impressive? Bismarck was just a floating pile of burning scrap after that. Bismarck was hard to sink but very easy to cripple

[@zachsimusprime]

@@KatyushaLauncher I see what you’re saying. I don’t want to be long-winded here so I’ll try to keep it concise. After landing a fatal blow (7:26) Bismarck, though futile, continued it’s fight w/o surrender. Withstanding plenty of hits afterwards, it finally sinks but not until it evoked some sort of admiration from its adversaries. That’s what I personally find impressive. (Note: I want to make clear that I’m speaking specifically about the ship and not the war mongering regime which was at the helm)

[@KatyushaLauncher]

@@zachsimusprime Bismarck died the moment HMS Rodney wiped Bismarck's bridge, Shredding her main Fire Control Systems, and disabling Anton and Bruno Turret, that's why I said she died in the first 30 minutes of Her LAST Engagement. Bismarck did not surrender because It Couldn't, no person would climb her main mast which was burning and shells are landing everywhere, even the British themselves saw the German sailors trying surrender but they still could not signal the surrender of Bismarck. Withstanding hits? After her last engagement she was listing 20 degrees to port and gradually settling in by the stern, all of her guns were destroyed, much more of her Superstructure had already been blown off, she was heavily burning internally and externally.

[@Kpt_Scharnhorst]

My grandfahter was on the Prinz Eugen these days. I am very interested in the German Navy in WWII. When I once asked him about the Bismarck, he told me that the Bismarck was the largest and most magnificent ship he had ever seen. The volleys they fired at the Hood were so powerful that he could still feel the pressure wave on the Prinz Eugen.

[@MrEsphoenix]

15 inch guns where no joke. But imagine the shockwave from the Japanese 18 inch guns!

[@SuperNevile]

I was interested in Prinz Eugen, and bought the book about her. Very interesting. She survived the war and two atomic blasts (one air, and one underwater) from two thirds of a mile away at the Bikini Atoll tests.

[@lm2530]

@@SuperNevile Yes. What a shame it was: the U.S. had the Prinz Eugen, Bismarck's companion, and the IJN Nagato, the only Japanese battleship to survive the war, and sunk them during atomic "tests". Imagine if the U.S. had kept them and if you were able to walk their decks today!!! Talk about history!!!

[@kitfistouk]

thank you for the video and the words of many who had their relatives involved, my family was involved, losing two relatives in Bismarck. Even after so many years, the legacy of these young people who served their countries in what was one of the saddest moments in our history, remains an example of bravery, courage and determination. My respect and feeling to everyone involved, may we continue to honor the memory of everyone who fought for their families for another period of peace.

[@cra0422]

I remember a documentary by James Cameron on the Bismarck, it stated that the British ships moved in close enough to the Bismarck to where their artillery guns were firing level. The problem this created was that all their shells were hitting the Bismarck above the waterline

[@imCurveee]

It sounds so poetic when people say things "the Bismark went out with honor, and sank with her battle colours held high" until you think about the human life that was lost... I'm not sure how much honor the sailors felt in those moments. War is terrible, and we as a species never learn. Its terrible for all on both sides.

[@kaidenkenway8230]

They died for Hitler and Nazi Germany. There was no honor on that ship. We cannot stop to mourn those who died defending such atrocities nor can we admire any quality that would inspire so great a sacrifice for so terrible a cause.

[@imCurveee]

@@kaidenkenway8230 They did not die for Hitler. Any soldier with combat experience will tell you that in the heat of battle, the only thing you're fighting for is to bring yourself and your fellow brothers home.

[@rossbrown6641]

Briliant! Well said! Cheers . . .

[@Jimmydb]

@@kaidenkenway8230 the Kriegsmarine and Raeder wasn't Nazi! They fought for his Homeland! More respect! Nazi is just a political party not a country! In 1933 he publicly declared himself an adherent to Hitler; but not a declared anti-Semite. He opposed the expulsion of the Jewish officers from the Navy and protested along with Günther Lütjens and Karl Dönitz for the events of the Night of Broken Glass.

[@colinallen8924]

@@Jimmydb, Raeder was a member of the Nazi party from 1937 onwards,

[@WojciechWachniewski-st1zm]

That mighty German battleship has just been a memory - for 82 years now. Surely one of the most famous battleships ever. Excellent unit manned by gallant crew. R I P.

[@Z020852]

I've only just noticed how bloody accurate the animation is with all the smoke coming off of Rodney's main guns all on the front of the ship where they actually were.

[@kyle18934]

If I were a teacher and needed to teach students about the bismark, I would use this video. This video is exceptional! Well done!

[@bhash875]

The shame is history not being taught

[@kyle18934]

@@bhash875 i think the bad part is people are slammed with dates and other less necessary parts and less on the actual stories being told. sure dates and very specific names are important, but the actual meat of the story is lost. there is so many amazing stories waiting to be aired, but are overlooked because of the poor way it is forced down their throats.

[@kyle18934]

@@bhash875 sorry not trying to be ranty or argumentative, just my two cents

[@hiphip4808]

Im just starting to edit and I cant help drool over the quality of these, you do good work, please keep it up.

[@jinngeechia9715]

The Prince of Wales and Repulse were later sunk by the Japanese when they were sent to Singapore to shore up morale.

[@NGC-7635]

Ha, I’m sure that really boosted morale. “Hey remember those battleships that were coming? They’re at the bottom of the ocean now. CHIP-CHIP CHEERIO LADS!”

[@randomlyentertaining8287]

Well they actually made it to Singapore but were sunk on their first sortie.

[@zzirSnipzz1]

Lusty jad an accident if i rmember so they had no air cover

[@andrewstackpool4911]

Yup. Major British stuff yup - and for what. All same the subsequent battle of the Java Sea which cost ships that would be needed later. It cost the RAN its second cruiser loss after SYDNEY

[@benwilson6145]

They were sent to the Far East at the request of Roosevelt.

[@tomcrawford8326]

My great grandfather was a gunnery officer on HMS Rodney. He has a journal which recounts his experience in the battle against the Bismarck

[@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684]

Make sure that goes to the IWM when your time comes.

[@Forestowo]

Another perfect document! Thank you :) Regards from Poland.

[@Forestowo]

@@TheOperationsRoom :)

[@liamweaver2944]

I AM A POLE ;)🇵🇱❤️

[@necroparagon7226]

These are always extremely well done! I look forward to more.

[@jeremyanimatespoorly9573]

Would love to see a video on the various attempts to sink the Bismarck's sister ship, the Tirpitz!

[@TheOperationsRoom]

Tirpitz is on my (long) to-do list

[@markfryer9880]

@@TheOperationsRoom Ah The Round 2 It File strikes again.

[@ryanhampson673]

That's the one in the fjord right? Where they dropped earthquake bombs on her?

[@CIMAmotor]

@@ryanhampson673 Yep, the Dambusters squadron got her.

[@simonparmar2051]

@@ryanhampson673 They weren't 'earthquake' bombs (Grand Slams and weighing 20,000 lbs) but Tall Boys (12,000 lbs). But you are right in that the Tirpitz was sunk in a fiord and many years later was cut up and scrapped.

[@jdwilkins2000]

Really well done! Thanks for taking all the time and effort to produce this wonderful production.

[@ronaldli5]

What a beast of a ship with beast of sailors. Respect.

[@justsomeguyonyoutube3258]

@@keithmarlowe5569 It could be if Versailles was not so harsh because Versailles made the German Navy lost 60% of its fleet so yeah the war started a bit too soon for the German Kriegsmarine.

[@MrEsphoenix]

@@keithmarlowe5569 The Bismarck wasn't a match 1v1 with British battleships so they would still have needed to develop a more powerful ship or have a decent nunber advantage to go toe to toe with the RN.

[@MrEsphoenix]

@@keithmarlowe5569 Depends how old the video was. The theory used to be that it was a plunging shot into the deck, but it's somewhat recently (they only found and analysed the wreck in I believe 2001) been proven that's not the case. The damage doesn't match and the angles wouldn't be possible. The current leading theory, and only one that seems possible, is that it was a shell that dropped sort of the Hood, but skipped on the water and entered the ship on a flat trajectory below the main belt, which would usually be underwater, but was exposed by the Hoods own wake since it was traveling at speed.

[@phbrinsden]

Based on a very recent vid from drachinifel his well reasoned analysis suggests it was not the inadequate deck armor typical of WW1 era battle cruisers which was the widely accepted culprit but a quite different scenario. I highly recommend the drachinifel channel. He very expert source of all things naval.

[@MrEsphoenix]

The Bismarck was bloody lucky to survive that engagement. Both British ships where a match for it and it's escort, but a one in a million shot on the Hood and a new crew and technology on the Wales turned a sure loss into a heroic victory.

[@jdsb-3707]

3 sailors survived the Hood. Wow. Tragic. All heroes.

[@kingtiger9843]

Churchill when the hood was sunk said plainly: sink the Bismarck

[@danishkfd]

And sent 150 ships to sink a single ship and shot 2800 shells but still Bismarck stood and put a fight and sunk by the crew of Bismarck itself

[@jamesmol3634]

@@danishkfd so what?

[@zigzag3720]

@@danishkfd salty indian here xd

[@danishkfd]

@@zigzag3720 not salty but if i am its justified. I mean its an humiliating thing for royal navy

[@danishkfd]

@Matt Rampley yes you can send loads but sending 150 ships for a single ship? Meh

[@tbwpiper189]

As soon as the term "unsinkable" presents itself the ship is doomed.

[@georgemacquisten3326]

I love your videos, especially the naval battles. I am sure you have a tremendous request list, but would absolutely love one of Operation Pedestal if it’s possible! Keep up your awesome work

[@spencersanderson1894]

My great grandfather served aboard Rodney during WW2, so proud of everyone of our servicemen and women!

[@stroolswilko]

Possibly your best one yet... Great work

[@TheOperationsRoom]

Thankyou Dean!

[@TheLoremistress]

Thank you for your videos. You've taught me much and corrected some of my preconceptions on where elements took place.

[@SprikSprak]

I remember watching a documentary on surveying the wreckage of the Hood, they even found it's famed ships bell. One interesting thing they established is that the Hood had had new armour fitted to it's sides but not it's top. She was heading straight for the Bismark to put her close enough that the shells would not drop on her weaker top armour but hit the sides and tragically they concluded the shell that blew her magazine hit when she had almost closed the range enough. They had one of the only three of her crew to survive there with them, he requested they lay a memorium plaque on his final station on the ship before he was blown into the water. Very moving documentary.

[@KatyushaLauncher]

Hood's top armor was sufficient enough, it was 3 inches of deck armor same as the Queen Elizabeth-class of Dreadnought Battleships

[@MrEsphoenix]

That's been since disproven by the way. The ships where far too close for a plunging shot, and would have needed to engage way past their maximum effective range for that to be possible. It was just doctrine for ships to close distance. The current leading theory is that a shell fell short, skipped off the water, and entered the Hood below it's belt armour, which would normally be under water, but was exposed in the wake of the ship as it moved.

[@OrbitFallenAngel]

Wasn't the Hood supposed to have gone in to get an upgrade on her deck plate armor?? Because I heard that she was supposed to go into drydock and be refitted with newer thicker armor on her deck...🤔

[@alexsamaniego9061]

Germany really dropped the ball on this one. I would like to know more on what Germany High command was thinking about sending a single ship out into open water? It reminds me of those raid bosses in MMO's :)

[@darrenstuart3907]

I don't know if it was dropping the ball. The British and German Navies had different objectives just as they had in WW1. The Germans didn't need to defeat the Royal Navy, they would have struggled to do so and it would have been a massive risk to take them on in a head to head, this is essentially the same scenario as Jutland in WW1, nothing had really changed. The German objective was to starve and blockade Britain into submission by sinking merchant shipping, evade the Royal Navy and not get drawn into a head to head conflict with them, and they were doing a pretty good job of it. The Royal Navies objective was to stop them sinking merchant shipping by denying them access to the shipping lanes and also effect a naval blockade of Germany, although being an island Britain was far more reliant on shipping for survival than Germany was. The Royal Navy was doing an ok job too, the U boats were running riot and they didn't have much of an answer for them but they generally kept the surface fleet under control and pinned back to the Baltics, there is a lot of ocean and comparatively few Royal Navy ships though so German vessels did slip through the net now and again though but as I alluded to above their mission was to wreak havoc with merchant shipping rather than risk a head to head with British counterparts. The only thing afloat that could sink a battleship was another battleship so setting one loose in amongst merchant shipping was a very dangerous prospect indeed and that's why it was important for the British to shadow Bismarck and keep it under control or engage it and that's exactly what they did. If anyone dropped the ball it was the British and Admiral Holland, they didn't need to engage the Bismarck when they did, they could have waited for support, but he engaged anyway, the odds were in their favour after all he had a brand new battleship and the most powerful battle cruiser in the world vs a new battleship and a cruiser. The consensus is that a lucky (or unlucky depending on your view) shot did for the Hood and the British wasted valuable time mistakenly shooting at the Prinz Eugen for a start. The conditions of the battle were not in the British favour which again begs the question why they started it. After that it became a political issue, the Hood was the pride of the Royal Navy and the Bismarck simply had to be sunk at all costs, for the Bismarck to sink the mighty Hood and get away with it would have been a propaganda field day for Germany, at a time where Britain was already fairing badly in the war it needed a victory. There is always a lot of mystique about the Bismarck, in reality it was an ordinary albeit well designed battleship, it was similar to other German and British battleships of the period. The reason it soaked up so many hits prior to sinking was that the British ships were so close that they could only hit it above the water line, now you can hit any ship all day above the waterline and cause all sorts of damage but you won't sink it. In reality the Germans scuttled it, it was going to sink anyway it was just a case of when. Hood was an old design at that point, still had a lot of firepower but its armour was lacking compared to newer ships, as it happens upgraded armour probably wouldn't have helped it, the wreck confirmed that it had not been hit through the deck armour which was its weakest point. I'm not a naval architect but I presume more modern ships also had better internal subdivision and protection for the magazines.

[@CharliMorganMusic]

The Navy's of WWII are all so cordial with eachother. Gotta love that.

[@photoisca7386]

As they like to say in forums, the IJN has left the chat.

[@Twiggyay]

The British were absolutely relentless. Even though they were some of the most terrifying war machines of world war two (and without a doubt among the most beautiful) the Bismarck and Tirpitz didn't stand a chance.

[@hywel4767]

The Royal Navy fleet in those days was something to behold, a staggering amount of ships from such a little island.

[@billace90]

Hail Britannia.....true and as you mentioned, Bletchley Park played a huge part in all this.

[@lightningstrike6]

Love your content. I started with watching F-16 HUD footage and somehow wound up at your desert storm vids and I cant stop watching. Keep it up!

[@George_J_Rambo]

As I know, it took around 400 hits but kept firing at the British to the last shell. In the end it was sunk by its own crew not to allow enemies to capture it. They detonated scuttling charges and it started sinking...

[@daneelolivaw602]

It was already sinking, even without the scuttling charges, it would have sunk, and if the scuttling charges did hasten the sinking, then it was done with the knowledge that hundreds of men were below decks trying to escape.

[@berk6775]

@@daneelolivaw602 he was not sinking because he was have turtle shell armor which is for protect the engines and main magazine and other critical parts but it was not protecting turrets or bridge so end of the case bismarck was a swimming duck or floating steal but still was not sinking

[@daneelolivaw602]

@@berk6775 Well the so called "turtle shell armour" didn't stop a shell from the Prince of Wales, penetating the ships side, beneath the armour belt into No2 boiler room and putting it out of action, and causing flooding did it?. Because of flooding caused by hits from the Prince of Wales, the bow was down by three degrees, there was a list to Port of nine degrees, the starboard propeller was coming out of the water, and counterflooding was ordered aft to restore trim. And that was before Rodney beat the living daylights Bismarck. Of course it was Sinking, only a fool would claim otherwise.

[@berk6775]

@@daneelolivaw602 it was floating but not sinking it not the same every ship have a lot of compartment seperated you need alot of holes to sink a 50k tone ship and yes turtle shell armor can stop prince of waled shells yes its penetrate his armor but only a few holes not enaugh to sink a ship

[@berk6775]

@@daneelolivaw602 bismarck hit by a hundreds of shells while only couple of them penetrate the armor bismarck fight againts 3-4 battleship , cruisers ,destroyer and carriers and still managed the survive many hours its prove the armor is really great bismarck sunk the hood in just 2 salvos and heavily damaged the prince of wales with couple of shots his armor its not indestructible but it was pretty good compared the other british warships i read a book which is written by a gunner in bismarck even he says the ship was still ok except the bridge and the turrets bismarck was a really good ship but nothing can beat a whole fleet

[@willmyers950]

It was personal for the brits after the hood sank, they sent in some of the greatest capital ships the world has EVER seen. The Rodney , Nelson Class Battleship, with 16 inch guns with three three gun turrets up front. The brits threw everything they had at the Bismarck

[@davidpope3943]

Not only did Rodney pound the Bismarck with her 16” & 6” guns, it was also the only time in history that one battleship torpedoed another battleship. Rodney, as with most battleships from Dreadnought up to pre-WW2 was also equipped with torpedoes. In Rodney’s case they were 24.5” torpedoes fitted with 743lb TNT warheads, one tube on each broadside. She fired several of these at Bismarck with one reported hit. These torpedoes were only ever fitted to Nelson & Rodney & inspired the deservedly famous & far superior Japanese ‘Long Lance’ torpedoes. Ironically, Rodney suffered far more damage from the blast effect of her own 16” guns than from anything Bismarck threw at her, mostly caused during the period when her main guns were firing at zero elevation at point-blank range. She expended 378 x 16” shells & 706 x 6” shells during the action.

[@lightfootpathfinder8218]

Iv heard that one of the British sailors described the sinking of the Bismarck as a Naval execution rather than a naval battle. Also I think Bismarck was made an example of to show the Germans that this is what awaits any Kriegsmarine ship that tries to challenge Britannia

[@justbreakingballs]

@@lightfootpathfinder8218 it's probably why tirpits just sat there moored up

[@1greenMitsi]

true where the fuck were the u-boat backup?? Was the plan really to take control of the atlantic by itself??/

[@davidpope3943]

@@1greenMitsi Graf Spee had succeeded in destroying half a million tons worth of shipping in a matter of months by itself. Bismarck & Prinz Eugen would have been a very potent raiding force. U-boats played a part in the Bismarck action inasmuch as Royal Navy rescue activities of the Bismarck survivors were cut short because of the threat of u-boats approaching the area after the battle. Rodney & KGV had disengaged almost as soon as the action was over as they were both very low on fuel, especially KGV. Churchill had been prepared to let them run out of fuel if it meant that Bismarck was sunk. I guess he expected them to then be towed back home. Fat chance! Once the Kriegsmarine had secure facilities in place on the French Atlantic coast, that was when the submarine campaign could be carried out far more safely, effectively & in greater & greater numbers.

[@blusafe1]

So the Ark Royal's error in identifying Sheffield as hostile turned out to be a disguised blessing. Spooky.

[@benwilson6145]

Not Ark Royal, the Swordfish Pilots.

[@AdamMGTF]

As Ben says. Nothing to do with the ship. It was down to an understandable error on the part of the pilots. That's why it's called the fog or war

[@ryanbennett1933]

excellent recap and narration. graphic aids are simple but concise, provide solid visualization to accompany the narration.

[@retrorampage484]

Picture shown as Bismark sinks is actually HMS Mashona. My grandfather was on it and survived the sinking off the coast of Ireland en route back to Scapa Flow after the Bismark pursuit.

[@mjnario3634]

"Believed to be unsinkable." Titanic: *"That's cute"*

[@AirProGames99]

8:32 man I would not want to be onboard Bismarck in the situation it's in.

[@michaelhusada]

I love the videos, the explanations and story, but most importantly the graphic accompanying the story.

[@mystical6367]

I love how they were telling everyone to join in it’s like the whole world was joining in the effort to chase the Bismarck. Also love it how the Bismarck fought to the last stand against all those ships

[@colinallen8924]

Bismarck did not have any choice other than to be sunk; that was WW2 naval warfare worked. You fought and either won, escaped or were sunk; Bismarck had no chance of winning and could not escape.

[@robertbruce7497]

... lesson one;... if you want a boat sunk - just call it unsinkable - seems they last for about one half a voyage for some reason - overconfidence(?)

[@111gerbil]

Not "the whole world" - just a small part of the Royal Navy.

[@mystical6367]

@@111gerbil nah it was basically the whole world. Britain literally yanked and assigned any and every ship operating in the Atlantic to stop what what ever they were doing and hunt down the Bismarck. Like 5 destroyer ships were escorting an oil tanker and all of them got reassigned to aid in the hunt for the Bismarck

[@daneelolivaw602]

@@mystical6367 I have seen some reports say 16 ships hunted Bismarck, i have seen others that say up to 60 ships joined in the chase. Whatever the real number, they were ALL Royal Navy ships. At the time the RN had over 250-300 ships.

[@turbulence7351]

I like the amount of respect going on in this battle

[@BobMuir100]

That’ll teach ‘em! With the respect due; what a ship! In our Navy’s hands can one imagine the results? Great video, thanks Bob England

[@markproulx1472]

This was a tremendous video! No fooling around - straight and to the point; great narration, too!

[@wyattl.4023]

Hood: *one of the largest and most powerful ships of the century to that point* Bismarck: "lmao yeet."

[@AdamMGTF]

Not sure what yeet means. But hood may have been large and she had excellent main guns and was fast. But she was in dire need of a refit. It had been put off several times. The Bismarck was large and displaced a great deal. But that was more down to her design. The Germans hadn't built a battleship since before the end of ww1. The design of Bismarck reflected this. She had huge flaws in design AND, she had such huge displacement as a result. She was big and heavy. But a ship of her size and displacement should have been far more effective. Her armour and fire control communication systems were really terrible. Size isn't everything ;)

[@wyattl.4023]

@@AdamMGTF kzbin.info2Bjy5YQ5xPc?feature=share

[@AdamMGTF]

@@wyattl.4023 I don't understand

[@wyattl.4023]

@@AdamMGTF basically a funny way of saying to throw something really hard

[@AdamMGTF]

@@wyattl.4023 How strange. Thanks for clearing that up. So what's Bismarck throwing at hood?

[@chuckcochran8599]

The story of the Bismark is fascinating because it's also a lesson in some classic blunders by Admiral Lutjens. One thing they found out in her sea trials, was that they couldn't steer her by varying her propeller revolutions. This was a critical flaw, as it was the damage to her rudders that prevented any further attempt to escape. The British ship's moved in with a vengeance. Still stories from the few survivors said they fired the scuttling charges before abandoning ship. So it's a guess as to whether the last torpedoes actually sunk her or whether the crew did. When her wreck was discovered and explored, Dr. Ballard and his crew were of the opinion the scuttling is what sank her bases on their observations. Tremendous blow to both British and German morale when first the Hood then the Bismark went down.

[@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684]

I've pointed this out repeatedly, that Bismarck's triple screw propulsion layout immediately reduced her propellor steering capacity by 33%, if you look at the majority of RN ships they have quad screws and so 100% of their propulsive power is "off centre", a point that is almost always completely missed. Well spotted you sir !!!

[@galaticemperor9881]

She was sunk by the British not scuttled even Ballard expedition says that.

[@richardsalsbury1531]

Dose it realy matter weather it was British torpedoes or German scuttling charges, what matters is that when the dust settled the Bismark was at the bottem of sea. The Britsh hounded her until it happened and got the job done.

[@ing24m]

The video doesn't mention how the British miscalculated the Bismarck's course, and as such, were searching much too far north when the Catalina spotted it. That's the reason they were so far behind and needed the Ark Royal to intervene to slow it down.

[@oldgitsknowstuff]

Yes it does . Ed Murrow US correspondent in London reported that the Royal Navy had lost the Bismarck. He said that the lights in the Admiralty would be burning late into the night.

[@Rohilla313]

What a fantastic clip! The content, presentation, eye for detail are first class. The background music was something else. Bravo 👏 👏👏

[@hmshood1757]

You know what is the hit in the Ship Heaven now? "If you're going to the Denmark Strait, be sure to wear some thicker armor there..."

[@hertzair1186]

The worse bit of luck for Bismarck was the jammed rudder...otherwise it likely would have escaped to fight another day...

[@jimbosc]

Unless Ark Royal could get another air strike launched before Bismark got into air cover from the Luftwaffe....lucky hit to be sure but more torpedo hits may have slowed Bismark enough to be caught.

[@eltlaw]

Sheffield and Renown were in a position to engage if needs be. Even if Bismarck had have survived , by the time repairs would have been done her chain of tankers were at the bottom of the ocean - and operations on the Atlantic would have been impossible.

[@1993Crag]

Well one other day, still had to run a gauntlet of coastal command and submarine screens.

[@daveelliott5855]

A luck shot like Bismarck's one that blew the hood to pieces

[@bryandavies6074]

@@1993Crag Given the general competence of the British services at the time, that's doubtful. How many of the capital ships holed up in Brest did the Brits manage to sink? How many on Operation Cerberus? It took the ascendancy of people like Horton and Ramsey and the arrival of centimetric RADAR before things changed.

[@marcuscicero9587]

brave sailors of the Bismark, you had it comin

[@noreenbedford7106]

Good read Pursuit of the Bismarck goes into great detail

[@trevortrevortsr2]

Oh I say that old battleship Rodney did a grand job

[@glennpickard2239]

There is a book " HMS Rodney, slayer of the Bismark." To be correct the King George V also sank her with many HE shells, & HMS Devonshire put 3 or 4 torpedoes into her.