[nomorelurker]

Don't see SINK THE BISMARK on the list should be at least a WWII honorable mention. I'm trying to remember if it is maybe the only naval war movie I have seen where you hear the "clink" of the shell hitting the ship then there is a second or so delay before it explodes. Movie is not perfect in all details but still good.

[Bender2]

Re: Don't see SINK THE BISMARK on the list should be at least a WWII honorable mention. I'm trying to remember if it is maybe the only naval war movie I have seen where you hear the "clink" of the shell hitting the ship then there is a second or so delay before it explodes. Movie is not perfect in all details but still good.

Drats! Nailed again!

Yes, Sink the Bismarck! (1960) more than deserved to be on my list... So....

Everybody sing!

In May of nineteen forty-one the war had just begun
The Germans had the biggest ship that had the biggest guns
The Bismark was the fastest ship that ever sailed the seas
On her deck were guns as big as steers and shells as big as trees

Out of the cold and foggy night came the British ship the Hood
And evry British seaman, he knew and understood
They had to sink the Bismark, the terror of the sea
Stop those guns as big as steers and those shells as big as trees

We'll find that German battleship thats makin' such a fuss
We gotta sink the Bismark 'cause the world depends on us
Hit the decks a-runnin' boys and spin those guns around
When we find the Bismark we gotta cut her down

The Hood found the Bismark and on that fatal day
The Bismark started firin' fifteen miles away
We gotta sink the Bismark was the battle sound
But when the smoke had cleared away
The mighty Hood went down

For six long days and weary nights they tried to find her trail
Churchill told the people "Put ev'ry ship a-sail"
'Cause somewhere on that ocean I know she's gotta be
We gotta sink the Bismark to the bottom of the sea

We'll find that German battleship thats makin' such a fuss
We gotta sink the Bismark 'cause the world depends on us
Hit the decks a-runnin' boys and spin those guns around
When we find the Bismark we gotta cut her down

The fog was gone on the seventh day and they saw the mornin' sun
Ten hours away from homeland the Bismark made its' run
The admiral of the British fleet said "Turn those bows around"
We found that German battleship and we're gonna cut her down

The British guns were aimed and the shells were comin' fast
The first shell hit the Bismark, they knew she couldn't last
That mighty German battleship is just a memory
"Sink the Bismark" was the battle cry that shook the seven seas

We found that German battleship was makin' such a fuss
We had to sink the Bismark 'cause the world depends on us
We hit the decks a-runnin' and we spun those guns around
Yeah, we found the mighty Bismark and then we cut her down

Okay, dismissed! Smoke 'em if you got 'em...

[PzLdr]

That movie is horrible in almost ALL the details. First, Guenther Lutjens is portrayed as a Nazi fanatic. He was the opposite. One of the great photos of the BISMARCK was taken during Hitler's inspection where Lutjens is the ONLY military person in shot giving Hitler the MILITARY salute. He protested the treatment of Jewish officers to Raeder.

Second, Lutjens was a fatalist on the mission. He failed to top off at Bergen, leaving BISMARCK several thousand tons of oil short, which coupled with the hit she took in the Denmark Strait forced BISMARCK to travel at 27 rather than 30 knots towards France to conserve fuel. At 30 knots, the Brits may not have caught her. In the Denmark Strait, Lutjens refused to order BISMARCK to fire on the HOOD for sufficient duration for Lindemann to issue the order saying he wasn't going to have his ship shot out from under him without a fight.

The major error, however, is the battle of Denmark Strait itself. The film fails to show that BISMARCK [initially leading] and PRINZ EUGEN changed station during the night before the battle, and the British mistook the now leading cruiser for the battleship. HOOD's initial engagement was with EUGEN - for some two minutes. EUGEN hit HOOD at extreme range for 8' guns - and the fire control data was being fed to BISMARCK - with lethal effect.

The movie also left out the facts that: BISMARCK's long radio transmissions helped the British find him [the Germans referred to their ships in the masculine gender, and called their sailors soldiers] after they lost him; that the BISMARCK went past a U.S Coast Guard cutter during her flight, and that the copilot of the PBY that found her was an American.

That being said, I saw it several times when it came out, and own a DVD or VHS of the movie.