The FReeper Foxhole Remembers The Battle of the Denmark Strait (5/24/1941) - Oct. 28th, 2003

http://www.kbismarck.com/operheini.html ^ | José M. Rico

[Valin]

How's you dad doing?

[snippy_about_it]

1900 After over 5 months the Paris Olympic games close

There was so much confusion the French finally surrendered.

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning feather.

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning Gail.

We haven't forgotten about your post a couple weeks ago when you wrote about the American Legion Post Commander and his upcoming brain surgery scheduled for tomorrow, 10/29.

Prayers offered for Colonel Tony Lopez USAF(ret).

[snippy_about_it]

Good read on the battle SAM. It's amazing it lasted only 15 minutes. So sad about the Hood.

Of course my curiosity got the best of me and I researched for more. Did you know a Polish destroyer was involved in helping sink the Bismarck?

**

Many anxious hours passed for the British, particularly as they assumed wrongly that Bismarck was retiring to the northeast. All hopes for finding her again rested on the many warships closing the area or in the long-range patrols by Coastal Command aircraft squadrons flying out of Britain and Iceland. In addition, many American patrol aircraft, including patrol squadron VP-52 out of Argentia, flew long search patrols in the waters of the western Atlantic. All these air patrols were made more difficult and dangerous by high winds, rain squalls, and low cloud cover.

It was not until 1010 on 26 May that British luck changed. A British Catalina aircraft of No. 209 Squadron, piloted by US Navy observer Ensign Leonard B. Smith, USNR (US Naval Reserve), spotted Bismarck at a range of about eight miles. While Ensign Smith flew the aircraft and evaded accurate German antiaircraft fire, his British copilot radioed a report of the enemy warship's location

Although the German battleship had avoided many British patrols and was only 670 miles northwest of Brest, she was still far from the safety of German Air Force (Luftwaffe) air cover. Still, it would prove difficult for the Royal Navy to catch Bismarck, as the British Battle Squadron was too far north. Fortunately for the British, the aircraft carrier Ark Royal in Force H from Gibraltar found herself southeast of Bismarck's reported location and directly in the path to Brest. Upon acknowledging the contact report, cruiser Sheffield was detached from Force H and ordered to find and shadow the enemy. Later that day, naval observer Lieutenant James E. Johnson in a British Catalina from No. 240 Squadron, relieved Smith's plane and maintained contact with the German battleship until Sheffield took up a shadowing position.

Following an abortive air strike that afternoon in which fourteen Swordfish mistakenly attacked (but missed) Sheffield, a second strike of fifteen Swordfish took off from Ark Royal at 1910 that evening. Over the next hour or so, in conditions of low clouds, strong winds, and fading daylight, the aircraft released thirteen torpedoes in a series of attacks against the German battleship. While the poor weather made these attacks difficult, it also threw off the aim of the German antiaircraft gunners, and no planes were lost. Two torpedoes struck Bismarck, one with little effect, but the other wrecked her steering gear and jammed the rudder. This lucky blow sealed her fate. Slowed to a crawl by the damage, Bismarck could no longer escape her converging pursuers.

After midnight on the 27th of May, one Polish and four British destroyers closed the range and made multiple torpedo attacks on Bismarck. A few hours after dawn, the British heavy warships steamed into view, and battleships King George V and Rodney engaged Bismarck at a range of 16,000 yards. German gunnery was inaccurate, probably owing to crew exhaustion, and after an hour and a half Bismarck was reduced to a blazing shambles. Torpedoed twice more, and eventually scuttled by her surviving crew, the German battleship sank some 300 nautical miles west of Ushant, France. Only 110 of her crew of 2,222 survived the sinking.

www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq118-1.htm

[MinuteGal]

Vets, please refer to thread titled "Prayer Request from Florida FReeper Mustang". He and his wife need our support.

Lt. Commander Mustang (R) is a Viet Nam vet.

Leni

[snippy_about_it]

Vets, please refer to thread titled "Prayer Request from Florida FReeper Mustang". He and his wife need our support. Lt. Commander Mustang (R) is a Viet Nam vet.
Leni

Thanks for the call to prayer.

Here is the link to the thread for our Foxhole readers.

Prayer Request From Florida FReeper Mustang

[w_over_w]

Morning Glory Snip & Sam~

Excellent read . . . unimaginable how devastating the sinking of the HMS Hood. Less than three minutes?

[snippy_about_it]

Morning w/w.

It was tragic, those poor souls on the Hood, no time to abandon ship.

[U S Army EOD]

Quite a few more than 110 survived the actualy sinking. The British just left them in the water. This is an interesting story in itself. Don't have time to dwell on it now but you may be able to find in on the net somewhere. One British Ensign was almost courtmarshaled because he jump off one of the British ships in an attempt to save some of the German sailors in the water. The German survivors used to hold reunions and he was always invited to them.

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning Snippy.

Trivia:

In May 1941 the German super battleship Bismarck steamed into the North Atlantic escorted by the 14,800 ton heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen. The German ships were intercepted by the British battle cruiser Hood and battleship Prince of Wales. During the ensuing battle, the lighter armour of the battle cruiser Hood proved to be its downfall. Following a series of direct hits the magazine was penetrated and the resulting explosion tore the Hood in two.

For the remainder of the War the Prinz Eugen saw little action other than a dash up the English Channel to Norway. Following the German surrender, the Prinz Eugen was turned over to the Royal Navy. In 1946 the Prinz Eugen was used as a target at the Bikini Atoll atomic bomb tests. The ship survived two atomic bomb explosions and was subsequently towed to the US base at Kwajalein atoll for full evaluation of the damage. At Kwajalein the previously controllable leaks worsened and the Prinz Eugen capsized and sank.

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning Pippin. Get your 'puter back and running?

[SAMWolf]

Hi E.G.C.

Clouds are back today, still nice temps though.

[SAMWolf]

Hi Manna!

[snippy_about_it]

You are correct, I believe some estimates say 800. I recall the British had to pull back based on a report of unknown smoke in the area and they were concerned there may have been a U-boat in the area. That's the story I read anyway.

[SAMWolf]

(Think palm trees, ocean, Waikiki Beach, tradewinds, Japanese tourists, Diamondhead...)

Seattle?

Have a fun trip. Send us a virtual postcard.

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning Mayor.

[SAMWolf]

Dinosaur droppings are called coprolites, and are actually fairly common.

I bet you don't find too many recent ones. ;-)

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning Feather.

[manna]

Hi guys (and SAM)!