THE PRINZ EUGEN FILM The Battle of the Denmark Strait

Film by a news reel crew taken on board the Heavy Cruiser Prinz Eugen during and after the Battle of the Denmark Strait.

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[romeitofelixito]

Sorry, my mistake. You must referring to the HMS Rodney, which had all her main firepower in the front. In that case I agree.

[elswick1542]

@romeitofelixito As I understand it Holland wanted to attack bow to bow in the mistaken belief Bis was faster than Hood(probably nothing in it)the ships would have closed at high speed,change of range would have been so high that neither side are going to score many hits,he could then turn to bring all guns on target,this protects Hood from long range fire.Didn't work out.Tovey bow on has 19 guns to 4 easy to do with Bis disabled.My last post was a bit confused.

[romeitofelixito]

@elswick1542 I understand that Holland DID NOT want to attack bow to bow, I think I read that in Kennedy's book. When the ships finally detected each other they were in fact bow to bow, they were coming in opposite directions, but then Holland tried to make the turn to be able to unleash full broadsides and it was at that moment that the BIZ got him. Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm almost sure that is whet kennedy or some autorized author says.

[elswick1542]

@romeitofelixito So many accounts and books about Bismarck and Hood problem is when it comes to Hood no one really knows Hollands true intentions.If he held course for only a few more seconds the the shell would probably have missed.Kennedy s is probably the best book from the British side,my person favourite is Survivors story by Burkhart Mullenheim Reichburg he was 5th gunnery officer on Bismarck.

[stevo728822]

Inspite of it's superior build I still reckon the Bismarck got plain lucky hitting the Hood at 17km in just the right spot.

[romeitofelixito]

I was taking a look at The Loss of HMS Hood, a Re-examination, and things seem more complicated than that. The author, Jurens, states that Hood/POW were not going head to head towards the German ships but rather following a pursuing curve which, he says, was badly executed, as made as a series of straigh lines rather than a continuous curve which put them at a disavantage. In any case, most seem to agree Holland was wrong to make the turn at that precise moment and not later, at a closer range.

[Peter43John]

@romeitofelixito Holland approached Bismarck head on eliminating the use of his rear guns because he knew the dangers of plunging shells from far range: naval artillery differs from army artillery because it has a flater trajectory at close range!- He thought he had closed the range sufficiently to protect the Hood from plunging shells from the Germans when he ordered a sharp turn to deliver a full broadside.....HE WAS WRONG!

[romeitofelixito]

@elswick1542 I, for one, believe that those were his intentions. It's just common sense, something that boxers for ex. know well. If you have shorter arms than your opponent you have to get close to him, at your own arms reach, without being hit before that. Your best chances are in close fighting, something as true for battleships as it is for boxers. Holland wasn,t wrong I think, he was just having a bad hair day. And I agree those are the 2 best books on the matter.

[romeitofelixito]

@elswick1542 On more careful reading I got your point so there's no contradiction. That's right: coming bow to bow at full speed would have lessened the chances of direct hits for both sides and the Hood could have also greatly avoided the risks of shells diving on her vulnerable deck. Then it would have turned around to get all her 8 main guns in action. It was a sensible plan; problem is, the BIZ got her right there in the turn. Rodney's 9 frontal guns made a lot of difference too, later

[romeitofelixito]

Bow to bow to maximize power? Sorry, I didn't get that as I understand in such a situation only 4 of the 8, or 10, main guns of a battleship--depending on the case--are available to score hits. Interestingly enough, The Bis got the Hood precisely when Holland was turning the Hood to get it in a situation where it could use all its 8 15'' guns. Another one: in the Ballard docu, Ludovic Kennedy refers to the Bis as being black while the brits are grey and the sea green. The Bis black? Intriguing.