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Thanks!

Does someone in the family still have that piece of shrapnel?

ORIGINAL: witpqs

Thanks!

Does someone in the family still have that piece of shrapnel?

My cousin has the original letter and my uncle's military issued watch which survived D-Day while, unfortunately, the rest of my uncle didn't, but I'm not sure who has the shrapnel. I'll ask.

Also, I just realized my uncle was a Lieutenant, or just about to be promoted to one, during the hunt and destruction of the Bismarck. He was a Major by D-Day.

Here is a what if moment. What if the Graff Zeppelin had been completed and accompanied Bismarck? Would Bismarck had survived?

ORIGINAL: Footslogger

Here is a what if moment. What if the Graff Zeppelin had been completed and accompanied Bismarck? Would Bismarck had survived?

warspite1

Impossible to say for the simple reason that the WHOLE episode would have been different. The Royal Navy would not have sent just a battleship and a battlecruiser to engage the enemy force in the Denmark Strait. The shadowing of the enemy by two cruisers would have likely been impossible with carrier aircraft around.

Simply put - it would be a different ball game completely.

Nice facts:

The first hits come from Prinz Eugen...(he hit probably the AA ammountion depot on the Hood) or the AA ammunition stored outside the magazines was hit by the 20 cm shells from the Prinz Eugen.

ADM Günther Lütjens was paralyzed on Brigde on the Bismarck, as he spottet two Battelships/cruiser and give not the command to open fire CPT.Ernst Lindemann scream to Lütjens "i will not my ship busted fire under my ass" (ich lass mir mein schiff doch nicht unter meinen Arsch wegschiessen) (sorry for my bad translate) .......... and Lindemann give the command to open fire.
Behind the Hood was blown up. Lütjens break up the fight and Lindemann was in diffusion with the Admiral he claims to sink the badly damaged Prince of Whales.



(behind the Battle of the Denmark Strait)
The main mistake in this operation: ADM Günther Lütjens make a long radiotransmission to Germany
and the Brits spottet this transmission and becomme the postion from the Bismarck, the last chance to attack the Bismarck with the swordfish from Ark Royale....

The Bismarck was scutteld (the valves was open) to prevent the boarding of the wreck.
The core armour was not penetrating of the torps and heavy shells.The wreck was ever floatable...

ah the last fact: the Bismarck Cat... a Black Cat was rescued by the Brits and she go to Hms Cossack and later to Ark Royale.

She survied 3 Warships...

sorry for my bad English, the story have hundreds of littel facts. Stuff for Hollywood, ok its a German Ship, who cares...

ORIGINAL: Footslogger

Here is a what if moment. What if the Graff Zeppelin had been completed and accompanied Bismarck? Would Bismarck had survived?

The Graf Zeppelin would have probably been shot down rather quickly.

The never-finished German CV "Graf Zeppelin", not the "air ship"

LOL. I wondered why churchillhouse used the term "shot down" rather than sunk [;)]

ORIGINAL: LargeSlowTarget

The never-finished German CV "Graf Zeppelin", not the "air ship"

Of course... my bad.

You'll never believe where the Prinz Eugen ended up. I googled it on earthmaps, but I'm not allowed to add a link to any post until 7 days after my tenth post?! At this rate I'll be able to post a link in 2027 plus 7 days.

Oh, I have posted a screen capture of the Prinz taken from Google Earth a long time ago here on this very forum - just can't find the thread, so I took a fresh screenie [;)]

ORIGINAL: denisonh

Nice reference. The Bismarck thread was the forum incarnation of the "Argument Clinic"

"I'm here for an argument." "No you're not."

Kwajalein after surviving Bikini. Some damage from the A-Bombs but being radioactive they didn't patch the leak until she rolled over.