New proof that the Bismarck was scuttled.
American naval experts have concluded that the mammoth German battleship Bismarck was not sunk by the British, as had been previously claimed, but was scuttled. British torpedos had penetrated the outer hull of the battleship, but the inner armor was unharmed, leaving her seaworthy. (*) The British-German engagement that ended with the sinking of the DKM Bismarck ultimately proved decisive in the battle for supremacy in the Atlantic in World War II. In early 1941, the Bismarck was the biggest battleship ever built, and was greatly feared as a threat to the British. When the Bismarck broke out and threatened to attack shipping, the British had to respond quickly.
In the fierce and bitter naval engagement that followed, the Bismarck fired a shell that hit the British battle cruiser Hood and penetrated to her magazine. The HMS Hood exploded with over one thousand sailors’ lives lost. A flotilla of British ships pursued the Bismarck, knocking out all but one of her guns, and jamming her rudder so she could only steam in circles. The Germans feared the capture of the battleship for it would mean that the British would learn the secrets of their prized ship-building technology. This technology provided the double layer of armor that had protected the Bismarck so well from British attack. Were the British to capture the Bismarck, they could soon build ships that were nearly unsinkable, too. German sailors set off explosives below the waterline to scuttle the battleship. Despite the deliberate scuttling, just over one hundred of over two thousand German sailors survived. Ignoring the law of the sea, and with the memory of the Hood still fresh, the British warships turned away from the scene and steamed off, abandoning most of the German sailors floating in the cold ocean. (†) (‡) (§) (**) War does terrible things to men.
Edited: 10 December 2002.
Update: 26 November 2003. A reader e-mails me and mentions that the British are said to have made a U-Boat sighting. That prompted them to quickly leave the scene of battle. Such a circumstance would mitigate the mistake of the British. The evidence is not striongly indicative of an actual sighting of a U-Boat, however. It may have been a false U-Boat sighting. (††) Trying to assign blame for a false U-Boat sighting, if it were false, would be difficult. It just doesn’t make sense to me that a U-Boat would peep its head out when German sailors were in the process of being rescued. On the other hand, the survivors who were rescued were treated humanely by the British.
If someone has knowledge of a definitive historical work on the subject, or of a primary document, I’d be much obliged for your contact. Thank you.
December 4th, 2002 at 14:26
Another fine and very interesting post. You don’t find interesting historical commentary in blogistan. Please post more like this when time allows. :-)
December 4th, 2002 at 15:48
Thank you very much. I will try. To hold up your end of the bargain, you must continue to post your penetrating insights on your own log!
December 4th, 2002 at 16:27
Deal!
December 10th, 2002 at 23:28
Does the scuttling argument really hold up? Wouldn’t the Germans have had ample time to load the bulk of the crew into raft/boats instead of leaving them bobbing in the water at the mercy of the enemy? It’s not that they were out in the midst of the Atlantic somewhere. They were within several hours of France, no? If only 100 survived when hundreds (if not four figures)could have safely disembarked is truly criminal on the part of the Germans. That is, if the scuttling angle is true.
December 11th, 2002 at 12:08
There were a large number of German casualties on the Bismarck just prior to its sinking. The British had fired thousands of shells at her that day, and her decks are described by survivors as being littered by the dead. Still, there were at least several hundred survivors who were floating in the water. It’s possible that several lifeboats were destroyed by the salvos. The Bismarck was still taking fire when the order apparently was issued to scuttle her. At that time, she was listing to one side. This combination of factors could have prevented the Germans from deploying lifeboats.
I think the better answer, though, is that the Germans expected to be picked up by the British vessels. Therefore, the Germans would not have perceived a need to deploy lifeboats. Rescuing survivors has been the custom in naval warfare for centuries. The British could easily have plucked them out of the water.
That one mistake by the British should not in any way tarnish the heroism of the British sailors and airmen who took on the battleship with everything from biplanes (with cloth wings!) to inferior ships. The British had nothing to really go toe to toe with the Bismarck, her captain made very few mistakes, and still the British crippled the ship. Had the Germans not scuttled their ship, the British would probably either have captured or sunk her several hours later. Of course, the German sailors fought courageously as well, down to the last shell, but it was the British who ultimately won the through their efforts, which were nothing short of audacious and valiant.
It’s only a footnote to the larger story, but I think it is fair to say that had the British saved all the German survivors they could have, even more honor would have accrued to them.
January 15th, 2003 at 07:23
This article is full of errors. Much more research needs to be done by the author.