Figure 1.-- 'Bismarck' was one of the finest battleships ever built. OKM conceived of aplan to use her to sever Britain's vital North Atlantic lifeline with america and Canada. It was desined to knock Britain out of the war before he plunged the Whermacht into the oviet Union. Here 'Bismrck' is depicted leaving her anchorage at Grimstadt Fjord and heading into the North Sea (May 21). She was accompanied by 'Prinz Eugen', destroyers Z10, Z16, Z23, and a mind-sweeper. This is a painting by Anthony Saunders entitled, 'The Final Voyage'.

The German Naval High Command (OKM) conceived of a commerce raiding operation to support the expanding U-boat operations--Operation Rheinübung (Rhine Exercize). With the failure of the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain (July-September 1940), Hitler's only channce of knocking Britain out of the War before Barbarossa and eventual American entry into the War was the Kreigesmarine. Hitler had misgivings about the operation when informed, but the potential payoff was massive. The assisnment was given to Admiral Lütjens. Hitler along with Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, Supreme Command of the Armed Forces, and a substantial entourage, inspected Bismarck and Tirpitz at Gotenhafen/Gdynia (May 5). Gdynia was a Baltic port in occupied Poland which had been annexed to the Reich. (It would appear again more importantly in history as the future birthplace of Solidarity). Hitler and his entourage toured both ships. He than met with Admiral Lütjens to discuss Rheinübung. Two weeks later Captain Ernest Lindemann sailed Bismarck from Gdynia with the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen (May 18). OKM aspart of Rheinübung positioned two supply ships and five tankers in the Atlantic to support the operation. Scouting ships were dispatched to locate targets. This was not a quixotic effort. The U-boats were already taking a heavy toll on British shipping. Only the convoy system was keeping Britain in the War with the flow of American and Commonwealth supplies and material. Bismarck would have disrupted any convoy it encountered, destroying many ships and forcing the convoy master to order the merchant vessels to disperse. Convoy escorts would have been inefectual against the heavily armored German ship. Bismarck left her anchorage at Grimstadt Fjord and headed into the North Sea (May 21). She was accompanied by Prinz Eugen, destroyers Z10, Z16, Z23, and a mind-sweeper.

Created: 9:49 PM 3/10/2014
Last updated: 9:49 PM 3/10/2014