As night fell, the sound of the rumbling engine in the waves of the North Atlantic was the sound of the German battleship Bismarck speeding through the vast sea. A few hours earlier, the battleship, known as invincible, had managed to evade the pursuit of the British Navy. On the bridge, Admiral Lukins of the German Navy faced the sea ahead, his heart filled with the joy of victory. Little did he know, however, that at this moment of victory, a deadly telegram was quietly changing the fate of the Bismarck.
A few hours earlier, Admiral Lukins had made a decision to break the radio silence and send a war report to the German mainland. The cable, which lasted for half an hour, described in detail how Bismarck evaded the pursuit of the British navy. On board the Bismarck, radio operators were busy sending the report, unaware of the catastrophe it was throwing.
1. Bismarck's lucky escape
In 1941, in the midst of the vastness of World War II, the German battleship Bismarck managed to escape the British Navy in a crucial naval battle. When the Bismarck entered the open sea where U-boats were frequented, the British Navy had to adopt a special sailing strategy - "zigzag" navigation in order to avoid potential submarine threats.
Although this mode of navigation reduced the risk of detection and attack by submarines to a certain extent, it also gradually widened the distance between the British fleet and the Bismarck. In this case, even advanced radar equipment could not effectively track the location of the Bismarck, giving the German battleship a rare chance to escape.
At this time, the crew of the Bismarck was nervously operating various nautical instruments, trying to find a ray of life from the British Navy's encirclement. Inside the bridge, German naval personnel stared at radar screens and charts, calculating every course adjustment. In this tense atmosphere, every decision counts. The Bismarck's speed and course were constantly adjusted in order to escape the tracking of the British Navy.
At this time, the distance between the British fleet and the Bismarck gradually widened due to the zigzag sailing. The commanders of the British fleet looked at the radar screens on the bridge, trying to catch the Bismarck. However, due to the increase in distance and the complexity of the sea surface environment, they found that the radar signal became weaker and weaker, and gradually lost track of the Bismarck.
2. Lukins's "Circle Move"
Admiral Lukins, as commander of the Bismarck, demonstrated his extraordinary command skills and keen insight into the situation on the battlefield at this critical juncture. He decided to use his "circle move" tactic again, a sailing maneuver that was both bold and extremely strategic.
Under Lukins' orders, the Bismarck began a series of precise and swift maneuvers. On the bridge, the nautical officers quickly conveyed the admiral's order, and the whole ship began to adjust its course in a tense and orderly manner. The Bismarck turned its rudder 270 degrees, a large turning maneuver designed to steer the ship to the rear of the British pursuers for a bold detour.
The ship began to turn slowly, and with the sound of powerful engines and the slight lapping of the waves, the Bismarck cleverly changed its course. This operation requires a high degree of nautical skill and a precise grasp of the ship's performance. The crew on the bridge was engrossed in observing the sailing instruments to ensure an accurate change of course. In this highly intense operation, every crew member of the Bismarck played a key role.
As the Bismarck's turn was completed, the ship began to move towards the rear of the British pursuers. This abrupt change made it difficult for the British warships to react quickly, creating an opportunity for the Bismarck to escape. In the waves of the North Atlantic, the Bismarck, like a cunning marine cheetah, skillfully avoided the enemy's sight.
Admiral Lukins closely monitored the progress of the entire operation from the bridge. His "circle positioning" tactic was not only a challenge to the extreme performance of the ship, but also a bold demonstration of his personal tactical talent. Under his careful planning and command, the Bismarck successfully executed this tactical maneuver, effectively escaping the pursuit of British warships.
It was in this process that the commanders of the British Navy began to realize that the location of the Bismarck was becoming more and more difficult to capture. They searched the radar screen for any possible signal, but the Bismarck's abrupt turn had caused it to disappear from their range. The British Navy ships struggled to adjust course on the surface in an attempt to recapture the Bismarck, but they found themselves gradually losing control of the German warship.
3. Lukins' fatal mistake
Admiral Lukins, having successfully implemented a series of ingenious sailing tactics on board the Bismarck, mistakenly believed that he had completely escaped the tracking of the British Navy. At this critical moment, he made a decisive mistake - to break the radio silence that had been maintained for a long time. Lukins ordered a detailed report on the state of the battle to be sent to the German mainland, which lasted for half an hour. During the half-hour, Bismarck's radio operator busily sent telegrams detailing the ship's condition, the battles encountered, and its current location.
However, Lukins did not expect that this radio communication would be his fatal mistake. During the Second World War, Britain had extremely high technology and experience in radio reconnaissance and codebreaking. When the Bismarck began to transmit radio signals, they were immediately picked up by British reconnaissance ships and listening stations on the shore. The British Navy's radio monitors quickly intercepted and recorded these signals.
In the codebreaking department of the United Kingdom, experts quickly began to decipher these signals. Using sophisticated cryptanalytic techniques, they carefully interpreted the ciphertext telegrams sent by Bismarck. This mission was crucial for the British, as it could be the key to rediscovering the Bismarck's location. In an intense and rigorous working atmosphere, the cryptographic experts finally succeeded in deciphering the contents of this telegram.
The deciphered telegram not only included details of the Bismarck's battle, but more importantly, it revealed the approximate location of the Bismarck at that time. This news was undoubtedly a huge surprise for the British Navy. After a period of blind searching, they finally got the location information of the Bismarck again.
The senior commanders of the British Navy quickly reacted to this information. They immediately adjusted the search plan and the sailing route of the fleet, concentrating on the rapid advance to the positions reported by the Bismarck. On the ocean, British ships of all types began to adjust their course and move at full speed, trying to find the Bismarck before it disappeared again. At this time, the British Navy seemed to have rekindled the flame of hope for the pursuit.
In the process, the British Navy's ships increased their speed, and the ship's operators and crews were busy working, adjusting their course and speed. Each of the ships was doing its best, trying to shorten the distance to the Bismarck. The radar operator glued to the screen, hoping to catch the Bismarck's signal as soon as possible. The atmosphere in the fleet became tense and full of anticipation.
4. The counterattack of the British Navy
On the morning of May 26, with the dawn, the British Navy took a turn in the pursuit of the Bismarck. At the base in Northern Ireland, a Catalina seaplane took off and took on the important task of conducting reconnaissance over the vast sea. The aircraft was equipped with advanced reconnaissance equipment, including radar for maritime search and high-resolution photographic equipment, designed to look for traces of the Bismarck.
The planes flew over the sea along a predetermined search route, and pilots and observers kept an eye on the surface for any possible clues. After several hours of searching, observers suddenly spotted an unusual string of oil stains at the window of the aircraft, which formed a clear trail on the sparkling sea. After careful observation and analysis, they judged that it was a leak of fuel from a large ship, most likely left behind by the Bismarck.
The Catalina plane quickly adjusted its flight path, tracking it in the direction of the oil stain. After continuing to fly for some time, they were pleasantly surprised to spot the Bismarck. Observers on board the plane quickly recorded the position and course of the Bismarck using photographic equipment, while the radio operator on board the aircraft immediately sent this important information to the British naval command, including the precise coordinates of the Bismarck.
At the command of the British Navy, having received the message back from the Catalina's aircraft, the commander reacted immediately. They quickly mobilized nearby naval forces, including 6 destroyers, to prepare for an attack on the Bismarck. These destroyers were armed with powerful guns and torpedoes, making them ideal for dealing with heavy warships.
That night, the British destroyers quietly arrived in the dark to the sea indicated by the coordinates transmitted back by the Catalina's aircraft. Under the cover of night, the destroyers began their assault operations. The crew of the destroyer prepared in a tense and orderly atmosphere. Using the darkness of night as a cover, they quietly approached the Bismarck.
The observers and operators on the Bismarck, although on constant alert, managed to approach the Bismarck under the cover of night and waves. With a gradual reduction in distance, the destroyer began to fire torpedoes. The roar of torpedo firing sounded on the sea, and one after another torpedoes pierced the sea and made rapid progress in the direction of the Bismarck.
5. The sinking and impact of the Bismarck
In the early morning of May 27, the North Atlantic was filled with smoke and tension. With the arrival of three British capital ships, the battle quickly reached its climax with strong firepower, including battleships and aircraft carriers. These British capital ships were armed with more powerful and accurate guns, adding new power to the upcoming naval battles.
The Bismarck had already suffered damage from the previous night's engagement, and the rudder damage in particular made it extremely difficult to navigate. The ship's crew and technicians worked hard to repair the damaged parts, but in the heat of battle, these efforts were limited. Due to the instability of the navigation, the accuracy of the Bismarck's artillery fire also decreased, which put it at a significant disadvantage in the confrontation with the British Navy.
Two British heavy cruisers then joined the battle, further intensifying the offensive against the Bismarck. These heavy cruisers, carrying powerful firepower and torpedoes, attacked the Bismarck from different directions. The battle on the sea became more and more intense, with huge cannon shots and explosions one after another, and the sea water was constantly sprayed high.
For the next 90 minutes, the Bismarck was subjected to merciless bombardment. The artillery fire of the British Navy was almost uninterrupted, and dense shells rained down on the deck and hull of the Bismarck, causing great damage. The crew of the Bismarck fought back stubbornly, but their resistance seemed to be getting weaker and weaker due to the lack of firepower and mobility.
As the battle continued, the Bismarck's condition deteriorated. The continuous hits of the shells led to serious damage to the hull, fires broke out in several places, and thick smoke billowed from the ship. The number of casualties on board the ship is increasing, and the situation is becoming increasingly critical. In this desperate situation, the ship's commander made the final decision - to open the "sea valve" and let the Bismarck sink on its own.
At 10:39 a.m. on May 27, 1941, the once-glorious battleship Bismarck finally sank in the rough Atlantic Ocean after a fierce battle. The sinking of this battleship marked the end of an era and also relieved the British Navy. After all, before this, the existence of the Bismarck had put the British Navy under pressure and even fear.
With the continuous influx of seawater, the once majestic warship gradually disappeared below sea level. Most of the ship's crew, including Admiral Lukins, sank with the ship into the deep sea. This tragic sinking cost the lives of 2,156 German sailors, who were laid to rest at the bottom of the icy Atlantic Ocean along with the Bismarck.
The German Navy suffered a heavy blow in this battle, and only more than 100 people survived the ship. However, the British warship that remained at the scene to rescue was unable to rescue all the survivors after being alerted to the possible attack of the U-boat, so they hurriedly evacuated the scene. This undoubtedly made the already troubled German Navy even worse.
Resources:
1. Ballard, Robert D. "The Discovery of the Bismarck." Warner Books, 1990.
2. Kennedy, Ludovic. "Pursuit: The Chase and Sinking of the Bismarck." Viking Press, 1974.
3. Zetterling, Niklas; Tamelander, Michael. "Bismarck: The Final Days of Germany's Greatest Battleship." Casemate Publishers, 2009.