The Battle Of The Denmark Strait: A Critical Analysis Of The Bismarcks Singular Triumph

Features of The Battle of the Denmark Strait: A Critical Analysis of the Bismarcks Singular Triumph

To Great Britain and Germany the Battle of the Denmark Strait came like a thunderclap in the spring of 1941 The pride of the Royal Navy HMS Hood was utterly destroyed and its newest battleship Prince of Wales severely damaged and forced to withdraw This was at the hands of Germanys huge battleship Bismarck on its first foray into North Atlantic waters The blast of heavy shells between the behemoths resonated both in Whitehall and BerlinHowever despite the wealth of documentary information and photographic evidence available on the battle there continues to be controversy as to how the conflict was actually fought This book attempts to resolve the remaining issues by a detailed technical analysis of the circumstances while new discoveries revealed for the first time in this book shed new light on the battle in which the best of both navies traded salvoes and over 1500 Royal Navy sailors were obliteratedBy carefully considering the factors affecting naval gunnery such as flight time of shells to their target reaction time for correcting the fall of shot and recycle times of the various gun systems the battle has been painstakingly reconstructed in this book within all of the established time and distance parameters Not limited to the battle itself the book also explores the relevant events leading up to the titanic clash and those events associated with its aftermathBeing a graduate mechanical engineer and professional analyst associated with fielded military weapon systems the author is uniquely qualified to perform the analytic functions involved in the reconstruction of the battle His last position was as staff analyst where he provided support to the Federal government in the evaluation of the US Strategic Missile Defense System and he is also author of the highly acclaimed work Naval Shipbuilders of the WorldFrom the Age of Sail to the Present DayTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsDedicationPrefacePART ONE EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE BATTLE1 Imperial German Naval Challenge to Great Britain2 International Naval Developments After World War I3 The German Navy Under the Weimar Republic4 German Naval Expansion Under the Third Reich5 The Outbreak of World War II6 Planning and Preparation for Operation Rhine Exercise7 Execution of Operation Rhine Exercise8 Precautionary measures Taken by the British9 Final Preparations to Intercept the BismarckPART TWO THE BATTLE OF THE DENMARK STRAIT10 Initial Contact Between the Opposing Forces11 Interception of the German Squadron12 The British Open Fire13 The Loss of HMS Hood14 HMS Prince of Wales Fights Alone15 The End of the Battle16 British Heavy Cruiser Operations During the Battle17 Exploits of the RAF Coastal Command During the BattlePART THREE EVENTS SUBSEQUENT TO THE BATTLE18 British Forces Regroup to Pursue the Bismarck19 Contact Lost with Prinz Eugen and the Bismarck20 The Final Hunt for the Bismarck21 Bismarck Is Disabled22 Destroyer Attacks and Night Vigil23 Bismarck Is Sunk24 Admiralty Enquiries into the Loss of HMS Hood25 Aftermath of the Battle26 Subsequent Loss of Ships Involved in the Operation27 End of the German Surface Threat to Allied Shipping28 PostscriptAPPENDICESA Analysis of Interception ReportsB Analysis of Prince of Wales Salvo PlotC Analysis of Prinz Eugens War DocumentationD Analysis of Cease Fire TimesE Analysis of the Still Photographs of the BismarckF Analysis of Bismarck Battle FilmG Analysis of the Fatal Torpedo Hit on the BismarckBibliographyIndex