It is "HORRIBLY SAD" Terry. If you stop and think of the innocent young lives lost in wars since the Civil war., it can turn your stomach. Look at even the civilians being killed in bombings of cities. At least 1,415 men died when Hood sank and over 2000 sailors .when the Bismarck was sunk 9 days later. Just this one sea battle cost the lives of almost 3,500 men. I don't even want to know how many in all these wars and battles combined...
Thank you Dan for not saying Swordfish was obsolete. These planes were contemporary with the Hawker Hurricane and early Messerschmitt 109. They had a powerful engine and were they only type capable of operating in North Atlantic weather. Bismarck hit them numerous times. Some air crew were shot. But even explosive shells went straight through leaving minimal damage. These seemingly elderly aircraft were the perfect tools with the technology then available.
You have missed that the Swordfish sank a greater tonnage of Axis shipping (including 14 U-boats and and much of Rommel's supply ships) than any other Allied aircraft during the war. Yes, any other plane could have done so but it didn't. The Channel dash debacle would have happened anyway whatever plane was used due to the failure of the RAF to show up in any numbers. Even the Avenger had to slow to 130 mph to drop it 's torpedo so provided it has an escort its no big deal. It's unlikely in the Bismarck attacks any other plane would have been able to take off in a howling gale at 9 at night and successfully drop a torpedo which ran straight which was achieved by the observer leaning out over the side. Yes the Swordfish was slow but it was still in service after the FAA had received Avengers and Barrcudas and it flew its last missions in the North sea in 1945 against midget submarines for which it was ideally suited.
The irony of Germany's most advanced battleship being crippled by a slow, wood and canvas biplane is beautiful. The swordfish torpedo bombers were so slow that the German gunners couldn't accurately target them, and when they did hit the shells would pass right through the canvas without exploding.
Exactly. That beautiful ship slowly steaming in circles while the RN brought up overwhelming firepower including HMS Rodney. HMS Rodney - slow, old, forward firing only but ridiculously overpowered with 16 inch guns couldn't miss and just pounded Bismarck to dust at point blank range. After Hood, the RN wasn't in the mood for mercy. The beast had to die.
@@bennewnham4497, not just the Royal Navy the Polish also had a score to settle. The tale of Piorun is almost unbelievable, tiny Polish destroyer charging the Mighty Bismarck firing all guns and flashing I AM A POLE with her signal lamps.
@@ihategooglealot3741, the Fairy Swordfish torpedo bomber sunk more tons of Axis shipping than any other aircraft in Allied service. These canvas planes were terrors!
All the Swordfish crews on that last attack deserve credit for disabling Bismarck's rudder. Just like all the P-38s attacking Yamamoto's plane deserve credit. Sure, somebody got in the lucky shot. But it took all of them to deliver it. Thank you, air crews!
In the description it should be noted that HMS Rodney and HMS King George V are described as battle cruisers. They were indeed fully fitted out battleships able to slug it out with Bismarck as needed. While not as bulky as Bismarck the pair were considerably better armed and protected than Hood and the still working up Prince of Wales, and their cruiser complement.
King George V and Prince of Wales actually had much thicker armour than Bismarck. Rodney outgunned Bismarck considerably and had comparable protection, but was much slower. Despite all that, Bismarck did indeed have a greater displacement.
@@Cailus3542 Rodney was significantly better protected than Bismarck,and proved able to substantially exceed it's official speed rating despite being en route to the US for a refit. Hood, in fact, had comparable armour to Bismarck. In fact. If the backing is included, Hood was probably better protected (It's difficult to assess on the data available.) Hood suffered from a million to one fluke in that Bismarck's fatal shell struck UNDER the armour belt due to a freak wave pattern. The only reason Hood was classified as a battle-cruiser was her speed.
@@alecblunden8615 The perceived wisdom has gone too far over Hood, it was said that in part it had better protection than the Revenge class, it got inflated in UA-cam commentary to the much superior Queen Elizabeth class and before long it will be superior to the Yamato class! In the shipyard Hood got patchwork upgrades to the deck armour *after* the design had been finalised and the deck armour was inconsistent and lighter to the rear. It was due to be strengthened in an overdue refit that never happened. British battlecruisers consistently blew up, Renown was lucky.
When I was young I worked with a man who had served on HMS Rodney throughout the war and took part in this action. His station was on deck and (being directly behind them) could see Rodney's shells in flight, even able to estimate where on Bismarck they would strike. He witnessed the hit on Bismarck's Bruno turret which disabled it, but was simply relieved that it wasn't going to shoot back any more, fully aware that he'd just seen a bunch of young lads like himself blown to pieces. When Bismarck finally sank there was no triumphalism, just sadness and a sense of relief. RIP Cecil, you were one hell of a man.
Force H is the British fast carrier task force. The Fairey Swordfish is armed with most potent anti shipping weapon ,the British airborne torpedo which is better than the American airborne torpedo. Only the Japanese airborne torpedo was superior. The British battle ship HMS Rodney had the most powerful naval artillery in the Royal Navy 2000 pounds per shell.Her shells tore through the Bismarck 's 14 inch armour on the turret and the conning tower.And she was shooting without radar at Bismarck in a sea state between 4 and 5.Magnificent shooting. 😃
And Captain Dalrymple Hamilton could predict where the shells would land, and how to evade them. A greatly skilled man, did great service to our country.
I do love the way that credit for spotting Bismarck is given to the pilot because he was American. The Catalina had a crew of five, including two dedicated observers seated in special bubble canopies, whereas the pilots were sitting in what amounts to a dugout with very limited vision. Who do the readers think had the better chance of sighting a grey ship on a dark grey sea?
Well he was flying the plane when they spotted it wasn't he? Had he not they wouldn't of seen the boat. Do you know if he never gave his crew credit either? Go be salty somewhere else lol
@@briandstephmoore4910 it also put the American at some risk as the USA was still a neutral and he was in effect breaking US law by serving in the U.K. forces ..One American who crashed inntge Irish Republic escaped from internment , made it to Belfast and was ordered to return to internment to avoid an international incident as the Irish Republic was a neutral. !!!
There were a few other US Navy pilots that flew RAF Coastal Command PBY Catalinas besides Lt. Smith in the search for Bismarck. In fact, there were a few US Navy PBYs that also participated in the search. This was in effect (besides escorting convoys) the US Navy’s first combat mission of WWII.
The swordfish was a contemporary design with the spitfire. The reason it was a biplane was that when it was designed, it wasn’t allowed because of priorities, to have a superb engine like the Merlin. For the time it was the best that could be done with an aircraft that could lift a torpedo off the relatively short flight decks of the RN carriers of the late 30s. The US navy was in no better place at the time with both its frontline strike and fighter aircraft of 1940 being biplanes.
Is there a way of finding out who was involved in the raid? My grandfather was a Swordfish radio operator and gunner on HMS Ark Royal and it's so difficult to find out more on the crews, the squadrons etc. Any recommendations most welcome!!
Do you have any of his service records? That would give you some important search criteria, then a good place to start looking would be the UK national Archives.
well it wasn't a "one in a million shot", was it! 🤔 10:31 They where trained pilots with anti-ship torpedos who's only job on that mission was to hit the Bismarck, to damage it in anyway they could. They weren't vaguely flying around the sea and just happen to randomly hit a vital part of a ship! 😆
@@alecblunden8615 Because having few ships led the Germans sailing around in unescorted ships, leading to such "heroic" encounters. British ships are always together, so nobody stands out, even if some of them have careers that lasted over 30 years, participated in the most battles in the war, were the most damaged ships in history, battled in every naval theatre, and hold world records.
The free world owes its freedoms to the Greatest Generation, the men and women that fought in WWII. To keep our freedoms be careful who you vote for. SOS from America.
@@RichO1701e ??? The Boomers came after WWII. I'm a late boomer and I give all credit to the Greatest Generation for our freedoms, just be careful who you vote for so those hard fought for freedoms aren't taken away.
Completely misses the importance of the mistaken attack on Sheffield. The Torpedos were not magnetic but their fuses were. These fuses were faulty and caused the dropped torpedos to explode on impact with the sea, which the aircrew noticed. On return to the Ark, this fault was remedied by getting rid of the magnetic fuses and replacing them with “on contact” fuses. Had the original raid gone in 1. The torpedoes would have never got to Bismarck and 2. There would not have been time to get back to the Ark, reload and go again.....
Thanks for the info. I was simply amazed by the level of incompetence present in such a high stakes scenario. The fact they could’ve sunk HMS Sheffield is appalling. All thanks to a failure to properly communicate.
@@seankilburn7200 that Sean, is the fog of war. During the Falklands War there was at least one “Blue on Blue” and this was involving our foremost fighting men....shit, as they say, happens! What annoys me the most, especially as somebody who has only really scratched the surface of this battle, is that a programme like this airs but fails to deliver factual relevance....absolutely unforgivable in my eyes!
@@richardbaxter2057 I only knew the bare minimum to begin with so was glad of any more information but the facts you have mentioned really should have been included.
The fuse system was duplex they disabled the magnetic system so only the contact fuse was armed. They would also set them shallower as the magnetic detonator wants to pass under the ship for maximum damage
I'd like to see an analysis of the Bismarck's stern. It fell off essentially. As did that of Lutzow, Prinz Eugen, and Scharnhorst. Seems to have been a weakness, an Achilles Heel, in German ships. Maybe it wasn't a lucky shot, more of an inevitably if enough torpedoes were launched at her?
A design motif in German warships was that the longitudinal frames that ran the length of their ships and provided strength to the hull did not extend to the very end of the stern and, in Bismarck's case, terminated at a transverse bulkhead approx 30ft from the jackstaff. The final section was a relatively light welded section that was bolted & welded onto that final transverse bulkhead. As you say that design point was a source of failure in multiple incidents during WW2.
@@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684 Hadn't considered that. Must have been something. To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, losing one stern is unfortunate, losing four is just careless.
@@ploppysonofploppy6066 Not sure of the reasoning of that particular design choice... It's hard to believe that the inevitable stresses on that bolted/welded stern section just from the "bobbing" and heaving in normal sea conditions would not have weakened it over time.... even without the need for torpedoes to accelerate the process !!!
@@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684 The Liberty ships were the first allied attempt at full scale welded construction. Saving the weight of the overlap necessary for rivet construction and, of course, millions of rivets. The early examples suffered multiple issues at sea, many needed to be docked for extra strengthening. Part of the learning process I suppose.
This video did the thing that is a sign of really bad developers. Talks about swordfish taking off to attack the Bismarck, but showed them without torpedoes.
So, I think they used to refer as Bismarck as a HE, despite the maritime propensity of calling all ships SHE, because, according to Bismarck's captain (Lindemann) of "its awesome power". Cheers!
@@HolgerLovesMusic No, it's not. The only German warship I'm aware of being referred as to HE was the Prinz Eugen, and this was not an "official" thing, just in common parlance. Although Lindemann may have done so with his own ship, and I don't know his exact words, but I think it could be understood as a kind of "should be" masculine. German warship were, are and probably will be forever... feminine. Nowadays German warships are named after German federal states and cities. That doesn't make them neuter. I find it quite funny that the majority of people stating that Bismarck or other German warships are referred as to HE, allegedly come from English speaking countries. I never ever came across a native German who said anything else as "die" (feminine) Bismarck/ship name, except for "der" (masuline) Prinz. It's quite odd then, that the other ships named after a person, are called "die" (Admiral) Scheer, Hipper, Graf Spee.
@@HolgerLovesMusic I agree that (German) warships are named after men and not women, at least in most cases, nevertheless they are referred as to SHE, and that was the initial question. Btw., there are many German civilian ships named after men. The "class" is irrelevant, since "Klasse" in German calls for the feminine gender. All the best from a German ex-sailor.
There is quite a bit of irony about a German battleship being named after the legendary statesman Otto Von Bismarck, since Chancellor Bismarck was staunchly opposed to the German empire building a navy to challenge the British Royal navy.
Anyone else feel it sounds like Dan has a slight lisp in the voiceover parts? Sounds like he's just come back from the dentist or something. That aside great content, look forward to more.
@@sampoore8501 Had no idea, well it's great to hear he has recovered well, it certainly doesn't show in any of the other content so that's a good sign it's not hampering him from continuing to do what he loves.
As far as I learned about it, this whole thing was a comedy of errors on both sides, with the brits losing the Hood, nearly the Sheffield and the Germans Bismarck, which wasn't sunk (RN fired with too flat a trajectory), but was scuttled by the crew when things got hopeless. After a string of errors, only Lütgens breaking radio silence and a single fluke torpedo settled the story.
Yes, it was sunk by the British. 1) Do some more research, because your description of how the battle went, and the results, was wrong. Rodney closed the range and fired directly, while KGV stood off and used plunging fire. The hull was holed and the superstructure wrecked. 2) If the British couldn't sink the ship, then why would it be scuttled? "Hey, Gunter, let's play fair and sink our own ship since the enemy can't, and we don't want them to feel bad." 3) The order to scuttle the ship was certainly given, but it cannot be confirmed that it was ever done. 4) The ship was a blazing pile of scrap with the belt holed, and going down before being torpedoed by British cruisers.
Survivors from Bismarck talk of seeing shells dropping through the upper deck and the next deck too, before exploding. Of course the RN used plunging shells. Stop talking rubbish.
Soo many airplanes and one lucky torpedo hit on the rudder. Considering the affair with the Sheffield. Doubly lucky. The Bismarck sunk the Bismarck with the Help of the Royal Navy Battleships. It was the uncessarily radio transmission back to Berlin that gave away Bismarcks position. It was the failure to uphold to procedure and rendez-vous with the Altmark for supplies and fuel before going on the raiding mission. Thousands of young boys lives lost on the Hood and the Bismarck because of the failure of their superiors and hubris of admirals and country leaders. Violating maritime law by the way. Futility at its best.
One lucky hit on the rudder? The Fleet air arm had already had another "lucky hit" on the rudders / Propellers of the Italian battleship "Vittorio Veneto" at the battle of Cape Matapan months earlier, the stern of a capital ship being unprotected by "torpedo defence systems" was the target of choice for naval torpedo bombers, just as the Japanese did to HMS Prince of Wales 7 months later, as the world champion golf player once said "the more I practice, the luckier I get". Also remember that Bismarck had her own share of luck when she hit the aft magazine of HMS Hood 2 days before, though that was truly a FAR more lucky event which I an explain to you at length if you so wish. Youth dying because of the hubris of older generations has happened since the dawn of civilization, and is happening right now in Ukraine and the middle east, and will likely continue until we finally wipe ourselves out.
Once Bismarck's ability to maneuver was destroyed, it was over. The British could have sat back and watched until she ran out of fuel and waited for the crew to scuttle her or take her in tow and bring her to Scapa Flow intact. Either way the shots fired at her were gratuitous. Bismarck was an Ark Royal mission kill, and her war was effectively over.
Well, the British couldn't afford to wait around. They had their own fuel considerations, not to mention the threat of U-boats to consider if they hung around too long. Besides that, even without fuel, Bismarck's guns were still a very real threat that had already destroyed one capital ship. The British needed to ensure Bismarck's destruction and make absolutely sure that there was no chance of it escaping to France. Remember, they couldn't know if Bismarck's rudder was reparable.
Did you miss the whole "we will fight to the last shell" part? It wasn't over for the Germans on that ship, and if it wasn't over for the Germans then it's unreasonable to ask the Brits to ease off.
@@Cailus3542 Actually once a battleship is out of fuel it can no longer generate the power to move projectile hoists, powder hoists, train, elevation, or fire control. Without fuel nothing bigger than AAA is operable, and those only by basic sights and manual train, elevation, and loading. (USS Missouri crew, 1988-92. Turret III)
@@daminox I actually know how to operate a battleship turret, and without power those shells don't leave the ship. The Brits chose to fire on the Bismarck, but they could have just as easily waited it out and there wasn't a thing the Germans could have done about it.
A plane did not sink the Bismark. Two torpedoes from one crippled the ship's rudder, causing it to go around in uncontrolled circles. It was still afloat. After subsequent naval gun bombardment by the HMS Rodney and HMS King George V, torpedoes from the cruiser HMS Dorsetshire sank the ship thereafter. Your title is inexcusably wrong. Disliked.
So now we have to pay Dan Snow to watch his programme's?how disgusting of him to put half of a documentary on and then ask for money to watch the second part!? Absolutely disgraceful of him to try and charge us to watch the history channel , especially about facts that involve our own country. Dan Snow you are a nobody and only on Television because of your fathers name. How dare you con the British public by showing them half of a documentary and then ask them to subscribe, especially when its free on the History Channel?! How dare you!!
I love how all the experts somehow are native speakers of English. Whether it's about sinking a German ship, or how Napoleon rose to power and was then defeated, none of the experts of the countries involved would appear to have the same level of expertise. One cannot but admire the obviously unbiased result. I suspect you will be able to do full justice to Winston Churchill without some pesky Indian fellow bothering us with tales about some famine. Tally ho, old sports!
RaWK may I suggest that you watch the Film Sink The Bismark it is fairly accurate and shows the Royal Navy was spread across the globe , and shows the problems they had.
Between the sinking of the HOOD and the BISMARK, thousands of young lives were lost. How incredibly sad.
Yeah but these was nazis who killed 6 million Jews that’s the sad bit
It is "HORRIBLY SAD" Terry. If you stop and think of the innocent young lives lost in wars since the Civil war., it can turn your stomach. Look at even the civilians being killed in bombings of cities. At least 1,415 men died when Hood sank and over 2000 sailors .when the Bismarck was sunk 9 days later. Just this one sea battle cost the lives of almost 3,500 men. I don't even want to know how many in all these wars and battles combined...
I mean Bismark were nazis, that’s not very sad
Thank you Dan for not saying Swordfish was obsolete. These planes were contemporary with the Hawker Hurricane and early Messerschmitt 109. They had a powerful engine and were they only type capable of operating in North Atlantic weather. Bismarck hit them numerous times. Some air crew were shot. But even explosive shells went straight through leaving minimal damage. These seemingly elderly aircraft were the perfect tools with the technology then available.
At least one of the Swordfish used on the attacks was using air to surface radar.
You have missed that the Swordfish sank a greater tonnage of Axis shipping (including 14 U-boats and and much of Rommel's supply ships) than any other Allied aircraft during the war. Yes, any other plane could have done so but it didn't. The Channel dash debacle would have happened anyway whatever plane was used due to the failure of the RAF to show up in any numbers. Even the Avenger had to slow to 130 mph to drop it 's torpedo so provided it has an escort its no big deal. It's unlikely in the Bismarck attacks any other plane would have been able to take off in a howling gale at 9 at night and successfully drop a torpedo which ran straight which was achieved by the observer leaning out over the side. Yes the Swordfish was slow but it was still in service after the FAA had received Avengers and Barrcudas and it flew its last missions in the North sea in 1945 against midget submarines for which it was ideally suited.
They were not elderly aircraft
The irony of Germany's most advanced battleship being crippled by a slow, wood and canvas biplane is beautiful. The swordfish torpedo bombers were so slow that the German gunners couldn't accurately target them, and when they did hit the shells would pass right through the canvas without exploding.
Exactly. That beautiful ship slowly steaming in circles while the RN brought up overwhelming firepower including HMS Rodney. HMS Rodney - slow, old, forward firing only but ridiculously overpowered with 16 inch guns couldn't miss and just pounded Bismarck to dust at point blank range. After Hood, the RN wasn't in the mood for mercy. The beast had to die.
@@bennewnham4497, not just the Royal Navy the Polish also had a score to settle. The tale of Piorun is almost unbelievable, tiny Polish destroyer charging the Mighty Bismarck firing all guns and flashing I AM A POLE with her signal lamps.
Duralumin and Linen.
The swoedfish was in various ways far more modern than bismarck
@@ihategooglealot3741, the Fairy Swordfish torpedo bomber sunk more tons of Axis shipping than any other aircraft in Allied service. These canvas planes were terrors!
All the Swordfish crews on that last attack deserve credit for disabling Bismarck's rudder.
Just like all the P-38s attacking Yamamoto's plane deserve credit.
Sure, somebody got in the lucky shot.
But it took all of them to deliver it.
Thank you, air crews!
In the description it should be noted that HMS Rodney and HMS King George V are described as battle cruisers. They were indeed fully fitted out battleships able to slug it out with Bismarck as needed. While not as bulky as Bismarck the pair were considerably better armed and protected than Hood and the still working up Prince of Wales, and their cruiser complement.
It does say they are battle cruisers in the description.
King George V and Prince of Wales actually had much thicker armour than Bismarck. Rodney outgunned Bismarck considerably and had comparable protection, but was much slower. Despite all that, Bismarck did indeed have a greater displacement.
@@Cailus3542 Kinda shows the Germans inexperience in capital ship building during the period compared to other powers like Britain and America.
@@Cailus3542 Rodney was significantly better protected than Bismarck,and proved able to substantially exceed it's official speed rating despite being en route to the US for a refit. Hood, in fact, had comparable armour to Bismarck. In fact. If the backing is included, Hood was probably better protected (It's difficult to assess on the data available.) Hood suffered from a million to one fluke in that Bismarck's fatal shell struck UNDER the armour belt due to a freak wave pattern. The only reason Hood was classified as a battle-cruiser was her speed.
@@alecblunden8615 The perceived wisdom has gone too far over Hood, it was said that in part it had better protection than the Revenge class, it got inflated in UA-cam commentary to the much superior Queen Elizabeth class and before long it will be superior to the Yamato class! In the shipyard Hood got patchwork upgrades to the deck armour *after* the design had been finalised and the deck armour was inconsistent and lighter to the rear. It was due to be strengthened in an overdue refit that never happened. British battlecruisers consistently blew up, Renown was lucky.
Always makes my heart sink to hear how many lives were lost on all these boats on both sides.
Boats are Submarines, these are ship's
@@barcicada No, I call them boats too. :(
Imagine hearing a full salvo from HMS Rodney, those 16 inch shells weighing over a 1 ton each slamming into Bismarck!
When I was young I worked with a man who had served on HMS Rodney throughout the war and took part in this action. His station was on deck and (being directly behind them) could see Rodney's shells in flight, even able to estimate where on Bismarck they would strike.
He witnessed the hit on Bismarck's Bruno turret which disabled it, but was simply relieved that it wasn't going to shoot back any more, fully aware that he'd just seen a bunch of young lads like himself blown to pieces.
When Bismarck finally sank there was no triumphalism, just sadness and a sense of relief.
RIP Cecil, you were one hell of a man.
@@Kevin-mx1vi In many films, we are not like the Americans, who whoop and cheer when their enemy falls.
acchieving nothing more than a terrible noise.
@@michaelpielorz9283 "Achieving" 👍
@@michaelpielorz9283 and loads of damage to the Bismark, including blasting the B turret out of existence.
Great video 👍
Force H is the British fast carrier task force.
The Fairey Swordfish is armed with most potent anti shipping weapon ,the British airborne torpedo which is better than the American airborne torpedo. Only the Japanese airborne torpedo was superior.
The British battle ship HMS Rodney had the most powerful naval artillery in the Royal Navy 2000 pounds per shell.Her shells tore through the Bismarck 's 14 inch armour on the turret and the conning tower.And she was shooting without radar at Bismarck in a sea state between 4 and 5.Magnificent shooting. 😃
And Captain Dalrymple Hamilton could predict where the shells would land, and how to evade them. A greatly skilled man, did great service to our country.
I do love the way that credit for spotting Bismarck is given to the pilot because he was American. The Catalina had a crew of five, including two dedicated observers seated in special bubble canopies, whereas the pilots were sitting in what amounts to a dugout with very limited vision. Who do the readers think had the better chance of sighting a grey ship on a dark grey sea?
Well he was flying the plane when they spotted it wasn't he? Had he not they wouldn't of seen the boat. Do you know if he never gave his crew credit either? Go be salty somewhere else lol
what a precious, delicate little snowflake you are if that is all you took from this video...
@@briandstephmoore4910 it also put the American at some risk as the USA was still a neutral and he was in effect breaking US law by serving in the U.K. forces ..One American who crashed inntge Irish Republic escaped from internment , made it to Belfast and was ordered to return to internment to avoid an international incident as the Irish Republic was a neutral. !!!
There were a few other US Navy pilots that flew RAF Coastal Command PBY Catalinas besides Lt. Smith in the search for Bismarck.
In fact, there were a few US Navy PBYs that also participated in the search. This was in effect (besides escorting convoys) the US Navy’s first combat mission of WWII.
Dan is such an incredible history host! Thanks Dan and team!!
It's amazing what nepotism can do.
@@permaveg Weak comment. Dan holds his own as a history presenter along with the best of them.
@@kavenkruber532 So Dan getting the job had nothing to do with his father being an established BBC long-time presenter? Wake up and get real.
can't wait for the next episode
Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) is a potent force-enabler.
The Swordfish were like the old cars - super simple but overall much cheaper to maintain and effective.
The swordfish was a contemporary design with the spitfire. The reason it was a biplane was that when it was designed, it wasn’t allowed because of priorities, to have a superb engine like the Merlin. For the time it was the best that could be done with an aircraft that could lift a torpedo off the relatively short flight decks of the RN carriers of the late 30s. The US navy was in no better place at the time with both its frontline strike and fighter aircraft of 1940 being biplanes.
Is there a way of finding out who was involved in the raid? My grandfather was a Swordfish radio operator and gunner on HMS Ark Royal and it's so difficult to find out more on the crews, the squadrons etc. Any recommendations most welcome!!
Do you have any of his service records? That would give you some important search criteria, then a good place to start looking would be the UK national Archives.
My grandpa was a swordfish pilot on ark royal. Maybe they served together?
David the Sword fish, and Goliath the Bismark.
I ❤ History hit.
well it wasn't a "one in a million shot", was it! 🤔 10:31
They where trained pilots with anti-ship torpedos who's only job on that mission was to hit the Bismarck, to damage it in anyway they could. They weren't vaguely flying around the sea and just happen to randomly hit a vital part of a ship! 😆
Probably the most infamous German battleship in World War Two history !
Well, that's not too hard. The Germans only had four of them. The British had seventeen.
@@Cailus3542 Since when has "infamy" been determined by numbers?
@@alecblunden8615 Because having few ships led the Germans sailing around in unescorted ships, leading to such "heroic" encounters. British ships are always together, so nobody stands out, even if some of them have careers that lasted over 30 years, participated in the most battles in the war, were the most damaged ships in history, battled in every naval theatre, and hold world records.
The free world owes its freedoms to the Greatest Generation, the men and women that fought in WWII. To keep our freedoms be careful who you vote for. SOS from America.
the achievements the Boomer generation likes to take credit for
@@RichO1701e ??? The Boomers came after WWII. I'm a late boomer and I give all credit to the Greatest Generation for our freedoms, just be careful who you vote for so those hard fought for freedoms aren't taken away.
Drank way too much Koolaid.
@@kleinerprinz99 You must be talking about biden...
says the nation winning it`s wars by calling in big brother crying for help.
Completely misses the importance of the mistaken attack on Sheffield. The Torpedos were not magnetic but their fuses were. These fuses were faulty and caused the dropped torpedos to explode on impact with the sea, which the aircrew noticed. On return to the Ark, this fault was remedied by getting rid of the magnetic fuses and replacing them with “on contact” fuses.
Had the original raid gone in 1. The torpedoes would have never got to Bismarck and 2. There would not have been time to get back to the Ark, reload and go again.....
Thanks for the info.
I was simply amazed by the level of incompetence present in such a high stakes scenario. The fact they could’ve sunk HMS Sheffield is appalling. All thanks to a failure to properly communicate.
@@seankilburn7200 that Sean, is the fog of war. During the Falklands War there was at least one “Blue on Blue” and this was involving our foremost fighting men....shit, as they say, happens!
What annoys me the most, especially as somebody who has only really scratched the surface of this battle, is that a programme like this airs but fails to deliver factual relevance....absolutely unforgivable in my eyes!
@@richardbaxter2057 I only knew the bare minimum to begin with so was glad of any more information but the facts you have mentioned really should have been included.
The fuse system was duplex they disabled the magnetic system so only the contact fuse was armed. They would also set them shallower as the magnetic detonator wants to pass under the ship for maximum damage
You know it's a good video because dans lisp goes insane during the voice over
I'm here for the survivors of the Bismarck. They put up a great fight.
Both sides put up a great fight, but the Germans were just outclassed.
@@timphillips9954 yup. well said.
As part of the non aggression pact with Germany, Stalin insisted on receiving the complete blueprints of the Bismarck..😏
And you information comes from....?
@@Species5008 the rise and fall of the third Reich
@@Species5008 by William L Shirer ...a twin tome that anyone with any interest in ww2 should read
utter nonsense (:-))
@@michaelpielorz9283reference The rise and fall of the third Reich by William l Shirer...I suggest you give it a read and educate yourself
As the RN also changed the torpedo type when they rearmed,they were lucky.
Interesting 🤨🌺🧡
If you like WW1 OR WW2 you will be amazed by the content on Tino lost battle fields on UA-cam a great guy also
Why wasn't the Bismarck surrounded by a convoy convoy of support ships?
Think what ships did they have available exactly?
The british and norwegians sunk most of the destroyers and cruisers germany had earlier in the war. They had nothing else to send.
I would take this with a pinch of salt. Having seen Dan Snow's TV histories It was clear his research was careless at best.
It's not bad. There's a bit needlessly over-done, for an episode that is already dramatic enough.
I'd like to see an analysis of the Bismarck's stern. It fell off essentially.
As did that of Lutzow, Prinz Eugen, and Scharnhorst. Seems to have been a weakness, an Achilles Heel, in German ships. Maybe it wasn't a lucky shot, more of an inevitably if enough torpedoes were launched at her?
A design motif in German warships was that the longitudinal frames that ran the length of their ships and provided strength to the hull did not extend to the very end of the stern and, in Bismarck's case, terminated at a transverse bulkhead approx 30ft from the jackstaff. The final section was a relatively light welded section that was bolted & welded onto that final transverse bulkhead.
As you say that design point was a source of failure in multiple incidents during WW2.
@@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684 Hadn't considered that. Must have been something. To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, losing one stern is unfortunate, losing four is just careless.
@@ploppysonofploppy6066 Not sure of the reasoning of that particular design choice... It's hard to believe that the inevitable stresses on that bolted/welded stern section just from the "bobbing" and heaving in normal sea conditions would not have weakened it over time.... even without the need for torpedoes to accelerate the process !!!
@@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684 The Liberty ships were the first allied attempt at full scale welded construction. Saving the weight of the overlap necessary for rivet construction and, of course, millions of rivets. The early examples suffered multiple issues at sea, many needed to be docked for extra strengthening. Part of the learning process I suppose.
This video did the thing that is a sign of really bad developers. Talks about swordfish taking off to attack the Bismarck, but showed them without torpedoes.
So, I think they used to refer as Bismarck as a HE, despite the maritime propensity of calling all ships SHE, because, according to Bismarck's captain (Lindemann) of "its awesome power". Cheers!
German military ships = He
German civilian ships = She
Yes, it is that simple.
Couldn't the ship decide their own gender?
@@HolgerLovesMusic No, it's not. The only German warship I'm aware of being referred as to HE was the Prinz Eugen, and this was not an "official" thing, just in common parlance. Although Lindemann may have done so with his own ship, and I don't know his exact words, but I think it could be understood as a kind of "should be" masculine. German warship were, are and probably will be forever... feminine. Nowadays German warships are named after German federal states and cities. That doesn't make them neuter. I find it quite funny that the majority of people stating that Bismarck or other German warships are referred as to HE, allegedly come from English speaking countries. I never ever came across a native German who said anything else as "die" (feminine) Bismarck/ship name, except for "der" (masuline) Prinz. It's quite odd then, that the other ships named after a person, are called "die" (Admiral) Scheer, Hipper, Graf Spee.
@@TCR_710-Cap It's about name giving... and the ship class.
@@HolgerLovesMusic I agree that (German) warships are named after men and not women, at least in most cases, nevertheless they are referred as to SHE, and that was the initial question. Btw., there are many German civilian ships named after men. The "class" is irrelevant, since "Klasse" in German calls for the feminine gender. All the best from a German ex-sailor.
There is quite a bit of irony about a German battleship being named after the legendary statesman Otto Von Bismarck, since Chancellor Bismarck was staunchly opposed to the German empire building a navy to challenge the British Royal navy.
Anyone else feel it sounds like Dan has a slight lisp in the voiceover parts? Sounds like he's just come back from the dentist or something. That aside great content, look forward to more.
Dan had a brain tumour that affected his speech and done bloody well to recover from 🙏
@@sampoore8501 Had no idea, well it's great to hear he has recovered well, it certainly doesn't show in any of the other content so that's a good sign it's not hampering him from continuing to do what he loves.
Very interesting
Sad but kind of inevitable. Hitler and Donitz left Bismarck to die just like Hitler wrote off the 6th army At Stalingard
That room of models is a dream!!
What about making more movies like the diary programme.
Those strike 'Bi-Planes'... LOL
Those Biplanes that took off and flew in atrocious north Atlantic weather that would have kept other naval aircraft lashed below in the hangar deck .
Indeed, nine o'clock at night in a howling gale. The torpedo had to be dropped when the waves were right otherwise it wouldn't run.
As far as I learned about it, this whole thing was a comedy of errors on both sides, with the brits losing the Hood, nearly the Sheffield and the Germans Bismarck, which wasn't sunk (RN fired with too flat a trajectory), but was scuttled by the crew when things got hopeless. After a string of errors, only Lütgens breaking radio silence and a single fluke torpedo settled the story.
Yes, it was sunk by the British.
1) Do some more research, because your description of how the battle went, and the results, was wrong. Rodney closed the range and fired directly, while KGV stood off and used plunging fire. The hull was holed and the superstructure wrecked.
2) If the British couldn't sink the ship, then why would it be scuttled? "Hey, Gunter, let's play fair and sink our own ship since the enemy can't, and we don't want them to feel bad."
3) The order to scuttle the ship was certainly given, but it cannot be confirmed that it was ever done.
4) The ship was a blazing pile of scrap with the belt holed, and going down before being torpedoed by British cruisers.
Survivors from Bismarck talk of seeing shells dropping through the upper deck and the next deck too, before exploding.
Of course the RN used plunging shells. Stop talking rubbish.
Johnny Horton brought me here. 'We gotta sink the Bismark 'cause the world depends on us.'
Try Sabatons Bismarck
@@Species5008 Thanks for the recommendation! I enjoyed it.
Are they saying "Force H"?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Force_H
Is there a bio of Ken? When did he pass?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_Pattisson
You should write a fiction. No one can say it happened in such detail.
Soo many airplanes and one lucky torpedo hit on the rudder. Considering the affair with the Sheffield. Doubly lucky. The Bismarck sunk the Bismarck with the Help of the Royal Navy Battleships. It was the uncessarily radio transmission back to Berlin that gave away Bismarcks position. It was the failure to uphold to procedure and rendez-vous with the Altmark for supplies and fuel before going on the raiding mission. Thousands of young boys lives lost on the Hood and the Bismarck because of the failure of their superiors and hubris of admirals and country leaders. Violating maritime law by the way. Futility at its best.
One lucky hit on the rudder? The Fleet air arm had already had another "lucky hit" on the rudders / Propellers of the Italian battleship "Vittorio Veneto" at the battle of Cape Matapan months earlier, the stern of a capital ship being unprotected by "torpedo defence systems" was the target of choice for naval torpedo bombers, just as the Japanese did to HMS Prince of Wales 7 months later, as the world champion golf player once said "the more I practice, the luckier I get".
Also remember that Bismarck had her own share of luck when she hit the aft magazine of HMS Hood 2 days before, though that was truly a FAR more lucky event which I an explain to you at length if you so wish.
Youth dying because of the hubris of older generations has happened since the dawn of civilization, and is happening right now in Ukraine and the middle east, and will likely continue until we finally wipe ourselves out.
So the manly Bismarck was destroyed by "Fairies". 😄😄😄
Once Bismarck's ability to maneuver was destroyed, it was over. The British could have sat back and watched until she ran out of fuel and waited for the crew to scuttle her or take her in tow and bring her to Scapa Flow intact. Either way the shots fired at her were gratuitous. Bismarck was an Ark Royal mission kill, and her war was effectively over.
Well, the British couldn't afford to wait around. They had their own fuel considerations, not to mention the threat of U-boats to consider if they hung around too long. Besides that, even without fuel, Bismarck's guns were still a very real threat that had already destroyed one capital ship. The British needed to ensure Bismarck's destruction and make absolutely sure that there was no chance of it escaping to France. Remember, they couldn't know if Bismarck's rudder was reparable.
Did you miss the whole "we will fight to the last shell" part? It wasn't over for the Germans on that ship, and if it wasn't over for the Germans then it's unreasonable to ask the Brits to ease off.
I am not sure I would like to board a fully armed and angry German battleship to attach a tow line. She had to be destroyed.
@@Cailus3542 Actually once a battleship is out of fuel it can no longer generate the power to move projectile hoists, powder hoists, train, elevation, or fire control. Without fuel nothing bigger than AAA is operable, and those only by basic sights and manual train, elevation, and loading. (USS Missouri crew, 1988-92. Turret III)
@@daminox I actually know how to operate a battleship turret, and without power those shells don't leave the ship. The Brits chose to fire on the Bismarck, but they could have just as easily waited it out and there wasn't a thing the Germans could have done about it.
Would love to see you react to Sabaton’s music and doing a video with Indy Nidell
why would he waste his time doing that.
Wow
They put a lot of holes in it.
Water came in.
Well put together but I've seen better documentaries on this that were much longer.
This is a single section of a much longer documentary. They only upload segments to UA-cam
Beware hyperbole. It wasn’t ‘now or never’. They got a second shot.
The crew , or what was left of it , scuttled the Bismarck. Let the trash talk begin 😂
You start the trash with your post.
Why the Dymo Tape labels? They were invented in 1958!
Who would have thought fair
What's wrong with Dan Snow's voice?
A plane did not sink the Bismark. Two torpedoes from one crippled the ship's rudder, causing it to go around in uncontrolled circles. It was still afloat.
After subsequent naval gun bombardment by the HMS Rodney and HMS King George V, torpedoes from the cruiser HMS Dorsetshire sank the ship thereafter. Your title is inexcusably wrong. Disliked.
Like no.866 👍😀
More clickbait - We never get to see the full story without paying.
So now we have to pay Dan Snow to watch his programme's?how disgusting of him to put half of a documentary on and then ask for money to watch the second part!? Absolutely disgraceful of him to try and charge us to watch the history channel , especially about facts that involve our own country. Dan Snow you are a nobody and only on Television because of your fathers name. How dare you con the British public by showing them half of a documentary and then ask them to subscribe, especially when its free on the History Channel?! How dare you!!
So it actually didnt sink, Bismark was just running in circles. Cool. What sunk Bismark, where is it in this video.
Progressive flooding sunk Bismarck.
@@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684 I got it from diff video. This video is completely pointless.
now the brits welcome their invaders lmao
Just Britain? Silly you.
Yes. We could have offered the German crew accommodation in
hotels ??
No we do not welcome them. Far from it !
1
2
@@bobcosmic 3😂
@@jmc7034 I guess we all should get medals for our achievements. 🤣😂🤣
Well, that was a waste of time 😒
I love how all the experts somehow are native speakers of English. Whether it's about sinking a German ship, or how Napoleon rose to power and was then defeated, none of the experts of the countries involved would appear to have the same level of expertise. One cannot but admire the obviously unbiased result. I suspect you will be able to do full justice to Winston Churchill without some pesky Indian fellow bothering us with tales about some famine. Tally ho, old sports!
The question wasnt victory or death it was simply be captured.... 🇺🇸 soldiers don't kill unarmed ships...
oh sweet summer child... have you got some history to learn, history not written by Americans
No they kill soldiers with friendly fire!
Bad denture day on the VO. Seriously get them teeth properly fit.
He had a brain tumour two years ago. It was removed but it has affected his speech.
Great video to show how pathetic do called royal navy was, is.....n always will be
You seem a bit jealous. Do you only command toy boats? Seems that way
You seem upset mate what did the Royal Navy do to you lol
RaWK may I suggest that you watch the Film Sink The Bismark it is fairly accurate and shows the Royal Navy was spread across the globe , and shows the problems they had.
@@ramseybarber8312 Sink the Bismarck, 1960 is accurate? Are you sure about that?
@@Al.J_02 1960 I when they made the Film !!!!!!! ?????? OK
Like no.866 👍😀
Bad denture day on the VO. Seriously get them teeth properly fit.
Less than two years ago he had a brain tumour. It has been removed but it has affected his speech.