The Battle of the Denmark Strait

A Critical Analysis of the Bismarck's Singular Triumph

Robert Winklareth

• Publisher: Casemate
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9781612001234
• eBook ISBN: 9781612001357
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Military & Maritime History
• Index: History

This detailed analysis of the WWII naval battle by the acclaimed historian and mechanical engineer reveals new insight into the Bismarck's victory.
 
In the spring of 1942, Nazi Germany unleashed its behemoth battleship Bismarck against the British in the Battle of the Denmark Strait. Bismarck destroyed the pride of the Royal Navy, HMS Hood, and severely damaged its newest battleship, HMS Prince of Whales. The decisive victory resonated both in Whitehall and Berlin—and yet there continues to be controversy as to how the conflict was actually fought.
 
The Battle of the Denmark Strait offers a detailed technical analysis of combat circumstances, while new discoveries, revealed for the first time in this book, shed light on the battle. With a close examination of naval gunnery, from the various gun systems to the flight time of shells to their target, historian and mechanical engineer Robert Winklareth has painstakingly reconstructed the battle. He also explores events leading up to the titanic clash, as well as its aftermath.

• PART ONE •

EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE BATTLE

CHAPTER 1

IMPERIAL GERMAN NAVAL CHALLENGE TO GREAT BRITAIN

ALTHOUGH THE BATTLE OF THE DENMARK STRAIT WAS not fought until 1941, events that took place as much as half a century earlier had an influence on certain aspects of the battle. During the reign of Kaiser Wilhelm I, the first emperor of the new German Empire (Second Reich) that was established in 1871 after the Franco-Prussian War, the Imperial German Navy (Kaiserliche Marine) had a modest number of ships, primarily for coastal defense purposes. At the time, Germany had only a few colonies, mostly in Africa and on certain islands in the Pacific, so there was no need for a huge navy.

When Kaiser Wilhelm I died in 1888, the German fleet consisted of 15 armored frigates, 3 cruising frigates, 15 corvettes, 6 protected cruisers, 7 light cruisers, and a number of other smaller vessels. Many of these ships were sailing vessels, and some had even been purchased from foreign shipyards. In contrast, by 1888 the British Royal Navy had already produced six first-line battleships, 25 turret ships (the precursor to the battleship), 22 central-battery ironclads, 16 broadside-ironclads, 12 armored cruisers, 26 protected cruisers, and a host of smaller warships of all descriptions.

Great Britain and Germany were on good terms during this period after having combined forces to defeat Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815. Their royal households had since been united by the marriage in 1856 of Crown Prince Friedrich of Prussia to Princess Victoria, the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria of England, and Britain looked forward to a partnership with a more liberal Germany under Friedrich when he ascended to the Imperial throne. Crown Prince Friedrich did become Emperor of Germany upon the death of his father, Wilhelm I, but his reign was short-lived. Already suffering from terminal throat cancer, he died only 99 days later, and was succeeded by his son, Crown Prince Wilhelm, who then became Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany.

Wilhelm II did not share his parent’s liberal and pro-Anglican views, and he soon embarked on a course of action that eventually led to war with Great Britain. One of the first actions that he took was to dismiss Otto von Bismarck, the first Chancellor of the German Empire, whose agenda was too conservative for his taste. Wilhelm II was a naval enthusiast, and he soon undertook a naval expansion program, building eight battleships of the Siegfried-class, four battleships of the Brandenburg-class, and five battleships of the Kaiser Friedrich III-class. Following the practice of Great Britain, the names of ships in the Kaiserliche Marine were preceded by the initials “SMS,” which stood for “Seiner Majestät Schiff” (His Majesty’s Ship).

In June 1897, Wilhelm II appointed Rear-Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz as State Secretary of the Imperial Navy Office (Reichsmarineamt) with the express purpose of creating a fleet that would challenge the supremacy of the Royal Navy, at least in the North Sea. Wilhelm II never expected Germany to reach parity with the Royal Navy, but if they could build one-third as many ships as Great Britain, Germany would have a fleet at least equal to her greatest antagonist, the British Home Fleet. He reasoned that the remaining two-thirds of the Royal Navy would be needed to defend Britain’s far-flung possessions throughout the world.

Admiral von Tirpitz soon obtained Reichstag approval for the construction of five battleships of the Wittelsbach-class, then five battleships of the Braunschweig-class, and finally five of the Deutschland-class. In the meantime, Great Britain had completed nine battleships of the Majestic-class, five of the Canopus-class, eight of the Formidable-class, five of the Duncan-class, two of the Triumph-class, eight of the King Edward VII-class, and two of the Lord Nelson-class (39 battleships in all). These ships on both sides generally displaced up to 15,000 tons and had a main armament of four 11-inch guns (German) or four 12-inch guns (British) in two double turrets, one forward and one aft, with smaller caliber guns mounted along their sides.

In 1906, Great Britain completed HMS Dreadnought, the first all-big-gun battleship with its main armament consisting of guns of the same caliber, i.e., ten 12-inch guns, and this type of ship became the standard for all capital ship construction throughout the world thereafter. The Dreadnought was followed by three battleships of the Bellerophon-class, three of the St. Vincent-class, and three of the Neptune-class, all of which also carried ten 12-inch guns. These ships had a displacement of up to 20,000 tons.

In 1910, Great Britain increased the caliber of its naval guns to 13.5 inches, and it subsequently produced four battleships of the Orion-class, four of the King George V-class, and four of the Iron Duke-class, all with ten 13.5-inch guns and displacing up to 26,000 tons. Britain also completed three additional battleships intended for foreign nations and incorporated them into the Royal Navy, making a total of 25 Dreadnought-type battleships completed by 1914.

Britain’s First Sea Lord at the time, Admiral of the Fleet John A. “Jackie” Fisher, not only devised the concept of the all-big-gun battleship, but he also came up with the idea of the battle cruiser, a ship with main armament guns the same caliber as that of a battleship, but with the speed of a cruiser, sacrificing armor protection to attain the speed desired. He believed that if more big guns could be quickly brought to the scene of battle, they would defeat the enemy before any serious damage could be done to their own ships. The first battle cruiser to enter the Royal Navy was the Invincible, with eight 12-inch guns, and she was followed by three battle cruisers of the Indefatigable-class, also with eight 12-inch guns. Britain then built three battle cruisers of the Lion-class, and the Tiger, all with eight 13.5-inch guns. These battle cruisers were all completed by 1914.

Germany followed suit with four Dreadnought-type battleships of the Nassau-class with twelve 11-inch guns and four of the Helgoland-class with twelve 12-inch guns. These were followed by five battleships of the Kaiser-class and five of the König-class, all with ten 12-inch guns. Germany also built several battle cruisers in answer to those produced by the Royal Navy, beginning with the Von der Tann with eight 11-inch guns. She was followed by two battle cruisers of the Moltke-class and the Seydlitz, all with ten 11-inch guns, and the Derfflinger with eight 12-inch guns. All of these German battleships and battle cruisers were completed by 1914.

In the meantime, the Armstrong-Whitworth Co., Great Britain’s major arms producer at the time, had developed the 15-inch naval gun, which became the standard on the next generation of battleships and battle cruisers. In 1912-13, the keels were laid for five new battleships of the Queen Elizabeth-class, and in 1913-14, the keels were laid for five new battleships of the Royal Sovereign-class, each of which would carry eight 15-inch guns in four double turrets, two forward and two aft, and displace nearly 30,000 tons. The British also laid down two battle cruisers of the Renown-class in 1915, and these ships would carry six 15-inch guns in three double turrets, two forward and one aft, and displace nearly 28,000 tons.

German pre-dreadnought battleship SMS Schleswig-Holstein (1908).
Photo courtesy of MaritimeQuest

Not to be outdone by the British, the Germans countered by laying down four battleships of the Bayern-class from 1913 to 1915. These ships were also designed to have eight 15-inch guns in four double turrets, two forward and two aft, and displace 28,000 tons. Four battle cruisers of the Mackensen-class were also laid down in 1915. These ships were to mount eight 14-inch guns in answer to the British 13.5-inch guns of the previous generation of battleships and battle cruisers. Like the Bayern-class of battleships, their guns were also arranged in four double turrets, two forward and two aft.

The ships on both sides would soon be put to the test in the Battle of Jutland. The Kaiserliche Marine had the advantage of selecting the time when it was most favorable for them to come out of its base and challenge the Royal Navy. Its base at Wilhelmshaven on the Jade Bay (Jadebusen) was too well protected by shore batteries on both sides of the inlet to permit a preemptive strike by the Royal Navy, so the British had to wait for the Germans to make the first move. Vice-Admiral Reinhard Scheer, Commander of the German High Seas Fleet (Hochseeflotte), composed of 16 battleships, finally chose to come out on the morning of 31 May 1916.

German battleship SMS Ostfriesland (1911) with naval zeppelin L-31 overhead.
Photo courtesy of MaritimeQuest

Scheer sent out Vice-Admiral Franz Hipper’s scouting squadron of five battle cruisers in advance in an attempt to lure smaller elements of the Royal Navy into combat with his superior force. The British had broken the German naval code, however, and they became aware in advance of the planned movements of the German fleet. Vice-Admiral David Beatty’s battle cruiser force, consisting of his flagship, the Lion, and three battle cruisers of the First Battle Cruiser Squadron, sailed out of its base at Rosyth on the Firth of Forth near Edinburgh, Scotland to intercept the German fleet. At about the same time, Admiral John Jellicoe set sail with the British Grand Fleet, consisting of 28 battleships and three battle cruisers, from its base at Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands off the northern coast of Scotland to engage the German High Seas Fleet.

The opposing battle cruiser squadrons made contact at about 1600, and within a few minutes, the Germans drew first blood when the battle cruiser Von der Tann scored five hits on the battle cruiser Indefatigable and sank the British ship. Hipper was initially successful in drawing Beatty’s squadron toward Scheer’s High Seas Fleet, and he was able to sink the British battle cruiser Queen Mary in the process at 1625. Upon seeing the superior enemy force, Beatty turned north and led the German ships toward Jellicoe’s oncoming Grand Fleet. Soon the major forces on both sides became engaged in a furious battle before Scheer realized the he was now facing the entire British Grand Fleet. Scheer was finally able to extricate himself from combat with the far superior force and escape back to his base, but not without loss.

A couple of hours later, at 1833, the British lost an additional battle cruiser, the Invincible, flagship of the Third Battle Cruiser Squadron attached to the Grand Fleet, taking its commander, Rear-Admiral Horace Hood, down with the ship. Additional British losses included the armored cruisers Defence, Warrior, and Black Prince, all of First Cruiser Squadron, which was commanded by Rear-Admiral Robert Arbuthnot, who went down with his flagship, the Defence. The British also lost a destroyer flotilla leader and seven additional destroyers. A total of over 6,000 officers and men of the Royal Navy lost their lives in the battle of Jutland with an additional 500 being wounded.

German battleship SMS Grosser Kurfürst (1914). Photo courtesy of MaritimeQuest

On the German side, the Kaiserliche Marine lost the battle cruiser Lützow, the pre-Dreadnought battleship Pommern, four light cruisers and five destroyers. In addition, several German ships suffered heavy damage and were out of service for a considerable period of time. Personnel losses included over 2,500 killed and 500 wounded. Although the numbers would indicate that the Germans came out better than the British in terms of sh...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Dedication
• Preface
• Part One: Events Leading Up to the Battle
• Part Two: The Battle of the Denmark Strait
• Part Three: Events Subsequent to the Battle
• Appendices
• Bibliography
• Index