General Discussions
This is the place to discuss general issues related to the U-boat war or the war at sea in WWII.
RE: Sink the Bismark
Posted by:
Andrew Mair
()
Date: April 14, 2001 06:43PM
<HTML>Hi Ben,
Doenitz had discussed with Admiral Luetjens in April 1941 about the possibilities of U-Boat support in battleship operations. It was decided that if the opportunity arose then the U-Boats would co-operate fully with the surface ships.
On the 26th May Doenitz offered his entire Atlantic force on patrol to assist the \'Bismarck\' after she had sunk the \'Hood\'. Admiral Luetjens agreed to this and a sub trap was laid south of Cape Farewell, Greenland, consisting of several U-Boats, in which it was hoped that the \'Bismarck\' would lead the pursuing British forces into. This patrol line was abandoned when the \'Bismarck\' changed course and headed for the French coast.
A second patrol line of U-Boats was assembled in the Bay of Biscay consisting of U-48, U-73, U-74, U-97, U-98, the outbound U-108, and U-556. By the evening of 26th May the U-74 (Kentrat) and U-556 (Wohlfarth) were close to the stricken battleship and the pursuing British forces. Lt. Wohlfarth in the U-556 had the carrier \'Ark Royal\' and battlecruiser \'Renown\' in range but had no torpedoes left after a successful patrol - his boat was now being used for reconnaissance.
The U-556 and U-74 also attempted to pick up the \'Bismarck\'s\' war diary but were unsuccessful as it was at around this time that the battleship sank at 10.36am on the 27th May.
That evening the U-74 picked up three survivors.
Sources; \'Hitler\'s U-Boat War\' by Blair; \'The U-Boat War in the Atlantic\' by Hessler; \'Ten Years and Twenty Days\' by Doenitz.
Hope this has been of help.
Andrew</HTML>
Doenitz had discussed with Admiral Luetjens in April 1941 about the possibilities of U-Boat support in battleship operations. It was decided that if the opportunity arose then the U-Boats would co-operate fully with the surface ships.
On the 26th May Doenitz offered his entire Atlantic force on patrol to assist the \'Bismarck\' after she had sunk the \'Hood\'. Admiral Luetjens agreed to this and a sub trap was laid south of Cape Farewell, Greenland, consisting of several U-Boats, in which it was hoped that the \'Bismarck\' would lead the pursuing British forces into. This patrol line was abandoned when the \'Bismarck\' changed course and headed for the French coast.
A second patrol line of U-Boats was assembled in the Bay of Biscay consisting of U-48, U-73, U-74, U-97, U-98, the outbound U-108, and U-556. By the evening of 26th May the U-74 (Kentrat) and U-556 (Wohlfarth) were close to the stricken battleship and the pursuing British forces. Lt. Wohlfarth in the U-556 had the carrier \'Ark Royal\' and battlecruiser \'Renown\' in range but had no torpedoes left after a successful patrol - his boat was now being used for reconnaissance.
The U-556 and U-74 also attempted to pick up the \'Bismarck\'s\' war diary but were unsuccessful as it was at around this time that the battleship sank at 10.36am on the 27th May.
That evening the U-74 picked up three survivors.
Sources; \'Hitler\'s U-Boat War\' by Blair; \'The U-Boat War in the Atlantic\' by Hessler; \'Ten Years and Twenty Days\' by Doenitz.
Hope this has been of help.
Andrew</HTML>
| Subject | Written By | Posted |
|---|---|---|
Sink the Bismark
|
Ben | 04/14/2001 03:16PM |
|
RE: Sink the Bismark
|
Andrew Mair | 04/14/2001 06:43PM |