Bismarck

Victory at Sea: Bismarck

Two Bismarck-class battleships were built for the Kriegsmarine. Bismarck was the first, named after the German Chancellor (Otto von Bismarck). The battleship was laid down in July 1936 and launched in February 1939. She and her sister ship, the Tirpitz, were two of the largest battleships built by any European power, and certainly the largest built by Germany. While the physical power they possessed was immense, they also wreaked psychological havoc amongst the Allies. Churchill was determined that the two battleships would not be unleashed into the Atlantic.

Bismarck's career was, however, very short, lasting only eight months under a single Captain, Ernst Lindeman. During that time, she participated in only one offensive action, which lasted only eight days in May 1941. This operation, code-named Rheinübung, was intended to attempt what the Allies feared, a breakout into the Atlantic and an attack on Allied shipping efforts between Great Britain and North America (along with the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen).

The two ships were discovered multiple times off Scandinavia, which prompted Great Britain to initiate naval interdiction maneuvers. In the resulting battle, the Battle of the Denmark Strait, the British ships HMS Hood and HMS Prince of Wales engaged the two ships. Hood was destroyed for her efforts, and Prince of Wales suffered damage, forcing them to retreat. However, Bismarck had sustained enough damage to end her raiding command.

Bismarck was pursued by a Royal Navy intent on vengeance for the sinking of HMS Hood. She was attacked by 16 Fairey Swordfish biplane torpedo bombers deployed from HMS Ark Royal. A direct hit rendered Bismarck's steering gear inoperable. The next morning, she sustained crippling damage in a battle against two British battleships and two cruisers. On 27 May 1941, she was then scuttled by her crew and sank with many dead.

Contains one ship in Warlord Resin.
Model supplied unpainted and unassembled.