by David Row
The three capital ships and the cruiser turned north, battle ensigns snapping in the growing westerly wind. They were guided by the plane still shadowing the Bismark, the closing speed of the two forces some 50 knots. At just before 1600 a lookout in the crows nest of the Hood confirmed the sighting. Smoke on the horizon to the north. All the ships involved were already prepared and at action stations, the only thing remaining was to see what the surface action would bring. Holland had been informed that the Formidable would be ready to launch in about half an hour; the two carriers were ordered to launch their first strike, but to wait for the target. Depending on how the surface action worked out, he was considering using the strike to finish off the Scharnhorst.
The German ships were in line ahead, the Prinz Eugen leading the Bismark. The British ships had broken into two groups; the KGV and Prince of Wales in one, the Hood and the Norfolk in the second. Holland's tactics were for his two heavily armoured ships to attack the Bismark at odds, while the cruiser and Hood worked around, keeping the German cruiser occupied and allowing the Hood to close the range to avoid an engagement where her thin deck protection would make her vulnerable. Once all three heavy ships were in range, they would concentrate on the Bismark. The seas were coming in from the west, making things a little difficult for the men manning the optical rangefinders, but the radar sets on the two ships were giving him accurate ranges. His sighting report had already gone off, and with the enemy in sight there was no longer any need to not use his radar. The Hood, with her older systems, was having a bit more of a problem, but if things went according to plan his two newer ships would be keeping the Bismarck's attention.
The first shots were fired by the Bismark at a range of 22,000 yards. Unknown to Holland, her main fire control radar was still out of action, but in any case the British preference was to close to decisive range if the enemy allowed. The first shells from the Bismark were accurate for bearing, but with only optical rangefinding the range was not terribly accurate. Thirty seconds later, the six forward guns of the KGV replied, followed a few seconds later by those of the Prince of Wales. Meanwhile the Hood and Norfolk were curving around to take the German force from the side.
The first hit was obtained by the Bismark; despite her lack of radar, her gunnery department was still superb, and on her fifth salvo registered a hit on the KGV. The heavy armour of the battleship took the 15" shell without allowing serious damage; despite her size and reputation, the British battleships were more heavily and better protected than the Bismark. The Prinz Eugen was also firing by this point, but as yet hadn't hit either of the British battleships.
It only took one more ranging salvo before the British started scoring their own hits, three hits from the sixth salvoes of the two battleships hitting the Bismark hard. Meanwhile the Hood had finally closed to under 20,000 yards, and turned to expose her after arc, allowing her to fire all 8 of her guns at the Bismark. With three capital ships targeting the Bismark, the Norfolk started to aim her 8" shells at the Prinz Eugen.
As soon as they saw the hits, Holland ordered his ships to turn and expose their after turret as well; the range was now down to 18,000 yards, as Bismark also turned. The battle became a pounding match, one in which the British ships outgunned the Bismark by 26 heavy guns to 8 and the result was never in doubt. While the Bismark showed the usual ability of a German heavy ship to absorb damage, the heavy 15" shells did her terrible damage, soon leaving her superstructure riddled and all but her Y turret out of action. Indeed, by this time Lutjens was already dead, the bridge having taken a direct hit from one of the Hoods main guns.
Despite her damage, the Bismark continued to fight, and Holland's force continued to pound her until all her main guns were silenced. The ship was now a blazing wreck, the heavy smoke now being the biggest deterrent to accurate British gunfire. The Prinz Eugen had not escaped either; hit by a number of 8" shells herself, as soon as the battleships realised the Bismark was finished, she had been the recipient of a number of 15" salvoes which had left her blazing and sinking.
The British ships had not escaped unharmed. The KGV had taken seven hits from the Bismarck's main guns, and her A turret was out of action as well as having serious, but not fortunately crippling, damage to her superstructure, especially as three of the shells had not exploded. The PoW had been hit four times, and twice by 8" shells from the cruiser; her most serious damage had been a hit close to the bridge which had killed most of the people on the bridge, but despite this her fire had never slackened. The Hood had closed to 17,000 yards to fight, and while having been hit a number of times, had taken the hits on her heavy main belt. She had a number of fires, and the belt had been penetrated twice, causing damage to her machinery spaces, but by that time the German ships were already clearly finished.
Despite all the damage she had suffered, the Bismark had still not struck, and so Holland ordered Norfolk, who had managed to avoid being hit by more than a couple of 6" shells from the Bismarck's secondary armament, to close and sink her with torpedoes. The cruiser made two runs, each time firing four 21" torpedoes, three of which hit. A short while later, the Bismark was seen to be listing and settling, men jumping over the side as they abandoned ship.
While the battleships had been completing the destruction of the Bismark and Prinz Eugen, the carriers had got their first strike spotted and flown off, a rather tricky operation in the current weather, but one they were used to. 28 torpedo planes and 26 dive bombers were heading north (with no enemy aircraft carrier above water, the strike was unescorted). Since Holland's battleships had nearly finished the German fleet by now, he ordered them to head back to the Scharnhorst and finish her off. This time there was no problem in dealing with the damaged, and still circling, battlecruiser. The dive bombers were carrying 1,000lb bombs (more effective against the battlecruisers relatively thin deck armour), and seven hits left her ablaze and helpless. It hardly needed the following five torpedo hits on the helpless vessel to send her sinking beneath the icy waters of the North Atlantic. As the last of the planes turned for home, they could already see her capsizing behind them, ensign still flying, the first battleship to be sunk at sea by enemy aircraft alone.
Sadly, although Holland did order a destroyer to close the Scharnhorst and pick up survivors, only 90 men had survived the sinking and the icy waters. Over 300 were picked up from the Bismark and Prinz Eugen before the British ships turned to rejoin the carriers and head for home. The last heavy ships of the German Navy were no longer a threat to the convoys keeping Britain alive.
Chapter 12 - Retreat from Greece
26th April
Imperial and Greek troops retire over the Corinth canal. A German airborne force attempted to capture the bridge to prevent this, but the bridge was already rigged for demolition and is brought down before they can capture it. British troops from the armoured brigade (and some of their tanks) are evacuated from the beaches around Athens, and Australian troops are already being evacuated.
27th April
The part of Force H not returning from its abortive run into the Atlantic makes a sweep in the western Mediterranean in the hope of finding Italian merchant ships, but these are at the moment prudently in port. Somerville has suggested shelling and bombing Algiers to make it unusable as a port, but this is currently not permitted for political reasons. Perhaps ironically it is the British Foreign Office who is most concerned; the Free French show a somewhat more bloodthirsty attitude towards Vichy-owned territory.
Off Greece, German air power is attacking the evacuation force and the RN ships covering it. They are only moderately successful as some cover is being provided by Goshawks flying from the airfields in Crete. However a number of ships have been attacked by Stukas, who succeed in sinking the destroyer HMS Wryneck off Cape Malea
28th April
Reinforcements of Malaya and Singapore are temporarily suspended due to the situation in the Middle East. This is not popular with the Australians, who point out that they are
providing most of the manpower in the Middle East. It is agreed that the situation will be reviewed in a month, once the situation in and around Greece has stabilised.
A troop convoy arrives at Alexandria with 50th British Division. This will allow the establishment of the new XXX Corps to allow the British to take the offensive in North Africa once the men are acclimatised. The situation in Greece means that using the division will have to wait until the Greek situation is resolved. There has been some concern in Britain about sending out more troops in view of the fact that the weather in the Channel would allow the Germans to invade if they wished, but the Navy and RAF have pointed out that there are no signs of this, and in any case the German situation is far worse than the previous year - they are still limited by sealift capability, while the Army is hugely stronger than a year ago. The German Navy in particular is extremely weak, having nothing larger than a destroyer to support any invasion attempt.
Also arriving in Malta is Air Marshal Keith Park, who has been brought out to advise on how to improve the fighter control and radar setup on Malta. Once he has reported on the situation on Malta, he will review the situation in Egypt as well. While the defences have taken a toll on the Italian and German planes, it has been noted that everything is rather improvised rather than planned, and as air activity increases it is causing problems.
29th April
Hitler is told of the result of Operation Rheinübung, and flies into one of his increasingly common rages. As a result, Raeder hands in his resignation and goes off to tend his garden - the naval war from now on will be conducted by the U-boats. Hitler orders them to be given priority in construction (a rather redundant command, as this is already happening in the shipyards); the light destroyers and escorts will stay operational to protect the coastal convoys. Goering manages to gloss over the poor performance of the German aircraft by pointing out that it's now obvious planes are far superior to ships, and if the Kriegsmarine had only built up a proper naval air arm before the war....
Hitler does get some better news later that day. Greece falls, with the loss of most of the Greek army. The Imperial forces have lost some 5,000 men and considerable equipment. However the rest of the force has been evacuated safely, and considerable number of Greek troops have made it to Crete, some on British shipping but many on Greek small ships and craft, although with no equipment. A number of ships have been sunk, including one of the destroyers taking men off, and a number damaged - the RN has two cruisers out of action until they can be repaired, and HMS Malaya's X turret is non-operational after a bomb hit. The carrier fighter squadrons have been providing cover where possible, but losses and the heavy pace of the action are exhausting them.
The Luftwaffe continues its heavy bombing raids on Valetta harbour in Malta, hitting a light cruiser and a destroyer. However the steady stream of reinforcements is allowing the RAF to take a steady toll of the bombers. It is decided to bring the cruisers back to North Africa, leaving only the less-vulnerable destroyers at Valetta.
General Paulus arrives in Algiers to check on the situation himself. He is unhappy about the supply situation, although Rommel assures him it is adequate and expects to be able to attack very soon with two divisions. He explains that once Tunis and Tripoli have been recaptured the supply situation will ease, as the RAF will be forced much further back. Paulus remains unconvinced.
30th April
The new pro-German Iraqi government orders approximately 9,000 troops to march on the RAF station at Habbaniya, a few miles northwest of Baghdad, and to set up their artillery on the surrounding plateau. There are 2,000 British troops and 9,000 civilians sheltering at the airbase. The Iraqi's have been heartened by the fall of Greece, although the takeover of Syria by Allied forces is worrying to them.
2nd May
In the USA, a joint Army-Navy Board completes the Rainbow-5 War Plan calling for abandonment of the Philippines upon the outbreak of war and the sacrifice of the garrison. Admiral Hart is advised by Navy Department that he would be given at least four days’ notice prior to the start of hostilities. Hart instructs his staff to base all plans on a two days’ warning. In view of the plan effectively abandoning the Philippines, it is kept a close secret.
The Iraqi Army has concentrated a force of more than a division overlooking Habbaniya. The British Flying School Squadron in Habbaniya armed with Gladiator fighters and supported by Wellingtons from the RAF base at Shuaiba bombs the Iraqi troops in their positions only a mile away from the airbase. The Iraqis responded to the raid with an artillery barrage, supported by bombs and machine gun fire from their own aircraft. The British are aided by five companies of Kurds. Rashid el Gailani asks Hitler for military assistance, and is assured that his request will be given 'immediate attention'. However with the nearest German forces in Greece, and the former Vichy colonies of Lebanon and Syria now under Allied control, there is little Germany can do except conduct long-range bombing raids.
Allied troops occupy Basra and the oil installations, and start to evacuate women and children from the Habbaniya air base. There is local unrest and opposition to the landings.
The first complete RAAF squadron arrives in Egypt, flying Sparrowhawks. This is to give them operational experience to take back to Malaya, where they have been for the last few months.
In Algeria, the Africa Korps is being assembled ready for their first operation. Thanks to the poor security at the American Embassy in Cairo, Rommel has a good idea as to the disposition of the Imperial forces. Unfortunately he has far less detail on his immediate opposition, the Free French, as their relations with the Americans are rather less cordial. He feels that they are the weakest of his opposition, and plans to drive through them to attack Tripoli before having to consolidate.
3rd May
British troops attack on Iraqi positions around the Habbaniyah Airfield, and air attacks are mounted against the Rashid airfield.
The American United Press News Agency reported:
"A reliable source confirmed tonight in London that Rashid Ali al Gailani has asked Hitler for help against the British troops in Iraq, but he is believed to have initiated hostilities prematurely so that he is unlikely to play a role in future German war plans. The special military significance of Iraq lies in its oil, which supplies the British Mediterranean fleet and the Mediterranean based units of the Royal Air Force with a large part of their fuel."
In Britain, the Westland jet development aircraft makes its first flight, powered by two 860-lb thrust Whittle jet engines. The initial 17-minute flight is said to be 'most promising'
The 5th Indian Division is established in Egypt, and starts training with units of 7th Armoured. The Division is experienced, having finished campaigning in Ethiopia, but has limited experience with coordinating with tanks. They will be joined by 50th British Division once the men are acclimatised, and will form the new XXX Corps. Once this is operational, it is intended to combine it with XIII Corps to form the new 8th Army under General O'Connor.
Meanwhile the Australian 7th and 9th Divisions are put into reserve while the equipment losses in Greece are made good. 1st Armoured Brigade has lost most of its tanks, but it is considered necessary to deploy some tanks at least to Crete to support the New Zealand division, despite the attack on Tunisia. After necessary repairs are done, the Brigade will deploy to Crete with about 60 tanks. Once tank supplies allow a second armoured brigade will be added to I Australian Corps. The Corps commander, General Blamey, is made 2nd IC in the Middle East. While there has been some criticism of the Greece action, it is generally felt (and also by Wavell) that he did as good a job as possible in what was always a situation that would end in failure once Germany invaded. While it would be preferred to keep 1st Armoured as a reserve in Egypt, intelligence reports are indicating that at attack on Crete will be made soon.
Chapter 13 - Rommel Advances
"I never realised the Pyramids were so large" - comment by General Erwin Rommel, 1941.
On the nig
ht of the 4th May, the rumbling of tanks on the move heralded the first elements of the Africa Korps moving out from their forward positions near Bone. Although under strength thanks to the depredations of the Royal Navy and RAF, Rommel considered it to his advantage to use the confusion in the British command caused by the recent Greek debacle. He hoped that this would have affected the troops morale and allow him to cut through the defenders to his main objective, Tripoli.
His main units were the German 21st Panzer Division and the Italian Ariete Armoured Division. Both were under strength in tanks and heavy equipment, although it had been possible to bring them up to full troop strength. Between them they had some 260 tanks, plus some light tanks really only useful for reconnaissance. He also had two infantry regiments of the German 90th light division. While his tank force was substantial by the standards of North Africa in 1941, he was short of infantry. However Rommel believed that O'Connor's earlier campaign had shown that it was mobile armoured formations that were important in the desert rather than sheer masses of infantry.
Up until now, the Algerian/Tunisian border had been fairly quiet. Both sides had been content to keep their activity down to observing, patrolling and occasional night raids to capture a patrol for questioning. This had suited the French, who were steadily training and increasing their forces. They also had a good idea of what forces Rommel had available, thanks to copious reports from sympathetic officers and officials in Algiers and Algeria - shortage of their own men had forced the Germans to use Algerians in the ports and railways, plus of course the normal problem of soldiers talking. Their basic plan was simple; fall back slowly while inflicting damage on Rommel, and identify his main axis of advance while waiting for XIII Corps to arrive. Rommel had managed to keep exactly how and where he was going to attack secret - indeed, he intended to reinforce whichever attacks was most successful, rather than keep to a predetermined line of attack.
