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HMS RODNEY gunnery report on the Bismarck action
Posted: Sun Nov 05, 2023 9:11 pm
by Craiglxviii
Re: HMS RODNEY gunnery report on the Bismarck action
Posted: Sun Nov 05, 2023 10:40 pm
by MikeKozlowski
Craig,
REMARKABLE! Thank you for posting. Completely unlike any other report I've ever read; USAF's tended to be distilled down to "It done blowed up good."
Mike
Re: HMS RODNEY gunnery report on the Bismarck action
Posted: Mon Nov 06, 2023 7:09 am
by Pdf27
That's really interesting. One of the consistent criticisms of the British in that action is that they closed too much on Bismarck - with the result that they smashed up the upperworks but didn't let water in (hence the controversy about whether she sank by scuttling or not). This clearly explains that - weather conditions were such that they were finding it almost impossible to get ranges until very close. That's something I've not seen before.
Re: HMS RODNEY gunnery report on the Bismarck action
Posted: Mon Nov 06, 2023 3:50 pm
by 1Big Rich
Thanks for posting that Craig! Great stuff!
Regards,
Re: HMS RODNEY gunnery report on the Bismarck action
Posted: Mon Nov 06, 2023 5:13 pm
by MikeKozlowski
Pdf27 wrote: ↑Mon Nov 06, 2023 7:09 am
That's really interesting. One of the consistent criticisms of the British in that action is that they closed too much on Bismarck - with the result that they smashed up the upperworks but didn't let water in (hence the controversy about whether she sank by scuttling or not). This clearly explains that - weather conditions were such that they were finding it almost impossible to get ranges until very close. That's something I've not seen before.
Pdf,
Follow-up question - would
Rodney/
Bismarck have had the worst weather of any dreadnaught fight?
Mike
Re: HMS RODNEY gunnery report on the Bismarck action
Posted: Tue Nov 07, 2023 7:50 am
by Pdf27
MikeKozlowski wrote: ↑Mon Nov 06, 2023 5:13 pmFollow-up question - would
Rodney/
Bismarck have had the worst weather of any dreadnaught fight?
Does
Duke of York .vs.
Scharnhorst count? That was much worse, but
Duke of York had very good radar by that point.
Re: HMS RODNEY gunnery report on the Bismarck action
Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2023 10:39 am
by Craiglxviii
If you read further down in that detail, there’s a note by the First Sea Lord saying something like “ghastly performance”.