German Battleship Bismarck was commissioned in August 1940. In May 1941, she and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen left the Baltic Sea, heading for the North Atlantic to attack British shipping. On 24 May, west of Iceland, she was spotted by the British battlecruiser Hood and battleship Prince of Wales. In the ensuing "Battle of the Denmark Strait," Prince of Wales was heavily damaged and retreated; Hood exploded and sank. Bismarck received shell hits that slowed her and damaged her fuel tanks. Leaving the Prinz Eugen, she headed for France for repairs.
In the days that followed, Bismarck was attacked by carrier planes and surface ships. One torpedo hit her astern, jamming her port rudder in a 15-degree turn. On 27 May, a British battle group caught up with her and with shells and torpedoes, reduced Bismarck to a wreck. Less than two hours after the final battle began, Germany's largest warship capsized and sank with the loss of all but 110 of her 2,300 officers and enlisted men.
Bismarck's sinking ended Adolf Hitler's plans for a fleet of super battleships. Her sister ship, Tirpitz stayed in Norwegian waters raiding convoys bound for Russia. Tirpitz was finally sunk at anchor by aerial bombs in Kaa Fjord, Norway in November 1944, with the loss of 1,000 of her crew.
This model of the Bismarck, in 1/200 scale, is 50 inches long and 13" high at the main mast. It is built almost entirely of paper, from a kit published by GPM of Poland. Other materials include photo-etched brass railings (main deck only), brass and wire masts, and cotton thread rigging. I began building the model on 30 June 2013 and completed it on 5 May 2014.
In the days that followed, Bismarck was attacked by carrier planes and surface ships. One torpedo hit her astern, jamming her port rudder in a 15-degree turn. On 27 May, a British battle group caught up with her and with shells and torpedoes, reduced Bismarck to a wreck. Less than two hours after the final battle began, Germany's largest warship capsized and sank with the loss of all but 110 of her 2,300 officers and enlisted men.
Bismarck's sinking ended Adolf Hitler's plans for a fleet of super battleships. Her sister ship, Tirpitz stayed in Norwegian waters raiding convoys bound for Russia. Tirpitz was finally sunk at anchor by aerial bombs in Kaa Fjord, Norway in November 1944, with the loss of 1,000 of her crew.
This model of the Bismarck, in 1/200 scale, is 50 inches long and 13" high at the main mast. It is built almost entirely of paper, from a kit published by GPM of Poland. Other materials include photo-etched brass railings (main deck only), brass and wire masts, and cotton thread rigging. I began building the model on 30 June 2013 and completed it on 5 May 2014.
