This is my suggestion for Bismarck to get a skin in the tree
HISTORY
this is her low vis paint scheme for operation Rheinburg in May-21-1941 in Grimstad Fjord. she arrived early in May and used the fjord as a temporary staging ground before her break into the North Atlantic. For 9 hours she stayed getting repainted and leaving 9 hours later. It has more light shades applied to most parts to help her blend in better with the misty fore cast and make her harder to identify at range.
On May-23-1941 Bismarck sights HMS Suffolk fires on her at 7 miles on her port side. Her forward FumO-23 radar set is disabled by gun blast. Bismarck attempts to chase Suffolk which realizes the Bismarck’s maneuver and withdraws. May-21-1941 speed 28 knots Bismarck and Eugen spot the 2 ships Hms Hood and Hms Prince of Wales at 17 miles off the port side. Alarm goes off and hood opens up starting the battle of the Denmark straight. Bismarck reports she is in a fight with 2 heavy units. Bismarck fires her first salvo at hood and immediately after Eugen follows. By the end of the engagement Hms Hood is sunk and Hms prince of wales scores 3 hits while taking 4 from Bismarck.
images
she stayed for 9 hours
bismarck before in her baltic camo
bismarck after in her low vis camo
From investigation to HMS Hood’s wreck, it is most likely the fatal shot penetrated below the armor belt right as Hood prepared for a turn.
Firsthand account of turret three firing, flaring and then detonating several moments later lends credence to this theory as well. The seas were extremely choppy that day and she was full speed enclosing on Bismarck as per standard engagement protocol.
Tldr is the shot penetrated the lower side of Hood below waterline, snuck into the magazine and set a fire. A few minutes later, turret 3 flares after firing and the explosion ripped her in half. The stars aligned for that shot if this is correct.
Then Prince of Wales engaged, her not quite battle ready main guns jammed and then Bismarck sniped her bridge and killed all but one commanding officer. Effectively, she gutted Prince of Wales and PoW was forced to retreat although not before (likely fatally) wounding Bismarck in the process.
Even if the British didn’t hunt her down afterwards in a butthurt rage, Bismarck was likely out of commission for the rest of the war if she somehow did manage to limp back to port. Although this is unlikely with the amount of oil she lost and water she took on.
yeah sounds realistic i believe bismarck actually just a sailed through a north Atlantic storm not long ago if i remember correctly before the denmark straight battle
yeah she hit a shot that hit the fuel tanks she was leaking bad she wouldve been dry docked for while probably a year she likely wouldnt have sank from it but doing her orginal plan is now impossible if sword fish had not been there crippling her rudder with a hit about as lucky as the bismarck shot on hood she wouldve made it as the british ships are not as fast as her shes only 3 mph slower than Scharnhorst and Gneisenau which the british failed to catch during her channel dash
when swordfish got her she was only 400 miles away from luftwaffe controlled airspace U-73 was also relatively near by and would have made it to assist if the the sword fish wherent there which probably would have forced chasing british ships like king george or rodney to break into evasive maneuvers
The battle was a tactical victory for the Germans, but its effect was short-lived. The damage done to Bismarck’ s forward fuel tanks forced the abandonment of the breakout and an attempt to escape to dry dock facilities in occupied France, producing an operational victory for the British.[1] Incensed by the loss of Hood , a large British force pursued Bismarck , resulting in her loss three days later.
Funny enough, Bismarck got the last laugh as Ark Royal and Prince of Wales were later sunk.
Unsinkable Sam, aka Oscar, made sure of Ark Royal’s sinking. (There was a bit of a running morbid joke that Oscar was a German spy but after losing - I think - four ships with him aboard them, he was permanently retired as crews wanted nothing to do with him out of fear. He passed away in Britain in iirc 1948 peacefully.)
