We decided to do a Denmark Strait variant more in line with what Grand Admiral Raeder had originally planned for operation Rheinubung. The German Fleet under Vice Admiral Lutjens sailed on 19 May 1941 with the (battleships) Bismarck (Fleet Flag), Tirpitz, (11" cruisers) Admiral Scheer, Lutzow, (8" cruisers) Admiral Hipper and Prinz Eugen. They overnighted in Bergen; refueled and then sailed for Denmark Strait to try and break out into the Northern Atlantic to raid convoys. The escorting destroyers were left at Bergen as their endurance was to low to accompany the Fleet into the Atlantic.
Swedes favorable to the Brits passed on Swedish naval reports of their sailing to the British Naval Attaché, who in turn passed them on to the Admiralty. British reconnaissance planes spotted the German Fleet at anchor at Bergen and also reported their presence.
The Home Fleet under Acting Admiral Tovey at Scapa Flow had at anchor there the (battleships) King George V (Fleet Flag), Prince of Wales, (battle cruiser) Hood (Vice Admiral Holland), (carrier) Victorious (Air Sqdns 800 & 825), (6" cruisers) Neptune, Aurora, Galatea and (AA cruiser) Hermione. In addition there were the destroyer flotillas (3rd) Achates, Antelope, Echo, Electra and Icarus; (6th) Intrepid, Inglefield, Lance, Active and Punjabi as well as the unattached Jupiter and (destroyer escort) Sherwood.
Detached from the Home Fleet was the 1st Cruiser Squadron under Rear Admiral Walk-Walker. The squadron was broken up to cover the various bolt holes from the North Sea into the Atlantic. The (8" cruisers) Norfolk (Squadron Flag) and Suffolk covered Denmark Strait while the (6" cruisers) Birmingham, Manchester, Kenya and Arethusa covered the rest.
Tovey giving some thought to the kind of weather conditions to be expected in the north decided that if the Germans (as he expected them to do) tried to break out through Denmark Strait that he would split the fleet into a surface action force and a air group. He would have the air group operate further south in the Atlantic where it would be more likely to conduct air operations and could back stop his surface action force if the Germans slipped past or he was defeated.
Tovey acted upon this plan after Suffolk reported contact with Lutjens' fleet in the Denmark Strait. Tovey set a course to intercept the Germans as they exited the Denmark Strait. Tovey took all the battleships, Hood and the 3rd Destroyer Flotilla while the Victorious, the light cruisers, 6th Destroyer Flotilla, Jupiter and Sherwood formed the air group.
The battle cruiser Repulse detached from a nearby convoy joined Tovey shortly after he sailed. Tovey formed his four capital ships into a 2 ship battle squadron and a 2 ship battle cruiser squadron. The cruisers Birmingham, Manchester, Kenya and Arethusa also joined in route forming a scratch cruiser squadron.
About 0600 hours 24 May, both forces sighted one another at 20,000 yards. The wind was Force 5 from the north. The Germans were heading 210 degrees at 12 knots in sailing order of (battle ship squadron) Bismarck, Tirpitz, (8" cruiser squadron) Admiral Hipper, Prinz Eugen, (11" cruiser squadron) Admiral Sheer and Lutzow. Lutjens had placed the panzer schiffs in trailing position as they were slower and their guns would keep the British heavy cruisers shadowing (about 24,000 yards back) them at a distance which might facilitate a break in contact if the weather worsened. Tovey's force, destroyers leading, was in the sailing order of battle squadron, battle cruiser squadron and cruiser squadron. The Brits were on a heading of 280 degrees at 18 knots.
Lutjens upon sighting the Brits ordered full speed and a four point turn to starboard to keep the range from closing too quickly. Tovey also ordered full speed. Bismarck opened on KGV while Tirpitz skipped out PoW and opened on Hood. Bismarck hit KGV critically once, but in her engines while Tirpitz missed. KGV and PoW opened on Bismarck and Tirpitz respectively and missed. Hood and Repulse opened on Admiral Sheer and Prinz Eugen. Hood struck Hipper twice for 6 hits (fore turret, port fore TT, 3 hull and a bulkhead). Repulse struck Prinz Eugen once for 3 hits (engine room, 4.1" and port fore TT mounts).
KGV repaired her engine room immediately (lucky DR) while Hipper repaired her damaged bulkhead. Prinz Eugen was not able to immediately repair her engine room and was restricted to 21 knots. Tovey made a 2 point turn to starboard as did Lutjens. The German cruisers laid smoke which they then hid in to keep the Hood and Repulse from picking on them again (Tovey some how managed to miss that little development). Bismarck and Tirpitz fired at KGV and PoW. KGV fired at Bismarck but Hood and Repulse with no cruisers to distract them joined PoW in ganging up on Tirpitz. Bismarck missed but Tirpitz hit PoW once (5.25 mount). KGV and PoW missed but Hood and Repulse each hit Tirpitz once (engine room and hull).
Both Tirpitz and Prinz Eugen repaired their damaged engines. Tovey made another 2 point turn to starboard as did Lutjens. Bismarck and Tirpitz continued to fire on KGV and PoW respectively (as they would for the remainder of te fight). Tovey having belatedly seen the German cruiser smoke and ordered the battleships to concentrate on Bismarck while the battle cruisers did the dame to Tirpitz. KGV suffered a hit (hull) while Bismarck lost her fore port 5.9" mount. Hood however knocked out Tirpitz's fore 15" turret while Repulse knocked out her fore port 5.9" mount.
Tovey with KGV slowed to 26 knots continued on course to keep the German battleships in his broadside arc. By now the British destroyers lead by Achates (6 DDs in line ahead) had closed within 12,000 yards of Bismarck. The Bismarck now demonstrated the folly of such nearness by opening rapidly on Achates with her remaining 5.9" and struck her once for 2 hits (engine room and fore TT mount). PoW hit Bismarck in the hull again (slowing her to 24 knots).
Achates was not able to repair her damaged engine and slowed to 23 knots pulling out of line. Antelope next in line took her place and made smoke to cover the trailing destroyers. Antelope would pay dearly for this exposure. Bismarck struck Achates again 4 times for 6 hits (aft TT mount, 4 hull and the other engine) causing Achates to go DIW. Tirpitz opened rapid fire on Antelope with her remaining 5.9" and struck her thrice for 5 hits (fore 4.7" mount, 2 hull and 2 bulkheads). KGV not only missed Bismarck but both her quads malfunctioned and the rear quad was out for the remainder of the fight. PoW lost her twin 14" turret. PoW on the other hand knocked three of Bismarck's 15" turrets. Hood and Repulse all failed to hit.
Achates repaired one engine bringing her from DIW to 11 knots and she turned to port to retire. Antelope staggering under the in rushing water in her bow failed to repair a bulkhead and went under and plunged to the bottom with her screws still turning. Anthony, the next destroyer in line turned sharply to port to avoid Antelope and making smoke covered Achates, herself and the remaining destroyers as they aborted their planned torpedo attack under the relentless fire of Bismarck's and Tirpitz's secondary's. Tovey distraught over the loss of 80% of KGV's firepower and the realization that it could happen to PoW at any moment continued straight ahead while he contemplated whether to withdraw. Lutjens on the other hand had no such hesitation. He had lost 50% of his 15" firepower, his speed advantage and was staring disaster in the face. Lutjens ordered a simultaneous turn away to starboard under smoke. The Germans would make a run for home and hoped for safety with an eye to coming out again when their damage was repaired.
We tallied up the damage and determined that while the Germans had suffered slightly less damage it was tactically a draw. The German withdrawal however was a strategic victory for the Brits and Tovey consoled himself with that.
I made a special rule about British trouble with their triple and quad large caliber turrets and apprised the German of it to keep it above board. I applied the rule each turn to PoW and every fifth turn to KGV and any Rodneys.
Every time PoW fired her quad turrets, if she rolled a 12 then a quad turret (determined by DR) malfunctioned and could not fire the next turn. If 2 or more 12s were rolled then both quads were affected. In addition if a Quad malfunctioned then a second D12 was rolled to determine if additional damage had occurred. Another result of 12 knocked the turret out until repaired in a dockyard. A result of 1 meant that the turret had lost a D12 from its firepower until repaired (repair like a sensor). If both quads were affected then both suffered a second D12 to determine if additional damage had occurred as per above. KGV and any Rodneys only had to worry about this every fifth time they fired, but if they rolled a 12(s) on that fifth turn then they resolved any damage just as per PoW. It was KGV rolling a pair of 12s on turn five that knocked both her quads out and the two subsequent DR knocked the rear quad out for the rest of the scenario. I considered this rule to be a major part of play balance for the scenario.
All in all we had a lot of fun and the German kindly refrained from pointing out that I had not closed with my light cruisers after the German cruisers laid smoke precluding them firing at my cruisers as they closed. No charge of my light brigade, no plunged through the smoke, no line was broke, on no mass of torpedoes and rapid fire 6" did they choke.
