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[W. Clark]

At 0502 hours on 24 May 1941 Captain leach (RN) ordered his ship HMS Prince of Wales to open fire on Prinz Eugen with its B turret and our reenactment of the Battle of Denmark Strait began. We considered the RN cruisers Suffolk and Norfolk to be too far behind the Germans (unless the Germans reversed course) to effect the battle.

To recreate the turret problems the PoW was having we assigned D12 by color (Red, White & Blue) to each of the PoW's turrets. A and Y turrets (the Quads) were the turrets affected. Each natural 12 rolled on a Red or Blue D12 would require a D12 DR. A result of 1-4 would knock the affected turret out. I do not know if the Ref allowed PoW to any chance to repair a damaged turret. In the case at hand the PoW sank with all her turrets still firing. We also used end on fire and unengaged modifiers and ruled that a change of target was also a upwards shift.

Captain Leach and I (as Vice Admiral Holland) had decided to to lead with PoW making smoke to cover my follow up with the Hood in quarter line to protect my weaker armor. The range at the start was about 21,000 yards. The PoW and Bismarck would need to close within 18,000 yards for either side to penetrate their heavier armor. The Bismarck on the other hand could penetrate Hood's armor at any range.

GT 1 & 2-PoW fired at Prinz Eugen both turns with her B turret and missed both times. Bismarck fired at PoW both turns and hit her once in the hull for minor damage.

GT 3-We realized that the German reaction to our movement had brought the Bismarck within 18,000 yards but PoW's smoke blocked Hood's LOS. PoW's change of target to Bismarck caused her to miss. Bismarck however had found PoW's range and hit her four times. PoW suffered a fire, 2 hull hits and lost her starboard fore 5.25" turret. PoW's hull damage reduced her to 19 knots and released Hood from her station keeping requirement.

GT 4-PoW put her fire out. PoW continued straight ahead but the Hood wheeled round about 270 degrees to port to clear the PoW and give Bismarck two diverging targets. PoW knocked out a port 5.9" turret on Bismarck and Hood's fire was ineffective. Bismarck scored another hull hit on PoW reducing her speed to 13 knots.

GT 5-PoW hit Bismarck twice causing a fire and knocking out another port 5.9" turret. Bismarck knocked out another of PoW's starboard 5.25" turrets. Hood missed Bismarck. Prinz eugen hit Hood but her 8" simply bounced off Hood's A turret.

GT 6-Bismarck failed to put her fire out and suffered minor hull damage because of it. PoW hit Bismarck twice and Hood hit her once. Bismarck lost her rear 15" turret, searchlights and her bridge. Bismarck and Prinz Eugen fired ineffectively at PoW and Hood respectively.

GT 7-Bismarck failed to put her fire out and suffered minor hull damage because of it. Prinz Eugen fired both her port TT at PoW at about 8,000 yards. PoW hit Bismarck twice and Hood hit her once. Bismarck lost her last rear 15" turret and 2 hull hits. Bismarck's return fire knocked out another starboard 5.25" turret on PoW. Prinz Eugen continued to fire at Hood to keep her engaged.

GT 8-Bismarck put her fire out. Both of Prinz Eugen's torpedo spreads (3 torps each) hit PoW with one torpedo each. PoW suffered two hits in her engine rooms rendering her DIW. PoW also suffered 6 catastrophic hulls hits that rapidly sank her. Hood knocked out a 4.1" mount on Bismarck. All German fire was ineffective. Vice Admiral Holland failed his morale (I rolled a 10) and he ordered an immediate withdrawal of the Hood even though she had suffered no damage.

Results-PoW was sank for 18 points. Bismarck lost half her main armament, all her port secondary armament, one AA mount and three and a half hull boxes reducing her speed to 20 knots. Hood and Prinz Eugen were undamaged.

Conclusion-The Germans decidedly won a tactical victory but the Brits could argue that her damage would cause her to abort her mission and reduce her chances of reaching a friendly port.