Sunday, May 18
Exercise Rhine Begins
Bismarck lies at anchor (German Federal Archives)
Inside the headquarters of the British Admiralty in London, a report was delivered today regarding the fact the the Germans had significantly increased their air traffic near Greenland and Iceland, with long range reconnaissance planes being sighted over the passaged to the Atlantic near the Faroes and the Denmark Straight. This information was was of some concern, as it suggested that there may be a German attempt to penetrate into the Atlantic immanent.
Scharnhorst at sea during Operation Berlin (Royal Navy)
There was good reason for that concern; as January the German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau had successfully broken through the Denmark Straight into the Atlantic, eluding the screens of the Royal Navy and caused significant disruption to the convoys that supplied the materials needed to sustain Britain in what was now a solitary war against the German juggernaut that dominated Europe. Following this both ships had been able to take refuge in the occupied French port of Brest, where they continued to menace the British, despite efforts to disable them via aerial attack.
The Reichskriegsflagge is raised on the stern of Bismarck during his commissioning ceremony on August 24, 1940 (German Federal Archives)
Another raid would pose an even greater threat, as it was likely that the new German flagship, the Bismarck, would lead this action. Commissioned in August of 1940, she was just completing her sea trials and was presumed to be ready for action at any time. The ship was immense, the largest ever commissioned by a European power to date. His 15 inch SK/C34 guns were capable of inflicting serious damage to any British warship then afloat, and his speed was unmatched by any British battleship, with only the lightly armored battlecruisers in service being capable of catching him.
Hitler inspects Bismarck (German Federal Archives)
The pride of Hitler’s Kriegsmarine, he posed a grave threat to both the Royal Navy and the convoys they protected, and exemplified the strategy of Grand Admiral Erich Raeder. Hitler had inspected Bismarck only twelve days before, and was impressed with the marvel of engineering he represented, but remained, as always, cautious regarding an actual deployment.
“On land I am a hero, at sea I am a coward.”
Despite his reservations, he did not forbid another raid, partially based on the success of the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau during Operation Berlin. He did not know, however, that Grand Admiral Raeder planned in sending the ship to sea in less than two weeks time.
Initial plans for Exercise Rhine had been originally conceived with Bismarck and the new heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen breaking out into the Atlantic as had happened in Operation Berlin, but they were to then be joined by Scharnhorst and Gneisenau to create a formidable battlegroup to hunt convoys with impunity. These plans were not to be, however, as Scharnhorst developed issues with her boilers and was laid up, as was Gneisenau following a British air raid, leaving both unavailable. The idea was then floated that the Bismarck’s sister Tirpitz could possibly join him, but that was rejected despite the request of Tirpitz’s captain that she be allowed to particpate.
Captain Lindemann reviews his crew (German Federal Archives)
Raeder, who was aware of the upcoming Operation Barbarossa and the inevitable sidelining of the navy in a predominantly land campaign, as well as of the shortening nights at high latitudes that would aid the British in detecting a task force, decided to have Admiral Lutjens sortie with only Bismarck and Prinz Eugen before the end of May. In accordance with this, tankers were sent to stations in the north Atlantic and the Norwegian Sea on May 17th to support the planned operation. Bismarck is assigned the callsign “Eichenkranz”, while Prinz Eugen is designated “Meeresgott” for the operation.
An FW200 Condor long range reconnaissance bomber of the Luftwaffe (Royal Air Force)
The Luftwaffe had been ordered to increase their reconnaisance and weather flights in the vicinity of Iceland, as he been detected by the British, and further scouting of the planned route had been undertaken by U-boats. This morning U-74 reported back to OKM (Oberkommando der Marine, German Naval Command) sighting an American battleship with escorts in the Denmark Straight, raising concerns about interference by the officially neutral United States. Orders were subsequently issued for U-boats to engage any darkened warships they sight, without verifying if they are neutral ships or not. The Kriegsmarine had long considered that war with the US was inevitable, despite the desire of Hitler to keep the Americans out of the war as long as possible.
Prinz Eugen prepares to cast off (US Navy)
At 1000 Admiral Lutjens met with Captain Lindemann of Bismarck and Captain Brinkmann of Prinz Eugen, and informed them of the objectives of Exercise Rhine: they are to break out into the Atlantic via the passage between Iceland and the Faroes and cause as much damage as possible to the convoys moving between Halifax and Britain. Along the way they are to avoid confrontation with British warships as much as possible to preserve their own ships. Lutjens has some alterations to the OKM plan, however, and plans to skip a planned refueling stop in Norway, as well as to enter the Atlantic via the Denmark Straight as he had when commanding Operation Berlin in January.
Bismarck at anchor (German Federal Archives)
At 1112 the German task force departed their berths at Gotenhafen (Gdynia, Poland) and sailed into the Baltic for final joint exercises, returning in the evening. During the night, at 2118, the Prinz Eugen casts off once again, bound for Cape Arkona, where she is to rendezvous with Bismarck tommorow. As she does so, Admiral John Tovey, commander of the British Home Fleet at Scapa Flow, orders an increase of patrols of the Denmark Straight, dispatching Rear Admiral Frederic Wake-Walker’s squadron to keep watch for German activity.
