Documentary. Battle of the Denmark Strait : Hood Vs Bismarck

The aim of operation Rheinübung was for Bismarck and Prinz Eugen to break into the Atlantic and attack Allied shipping. Grand Admiral Erich Raeder’s orders to Admiral Günther Lütjens were that “the objective of the Bismarck is not to defeat enemies of equal strength, but to tie them down in a delaying action, while preserving her combat capacity as much as possible, so as to allow Prinz Eugen to get at the merchant ships in the convoy“ and “The primary target in this operation is the enemy’s merchant shipping; enemy warships will be engaged only when that objective makes it necessary and it can be done without excessive risk. On the evening of 23 May, Suffolk sighted Bismarck and Prinz Eugen in the Denmark Strait, close to the Greenland coast. The Admiralty was alerted and Norfolk and Suffolk, hopelessly outgunned, shadowed the German ships. British naval groups were redirected to intercept Lutjens’ force. Hood and Prince of Wales made contact with the German fo