Here are the final 6 in a series of 12 superb videos, in sequence, which detail the battle between HMS Hood and the Bismarck. Apart from the appalling loss of life, this historic battle of 67 years ago this month marked a turning point in Naval warfare. From this point on, the sun was setting on the era of the mighty Battleship, and aircraft would hence forth be the determinant of success or failure, particularly carrier borne aircraft, a strategy which remains to this day. However, recent developments in a truly frightening new weapon may change that forever. More on that, another day. Today is a day for the memory of Bismarck, an astonishing ship with a courageous and determined crew.
It should be noted that nearly 1000 Bismarck survivors were abandoned in the water by the captain of HMS Doresetshire, BCS Martin, RN, after receiving a "U-boat warning". That no German submarine had ever fired upon an enemy combatant during the recovery of survivors is, perhaps, a measure of the influence of vengeance in the mind of Captain Martin following such horrendous losses in HMS Hood only three days earlier.
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