Bismarck Quotes

“German submarine attacks”
― Michael Tamelander, Bismarck: The Final Days of Germany's Greatest Battleship

“Operation Barbarossa Operation Berlin Operation Brevity Operation Nordseetour Operation Rheinübung Operation Sealion Operation Weserübung Organisation Todt”
― Michael Tamelander, Bismarck: The Final Days of Germany's Greatest Battleship

“Raeder had a troublesome meeting with Hitler. The loss of the Bismarck had made the Führer dejected and irritatable. The loss of the battleship was a major blow to German prestige, according to him,”
― Michael Tamelander, Bismarck: The Final Days of Germany's Greatest Battleship

“Lindemann, closely followed by his orderly. While the ship sank deeper and deeper, and the bow gradually raised, the Captain gesticulated to the younger man that he should save himself by jumping into the sea, but he refused and dutifully followed his commander.”
― Michael Tamelander, Bismarck: The Final Days of Germany's Greatest Battleship

“Campbell saw how the a chain of explosions was set off throughout the enemy ship, throwing debris high up in the air and setting living as well as already dead men ablaze. He had already seen small groups of men jump into the sea and disappear. Now more and more men jumped overboard, trying to escape the hell on the Bismarck. ‘Good God,’ he exclaimed, loud enough for the men around him to hear. ‘Why don’t we stop?”
― Michael Tamelander, Bismarck: The Final Days of Germany's Greatest Battleship

“Schuldt ran across the officer in command of his station, sitting with his back against a wall. Both his legs had been shot off at the knees. He looked up at Schuldt and implored: ‘Do you have a cigarette?”
― Michael Tamelander, Bismarck: The Final Days of Germany's Greatest Battleship

“Everybody must leave the ship!’ Oels shouted. ‘She will be sunk. You can not go ahead. It is all burning!’ These were his last words. A direct hit sent splinters raining through the compartment. Within a fraction of a second, the crammed room was turned into a slaughter house. More than a hundred men were mutilated or killed.”
― Michael Tamelander, Bismarck: The Final Days of Germany's Greatest Battleship

“he said calmly with his usual, kind voice. ‘I will forward the order. You may go now.’ It was the last time anybody saw Lehmann.”
― Michael Tamelander, Bismarck: The Final Days of Germany's Greatest Battleship

“One of Tovey’s officers made a quick estimate on the time needed for the German shells to reach their target. He began to count down loudly as he looked at his watch. ‘For God’s sake,’ Tovey interrupted, ‘Shut Up!’ Like everyone else on the bridge,”
― Michael Tamelander, Bismarck: The Final Days of Germany's Greatest Battleship

“he mistakenly identified the shadow as the Rodney and sent a recognition signal, but immediately afterwards realized his mistake. The Germans did not bother sending any recognition signal. Instead, the Bismarck’s main guns flashed”
― Michael Tamelander, Bismarck: The Final Days of Germany's Greatest Battleship

“last words to parents, friends, wives or fiancées and wanted these greetings to be taken home surrounded them. With a mixture of relief and disgrace for leaving all the other men to their fate, the airmen put the papers in their pockets and entered the aircraft. But the aircraft could not be launched. After a while, it was discovered that a splinter originating from a shell fired by the Prince of Wales had punctured the container with the compressed air that propelled the catapult. It could not be repaired”
― Michael Tamelander, Bismarck: The Final Days of Germany's Greatest Battleship

“Wohlfarth was the submarine commander who had promised to protect the Bismarck. He had been on his way back to port when he received the general instruction to converge on the battleship’s last known position. This he did, even though he had already fired his last torpedo at the Darlington Court, and so had no means to attack enemy vessels. On the evening of 26 May, he dearly regretted that he had not followed the advice of his navigation officer to hold back that last torpedo.”
― Michael Tamelander, Bismarck: The Final Days of Germany's Greatest Battleship

“All of Germany is with you. What can be done will be done. Your devotion to duty will strengthen our nation in its struggle for its existence. Adolf Hitler.”
― Michael Tamelander, Bismarck: The Final Days of Germany's Greatest Battleship

“Hitler thanked Lütjens in the name of Germany.”
― Michael Tamelander, Bismarck: The Final Days of Germany's Greatest Battleship

“Right height, right range, right cloud cover, right speed, and the wrong f–––ng ship!”
― Michael Tamelander, Bismarck: The Final Days of Germany's Greatest Battleship

“A British battleship would be surrounded by escorting destroyers.”
― Michael Tamelander, Bismarck: The Final Days of Germany's Greatest Battleship

“If Congress finds out,’ Roosevelt told the Navy airmen, ‘I will be impeached.”
― Michael Tamelander, Bismarck: The Final Days of Germany's Greatest Battleship

“The plane hadn’t suffered any significant damage. It was just that suddenly you could see the sea between your feet.’331”
― Michael Tamelander, Bismarck: The Final Days of Germany's Greatest Battleship

“In 1931 she was involved in a mutiny at Invergordon, when her crew refused to work after being told that their wages would be cut.”
― Michael Tamelander, Bismarck: The Final Days of Germany's Greatest Battleship

“one of the airmen was asked why he believed the German ships had left. He sarcastically answered: ‘Well, I didn’t crash into anything when flying at sea level in the fiord,”
― Michael Tamelander, Bismarck: The Final Days of Germany's Greatest Battleship

“Otto followed Adalbert to his cabin, where the first artillery officer showed photographs of his three daughters. Adalbert seized the opportunity to write a few postcards, which Otto offered to put in the mailbox. It was the last private mail ever to leave the battleship.”
― Michael Tamelander, Bismarck: The Final Days of Germany's Greatest Battleship

“A mishap occurred when a hose broke. The consequence was that the Bismarck lacked about 200 tons of fuel oil”
― Michael Tamelander, Bismarck: The Final Days of Germany's Greatest Battleship

“Kennedy turned towards his officers on the bridge. ‘We’ll fight them both, they’ll sink us – and that will be that. Goodbye.’ He shook the Chief’s hand, turned on his heel and cleared the decks for action.”
― Michael Tamelander, Bismarck: The Final Days of Germany's Greatest Battleship

“It took less than 5ms for the shells to travel through the barrels, but in this brief period of time the guns developed more than 60 million Hpw.”
― Michael Tamelander, Bismarck: The Final Days of Germany's Greatest Battleship

“Captain Edward Fegen, decided to accept battle with the Admiral Scheer, hoping that the convoy could scatter and as many merchant ships as possible disappear in darkness before the German ship got too close. Fegen’s decision doomed his ship.”
― Michael Tamelander, Bismarck: The Final Days of Germany's Greatest Battleship

“The Germans stayed to help save British seamen, and this rescue work was in full swing”
― Michael Tamelander, Bismarck: The Final Days of Germany's Greatest Battleship

“One of the loaders bellowed at his comrades to help him—he was so confused and shocked that he could not understand that the men he shouted at were already dead.”
― Michael Tamelander, Bismarck: The Final Days of Germany's Greatest Battleship

“The electrical power to the ammunition lifts was put out of action. Kennedy, who had survived the massacre on the bridge, ordered the seven remaining guns to fire individually and ammunition to be carried to the guns.”
― Michael Tamelander, Bismarck: The Final Days of Germany's Greatest Battleship

“Three times Hoffman requested the Rawalpindi to stop and take her crew into safety, but the auxiliary cruiser showed no inclination to comply with the requests.”
― Michael Tamelander, Bismarck: The Final Days of Germany's Greatest Battleship