Operation Rheinübung

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Operation Rheinübung was the World War II German naval sortie in May 1941 in which the battleship Bismarck and cruiser Prinz Eugen attempted to break into the Atlantic to attack Allied shipping, culminating in Bismarck’s famous final battle and sinking.


Statements (49)
Predicate Object
instanceOf Kriegsmarine operation
World War II military operation
naval operation
belligerent Nazi Germany
commander Günther Lütjens
consequence intensified British focus on hunting German capital ships
loss of Bismarck reduced German surface fleet threat in the Atlantic
country Nazi Germany
dateOfBattle 1941-05-24
1941-05-26
1941-05-27
endDate 1941-05-27
flagship Bismarck
fleet Bismarck
Prinz Eugen
followedBy Operation Cerberus
goal break into the Atlantic to attack Allied merchant shipping
disrupt British transatlantic supply lines
involvesAircraft Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers
involvesShip HMS Ark Royal
HMS Hood NERFINISHED
HMS King George V NERFINISHED
HMS Norfolk NERFINISHED
HMS Prince of Wales NERFINISHED
HMS Rodney NERFINISHED
HMS Sheffield NERFINISHED
HMS Suffolk NERFINISHED
location Denmark Strait NERFINISHED
North Atlantic Ocean NERFINISHED
near Brest, France
near Iceland
namedAfter River Rhine NERFINISHED
notableEngagement Battle of the Denmark Strait
final battle of Bismarck
notableEvent torpedo hit from aircraft of HMS Ark Royal jammed Bismarck’s rudders
opposingBelligerent Canada
Royal Navy
United Kingdom NERFINISHED
partOf Battle of the Atlantic
plannedBy Kriegsmarine High Command
precededBy Operation Berlin
result Bismarck damaged and later sunk
German tactical success at the Battle of the Denmark Strait
failure to achieve sustained commerce raiding in the Atlantic
heavy damage to HMS Prince of Wales
sinking of HMS Hood
startDate 1941-05-18
theatre Atlantic theatre of World War II
timePeriod May 1941


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