World War II · Film · 1960
Sink the Bismarck!
In May 1941 Germany's most powerful battleship breaks out into the Atlantic, and from an underground war room in London a cold, grieving naval officer directs the hunt across the ocean.
Where it happened
Follow the story across 4 places.
Stop 1: Blohm & Voss shipyard, Hamburg
Before a cheering crowd, Hitler watches the launch of the battleship that is meant to rule the Atlantic.
Stop 2: Admiralty war room, London
Key location
Captain Shepard plots the chase on a giant map, gambling ships, fuel and his own son's life on where Bismarck will go next.
Stop 3: Denmark Strait
Between Greenland and Iceland, the German ships meet Hood and Prince of Wales in a brief, shattering gun battle.
Stop 4: Atlantic west of Brest
Crippled by a torpedo hit, Bismarck steams in circles as the Home Fleet closes in for the final battle.
What really happened
Bismarck and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen sailed in May 1941 to raid Allied convoys. On 24 May, in the Denmark Strait, they sank the battlecruiser HMS Hood; only three of her 1,418 men survived. The Royal Navy threw dozens of ships into the chase, and on 26 May a Swordfish torpedo from HMS Ark Royal jammed Bismarck's rudder.
On 27 May the battleships King George V and Rodney wrecked Bismarck west of Brest; only about 115 of her crew of more than 2,200 were saved. Captain Shepard and his staff are fictional, the destroyer HMS Solent never existed, and Admiral Lütjens, shown as a fanatical Nazi, was in reality a reserved officer who disliked the regime.
Where to watch
Checking streaming services…
Full details
- Original title
- Sink the Bismarck!
- Directed by
- Lewis Gilbert
- Countries
- United Kingdom
- Languages
- English, German
- Released
- 1960
- Period
- –
- Theaters of war
- Atlantic & Arctic
- Themes
- Naval
- Combat
- True story
