The day prior, German ships had attempted to break through to the communication routes of the British merchant fleet in the North Atlantic. The famous German battleship, together with heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, destroyed British battlecruiser Hood and then tried to escape with the British squadron in pursuit. Bismarck managed to break away from the enemy for a short time, but the oil slick being left by the battleship prevented her from escaping.

We have a special episode on our channel that tells the story of the ship:

Special Combat Mission

Earn 12 "Incapacitations" or "Hits to citadel" ribbons playing German Tier V–X ships, or five such ribbons playing VIII Prinz Eugen, in Ranked, Random, and Co-op Battles.

Reward: 3x Hunter camouflages

The loss of Hood was a serious blow to the British Admiralty. The majority of British ships in the region immediately joined in the hunt for Bismarck. On the morning of May 26, the battleship was spotted by an RAF Coastal Command flying boat 690 nautical miles northwest of Brest. If he succeeded in getting closer to the shores of occupied France, Admiral Günther Lütjens, who was in command of the German operation, would be able to count on the Luftwaffe forces to cover the ship from the air.

Force H, together with aircraft carrier Ark Royal, set sail from Gibraltar in order to slow down Bismarck's advance. The first wave of British torpedo bombers attacked friendly cruiser Sheffield, but luckily, failed to hit the ship. The evening saw the second air attack on Bismarck, which proved to be fatal. A torpedo wrecked the ship's steering gear while she was making an evasive maneuver. As a result, the rudder jammed and the ship began to move in a circle. Having lost control, Bismarck opened fire on cruiser Sheffield, injuring more than ten of her crew members in the process, and managed to repel an attack by a British destroyer unit led by Cossack.

You can learn more about the legendary German Admiral in this article.

Special Combat Mission

Earn 60 "Spotted" ribbons playing British Tier V–X ships, or 30 such ribbons playing VI Ark Royal, in Ranked, Random, and Co-op Battles.

Reward: 100,000 Credits; 6x India Yankee signals; and 6x November Foxtrot signals.

Despite listing noticeably and being unable to evade attacks, the next morning, Bismarck continued to return fire on the overwhelming enemy forces and managed to damage battleship Rodney. After 45 minutes of exchanging fire, Bismarck had taken heavy damage. All of her main battery turrets were disabled, but the ship still didn't haul down her flag. Meanwhile, the British ships were running low on fuel and ammunition. As soon as it became clear that the German battleship wouldn't be able to reach port, the two British battleships and destroyers were ordered to leave the battle.

Cruiser Dorsetshire hit Bismarck with torpedoes from a short distance. On Bismarck, the order was issued to open the kingston valves and abandon ship. Of the 2,220 men on board, only 116 survived. Most of them were rescued by the British ships, while the remaining sailors were taken aboard a German submarine that arrived in the evening. Among the survivors was the ship's cat—Unsinkable Sam.

We have a special episode about this wonderful cat on our channel:

Special Combat Mission

Earn 25 "Caused flooding" ribbons playing British Tier V–X destroyers or aircraft carriers, or 12 such ribbons playing VIII Cossack or VIII Cossack B, in Ranked, Random, and Co-op Battles.

Reward: 100,000 Credits; 6x India Delta signals; 6x Sierra Bravo signals.

Admiral John Tovey spoke highly of the enemy in his memoirs. He recounted that "Bismarck had put up a most gallant fight against impossible odds worthy of the old days of the Imperial German Navy, and she went down with her colors flying." The British Admiralty also expressed its admiration for the heroic battle, but forbade this position from being pronounced publicly for political reasons.

Together with Sabaton, we made a music video for their song about Bismarck:

Special Combat Mission

Earn the Dreadnought achievement or deal 450,000 damage playing German Tier V–X ships in Ranked, Random, and Co-op Battles.

Reward: 200,000 Credits and 6x signals of each of the following types: Victor Lima, Hotel Yankee, and Juliet Yankee Bissotwo.