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Originally Posted by Kaleu_Mihoo
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Originally Posted by Hitman
I don't really understand what the difference is between being sunk by shells or scuttled before the shells did their job :hmm: Even if the crew had scuttled the Bismarck, it was just a matter of some minutes (And shells) more before it would go down anyway. And of course, since the last gun went off, it was a defeated ship 
The Bismarck episode has much of epic and in the popular folklore it was sure augmentated a few times but overall it was just another of the many dramatic actions in the war. Only it received more propaganda. |
I coudn't say it better myself, Hitman!
I think the obvious problem in such endless “which one was better” discussions is considering only the technical data of the German equipment “on the paper”, and to disregard the real production capacities, materials availability etc. Let me give some examples: The King Tiger tank, best of the best, with front armor fragmenting and thus killing the crew after a hit with HE shell  , revolutionary He-162 Volksjäger, capable of doing 1100 km/h when diving and constructed from wood or the XXI Elektroboot, consisting of parts that doesn’t fit because produced in 1000 works using slave labor . They were good designs, but only designs, so I don’t think it is a good idea to put their real combat value on a same level with figures calculated in design offices. My 2 cents.
Greets |
Please differ between early and late war production. German construction quality levels up until the end of 42 were superb, and only then wartime conditions and slave labor later on detoriated quality to very low levels. Bismarck was a product from a time where german construction was still at the highest. But it is interesting you took only examples of 44/45 to prove your point about a ship from a different "era".