The Bismark Enters the War | Nazi Mega Weapons: Hitler's Megaships

PBS Learning Media
Contributed By
PBS Learning Media
Resource Type
Classroom Material
Keywords
Nazi Mega Weapons Hitler Germany World War 2 World War II WWII european history Hitler Nazi Bismark Tirpitz Atlantic HMS Hood HMS Ark Royal
Subjects
History-Social Science History
Grade Levels
Grade 9 Grade 10 Grade 11 Grade 12
Related Resources

The Bismark Enters the War | Nazi Mega Weapons: Hitler's Megaships

Learn about Bismarcks maiden voyage and her fate. In the fall of 1940 Bismarck sets sail for trials and by the spring of 1941 is ready to enter the Battle of the Atlantic. But Hitler is unsure about sending his most prestigious weapon into battle, he is beginning to be swayed by the power of U-Boats. Raeder has other plans. He believes a decisive strike by Bismarck could change the face of the war and bring Hitler back to the side of the battle ship. He sends Bismarck on her maiden operation on May 18th 1941. She quickly engages with the British who have been shadowing her, and sink their prize ship: the Hood. All the British fleet now chase Bismarck down. Biplanes from the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal torpedo her rudders and Bismarck becomes stranded in the ocean. The British surround her and after 2 hours of continuous bombardment she sinks with the loss of nearly 2,000 sailors.

Publisher
PBS Learning Media

Unfortunately, we were unable to load the necessary assets to access this site.
Try reloading the page to verify your network is still working.

If the problem persists, please verify that https://cdn.caeducatorstogether.org/ is not blocked by your network firewall. You may need to reach out to your agency's Network/IT support staff to get access.

For any questions or further assistance please contact us at support@onelearningcommunity.com