The Battle of the Denmark Strait: a Critical Analysis of the Bism

Naval War College Review Volume 68 Article 13 Number 4 Autumn 2015 The aB ttle of the eD nmark Strait: A Critical Analysis of the Bismarck’s Singular Triumph Holger H. Holwig Robert J. Winklareth Follow this and additional works at: https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review Recommended Citation Holwig, Holger H. and Winklareth, Robert J. (2015) "The aB ttle of the eD nmark Strait: A Critical Analysis of the Bismarck’s Singular Triumph," Naval War College Review: Vol. 68 : No. 4 , Article 13. Available at: https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review/vol68/iss4/13 This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Naval War College Review by an authorized editor of U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 118 NAVALHolwig WAR and COLLEGEWinklareth: REVIEW The Battle of the Denmark Strait: A Critical Analysis of the Bism of challenges: from the toppling of Qad- what was, by many accounts, a success- hafi to the civil war in Syria, Israeli secu- ful tour as the supreme allied command- rity, a resurgent Russia, the Balkans, and er� This was not to be� He describes, finally, of course, Afghanistan� Thus the plainly, that some of his official travel first few chapters are a whirlwind of in- was not properly paid for, and a single dividuals, meetings, and events� Among trip was deemed questionable by the all this, he often pauses within chapters inspector general� He accepted respon- to highlight some of the more important sibility for his and his staff’s mistakes, senior military and political officials and made reparations� Although he was that make up the NATO alliance� cleared by the Secretary of the Navy Stavridis spends considerable time from any wrongdoing, the long inves- in these early chapters setting up the tigation was enough to complicate the facts—stating what happened—and political winds that are Washington, and then trying to balance it against why the Secretary of Defense had to remove it happened and what he learned from his nomination� While certainly not ris- it� The first part of the book, however, ing to Orwell’s definition of disgraceful, feels rushed and compressed, and even nonetheless, it was not his shining hour� in his best efforts the balance tilts For this reader, the stories of his days toward more numbers and facts and commanding USS Barry, beautifully away from a deep exploration of the captured in his book Destroyer Captain, why� If there was one weakness, this is remain my favorite� Its style, written in it� You are left wanting more discus- a journalist’s hand, is intimate and mov- sion on how the policy was shaped ing—a man that loves the sea yet knows in Washington and in Brussels� What he is human and only can go as far as his was the dialogue during these many crew takes him� Still, his new memoir meetings? And why was it persuasive? is a refreshing dose of honesty, intel- The second part of the book shines� ligence, and reflection—much needed Here he discusses leadership, strategic in today’s Navy and tomorrow’s leaders� planning, innovation, and strategic CHRISTOPHER NELSON communication� All of these chapters are excellent and well worth the price of the book� In one chapter, Stavridis talks about the actions that led to Generals McChrystal’s and Petraeus’s resigna- Winklareth, Robert J� The Battle of the Denmark tions—and his own stumbles� It is here Strait: A Critical Analysis of the Bismarck’s Singu- he almost passes the George Orwell test� lar Triumph� Havertown, Pa�: Casemate Publish- Orwell once said, “Autobiography is only ers, 2012� 336pp� $32�95 to be trusted when it reveals something From Johnny Horton’s 1960 ballad disgraceful� A man who gives a good “Sink the Bismarck” to James Cameron’s account of himself is probably lying, Expedition Bismarck for the Discovery since any life when viewed from the Channel in 2002, the sole sortie of the inside is simply a series of defeats�” And German battleship in May 1941 has for Stravridis it is not all good� Stavridis held the attention of both the general explains that he was nominated to be public and naval historians� The latter the Chief of Naval Operations, following mainly concentrate on the destruction of Published by U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons, 2015 1 NWC_Autumn2015Reivew.indb 118 8/13/15 3:06 PM Naval War College Review, Vol. 68 [2015], No. 4, Art. 13 BOOK REVIEWS 119 Bismarck on 27 May after a lucky aerial famous and most important naval battles torpedo hit disabled the ship’s steering of World War II” will raise the hackles mechanism� Not so Robert Winklareth� especially of historians of the U�S� Navy His focus instead is on Bismarck’s “sin- in the Pacific 1941–45� And his sec- gular triumph” in destroying the British ond claim, that the encounter between battle cruiser Hood three days earlier� Bismarck and Hood “is perhaps the most A 38 cm shell from its fifth salvo sliced documented event in naval history,” through Hood’s armored side below will come as news to German naval the aft turrets, setting off first the 4 in� historians who are all too aware of the secondary armament magazine and fact that Bismarck’s war diary (Kriegs- then the main 15 in� magazine� Only 3 tagebuch) went down with the ship� of its complement of 1,421 survived� With regard to the broader aspects of the So, what is new? Winklareth, a mili- battle of the Denmark Strait, Winklareth tary weapons systems expert, traces all spends a great deal of time sketching action at sea in five-second intervals� out the past histories of the German and He primarily uses translated German British navies as well as the major ship records of the battle of the Denmark designs of the two powers� The ac- Strait to offer a salvo-by-salvo analysis, tual artillery duel between the German to re-create the speed and headings of battleship and the British battle cruiser, the major combatants, and to determine in fact, consumes but half a dozen pages the precise firing angles and effects of of chapter 13� Unfortunately, there is the heavy guns� Unsurprisingly, the book no attempt to place “Operation Rhein- is highly detailed and a feast mainly for übung,” the German sortie into the naval engineering and gunnery enthu- Atlantic, into the wider context of Grand siasts� It is complemented by count- Admiral Erich Raeder’s double-pole less charts, diagrams, photographs, strategy of attacking Britain’s maritime and pencil drawings (by the author)� commerce with two modern battle Winklareth’s own battle is with the fleets in the Atlantic Ocean, while a (unnamed) historians who claim that third fleet of elderly battleships tied just before the engagement with Hood, the Royal Navy down in the North Sea� Bismarck, in a mere six minutes, came The reader deserved this analysis� up the port side of the heavy cruiser HOLGER H� HERWIG Prinz Eugen, crossed its wake to its starboard side, and then recrossed the cruiser’s wake to take up position on its port side again (15–16, 258)� What he calls a “reversed photo” error resulted Untermeyer, Chase� Inside Reagan’s Navy: The in this assumption� Few will cross Pentagon Journals. College Station: Texas A&M swords with the author on this matter� Univ� Press, 2015� 352pp� $25 On the other hand, serious historians The Washington diary is something of a of the battle will take umbrage at two lost art these days� Instead, we have to be of Winklareth’s strong statements, both satisfied with books of instant journal- on the first page (11) of the book� His ism using largely anonymous sources or claim that the battle of the Denmark memoirs too often tendentiously crafted Strait “was undoubtedly one of the most after the fact� Chase Untermeyer is a https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review/vol68/iss4/13 2 NWC_Autumn2015Reivew.indb 119 8/13/15 3:06 PM.

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