ACH/WI: Bismarck defects

Saphroneth

Banned
The other issue of course is Prinz Eugen. Since it's virtually impossible to imagine that two German ships would defect, Bismarck's admiral and Captain would need to do this after the Denmark Straits battle and they separated. This also makes US internment the only realistic possibility, since the RN is not going to be looking to immediately accept the surrender of a Nazi battleship that just sank its biggest warship.
Could Lutjens order Prinz Eugen to try and draw off the shadowing RN cruisers instead? That sounds like an appropriately sneaky moment that has a chance of avoiding the loss of Hood.
 
What about Minnesota? That's a state with many German-Americans in, as I understand it... it's not in use, either.

It wasn't. Neither was "North Dakota" in use any more and there were lots of German-Americans there also...hence the name Bismarck for the capital. Since many German-American immigrants were also socialists, however, one wonders if they would necessarily like the USN pandering to them with a Nazi battleship. But Minnesota might work.
 
Could Lutjens order Prinz Eugen to try and draw off the shadowing RN cruisers instead? That sounds like an appropriately sneaky moment that has a chance of avoiding the loss of Hood.

Yes, that is something of which Tom Clancy would approve.
 
I've wanted to write an ASB TL where a leading admiral defects. My plan was first, have the admiral use lots of Jewish workers ("Mein Fuhrer, these bankers will clean our boilers! Well, either I get proper Aryans from the workforce, or I have to use Jews"). That, plus a core of loyal (to the admiral) officers to help out. Really only need a minimum of sailors (but how many? 200? 400??). I remembered how Clancy had the captain wrote a letter announcing it- I would have this admiral organize a conference a few cities away so most sailors are gone.

The big day, announce to local authorities that the English have mined the ships, and to avoid civilian casualties the ships will sortie. Have a destroyer blow up to emphasize the point. Then sail away... would need to be before Norway and Denmark are seized, so Luftwaffe farther away. Perhaps the admiral is despondent in the winter of 1939-40, over Germany fighting WW1 again?
 
Yes, that is something of which Tom Clancy would approve.

'The Hunt For Black November?' :)

But it is hard to imagine a battleship defecting. Too many people would know what is going on. A submarine though? Much easier, but much less of coup, admittedly.
 

fred1451

Banned
Did the Bismark even have the fuel to get to the Eastern Seaboard after the PoW's hit to the fuel tanks? Maybe Iceland would be a better port to try for.
 
Top