The Demise of the Flagship Battleship: A Chronicle of the Air-Sea Battles of World War II

Author: Wang Yishan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-06-01
Features: This book takes the famous battleships such as the "Bismarck," "Yamato," and others as the main threads, detailing the thrilling naval battles that took place in the Pacific, Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Arctic waters during World War II. The battle scenes recorded in the book are intense and realistic, providing readers with a clear understanding of naval combat, especially the operations of battleships, aircraft carriers, and submarines. The book features vivid plots and strong historical authenticity, making it a valuable reference in both history and military studies.
On October 1, 1939, in the officer's cabin of the supply ship "Wis?a," Karl D?nitz, commander of the German submarine force, leaned forward, gazing down at a large map of the Orkney Islands. He was waiting for the commander of the submarine "U-47," Prien, to send him on a mission to penetrate Scapa Flow and deliver a devastating blow to the Royal Navy. D?nitz squinted his eyes, his expression melancholic. A month earlier, Hitler had invaded Poland, igniting the flames of World War II. Two days later, Britain and France declared war on Germany. The German Navy was ready to reclaim its glory and face off against its old rival, the Royal Navy. He had calculated that to ensure victory in the Atlantic, he would need at least 300 submarines. However, things did not go as planned. He only had 57 submarines, and only half of them were capable of long-distance operations. Given this situation, he decided to strike first, launching an unrestricted submarine warfare from the outset. In other words, submarines could sink any ship traveling to Britain without warning.
However, Hitler rejected his plan. This Bohemian rogue only cherished battleships and heavy guns, treating the "Bismarck" battleship as his prized possession, and knew little about submarines, those small toys. He strictly ordered D?nitz to operate according to the terms of the pre-war international treaties. Submarines could only sink merchant ships carrying war materials after they had been thoroughly inspected and the crew had disembarked. Hitler's actions were not out of kindness but to appease the United States, allowing him to focus on attacking the Soviet Union. Unfortunately, D?nitz made a mistake in this matter. On September 3, the submarine "U-30" acted on its own, sinking the British merchant ship "Athenia" off the Hebrides, resulting in 118 deaths, including 22 Americans. The British were furious, the Americans were shocked, Hitler raged, and D?nitz lived in constant fear. Fearing the U.S. would use the incident as a pretext to enter the war, Hitler insisted it was not a German submarine that had committed the act. The logbook of the "U-30" was destroyed, and the crew solemnly pledged to keep the secret.
It was in this context that D?nitz conceived the idea of attacking Scapa Flow. To restore the honor of the submarine force, he had to target the Royal Navy. In the German Navy, Scapa Flow was a symbol of shame. Located at the northern tip of Scotland's Orkney Islands, it was a deep-water harbor surrounded by mountains, covering an area of over 340 hectares. It bordered the North Sea to the east and the Atlantic to the west, making it a strategically important anchorage. During World War I, Scapa Flow was the main base of the Royal Navy. In 1916, the British fleet set sail from here to engage the German fleet in the Battle of Jutland. In 1918, Germany was defeated. The following year, German naval vessels were interned in the port and later deliberately sunk. This is precisely why D?nitz decided to tackle this tough nut, aiming to crush the British's morale. He acted swiftly, ordering the collection of intelligence immediately. On September 6, an "Heinkel" bomber was dispatched for aerial reconnaissance, and a submarine was sent to observe the tides and currents at the entrance to Scapa Flow. From the photographs taken by the plane, it was clear that all the major warships of the Royal Navy's Home Fleet were in port, with strict defenses at every entrance.