SINK THE BISMARCK! The FILM, The FACTS - WFP Review 

Great to see this, my Dad was an extra in this film. He was at medical school in London and it was common for the students to work as extras at the film studio. He is clearly visible in the scene where the mail is being handed out to the sailors.

Dana Wynter. Let me go on record, drop dead gorgeous. What a babe! She, epitomizes a lot of the beauty of more modern women, and her character actually shows empathy, a rare quality in actresses today. They should have made a sequel with her, "After the Bismarck,” and later, “Remember the Bismarck,” and finally “Raise the Bismarck,” staring, Dana Winter. She was born in Germany, ironic.

I have some 800 movies in my collection. This movie, I’ve seen 24 times. Never gets old. OK, not exactly historically accurate at all points, but I think it captures the realities , the fears, the decisions that had to be made, and sacrifices of what really happened. The Acting is superb , and fictional story line, believable. It’s just a fantastic movie. 📻🙂

One of my favourite films. Although i wish HMS Rodney was given the credit she deserved.

It should be noted that the blood dripping down the speaking tube on Prince of Wales actually happened. I'm glad you mentioned Esmond Knight's participation in the Battle of Denmark Strait. He recovered from his wound sufficiently to play Chorus in Lawrence Olivier's 1944 production of Henry V.

Just one note: the blood was not “coming from the ceiling” but actually, more gruesome, through the voice tube (that are still used, or at least installed, as backup to power voice boxes and sound-powered phones on modern naval ships today). That tube went from the bridge down four decks to the piloting officers station before dripping on the piloting officers chart.

Shepherd and Davis, a destroyer not sunk, a Swordfish not shot down, a film of HMS Sheffield showing as Bismarck, a few repeated scenes of battle and the fact the HOOD/BISMARCK confrontation is staged in reverse of the actual directions the two sides were steaming……. AND a very very BAD Churchill voice impersonator….. HECK! I grew up loving this flick, grabbed the book off the library shelf, after which I “graduated” to Forrester’s Hornblower, obviously, and I STILL LOVE IT. I only hope evil Hollywood never considers remaking it and ruining another classic.

This pops up reasonably regularly on tv in the UK and despite having seen it many times I always find it hard to turn over when it's on. Always, for me, an indicator of a good film is that the time flies by and before you know it it's over.

I have watched this film countless times, I believe that would they did with what they could reveal at the time the book was written and the film made, for example the breaking of the enigma, the use of rdf and radio comm chatter for fixing the position of the Bismarck. But gods. They did so well showing the tough decisions that people have to make behind the scenes, the action scenes are brilliant, using vanguard for the gun loading scenes (as a perfect example). The grief when Shepard thinks his son is dead, describes surviving his ship sinking and then going home to find his wife and instead… the way they slowly reveal why he is such a closed off person and the wren officer slowly coaxing him out, softly gently and tenderly. I like to think that although there is the hinted possibility of romance there, it’s more likely to be a lasting friendship between the two. Brilliant video by the way, very thurough and precise! Subscribed.

Well done and kudos for not using an AI voice. I first saw this movie on TV in the late 1960s as a young boy. It wowed me and even today it still holds up for entertainment even though there are inaccuracies.

Thank You for this presentation ! It was very good. The Cast was excellent; Kenneth Moore, Dana Wynter and the Officers and Crews of both ships.

Good film. The key narrative of the events is one of great luck on both sides. The hit on HMS Hood was an incredibly lucky on actually a very well armoured ship. Then the Royal Navy had equal luck with the torpedo hit on Bismarck’s rudders. The tragedy is the whole story resulted in; the deaths of 3500 young men but that’s the reality of war.

Really, well done. I loved the news reels and the German footage. Nice to hear a genuine person.

Much of the footage of the Bismarck sailors fighting flooding explosions and fire I believe were carried out at the RN's Sea Survival School. Abandoning could be done from any ship. Anyone who has served will have been through that fun.

It is impressive that a guy who was wounded on the Prince of Wales served as the captain of the ship in the movie. Reminds me of Richard Todd who played paratrooper leader John Howard in The Longest Day. Todd WAS a paratrooper in the same area and wound up meeting up with Howard either on D-Day or perhaps Plus-1 or Plus 2. Donald Pleasance played a POW in The Great Escape and guess what? He was a POW of the Germans in WW2.

Always good to see this classic movie. My Dad served on the battleship King George V, which he helped build before he joined the RN. He enjoyed it too. Which is quite a compliment let me tell you.

Breaks my heart to know that only 3 men survived the Hood sinking. God bless those who went down with the Hood. Now none are alive. RIP men of the Hood.

This is a great film I always like to watch it now and again, I always loved Kenneth More and he says in his book about the making of ' Sink The Bismark' that he found it hard as he normally played happy go lucky type people and he had to joke around in between takes as he had to be very detached as a character, I think he did very well.

People have to understand that this movie is not a documentary and therefore not strictly accurate, its a drama but so many people don't realise this and base their understanding on this movie. Thank you for mentioning Lutyens political stance and that he was not a Nazi, he was a decent and noble man and Officer and I feel this was a real insult.

The Hood was a battlecruiser rather than a cruiser. It was a 'one off' as it was under construction in WW1 when the other ships of the same class were all destroyed in the Battle of Jutland. Attempts were made to address some of the design issues. Increased armour made the Hood sit low in the water and its decks could be awash in heavy weather. They had not cured the vulnerability of the magazine and loading system which was largely responsible for the loss of its sister ships.

Esmond Knight, who played the captain of the Prince of Wales, was actually on the ship during the battle, seeing HMS Hood blowup. He was severely wounded, losing one eye during the battle.

Great movie. Only have seen it about 8 times.

This video is great. I was glad to see that you discussed the incorrect script aspect of the admiral's political views. Further to that, according to Ludovic Kennedy's book about the Bismark, membership of the Nazi party was strongly discouraged in the Kriegsmarine. The service, as should have been, wanted to be apolitical.

HMS Hood was not a battleship but a battlecruiser.

Another very brief appearance in the film is Johnny Briggs a.k.a. Mike Baldwin from Coronation Street.

Hi, The scuttling is somewhat controversial, what the 2002 Ballard report actually said in several places was: "The devastation caused by the shellfire combined with the effects of several torpedo hits to overwhelm and defeat the Bismarck, causing the ship to begin sinking due to uncontrollable progressive flooding. The German crew sped the inevitable demise of their ship by initiating scuttling measures." and "The inevitable sinking process was accelerated by the detonation of scuttling charges by the Germans. (This is our conviction, albeit a mildly controversial one for those who insist that there was no scuttling of the German battleship. Certainly, Bismarck would have sunk even if not scuttled by her crew.33)" It also quoted a previous report thusly: "The 2001 ITN expedition that explored the Bismarck wreck identified these holes as the evidence of torpedo damage. This supposed "torpedo damage" was as great on the port side as the starboard, even though most of the torpedo hits were claimed to have occurred on the starboard side. Previous forensic analysts concluded that a number of unlikely but possible claimed hits by the cruiser Norfolk and the battleship Rodney could now be confirmed. These analysts also concluded, as a consequence, that the scuttling claimed by the German survivors was unlikely and irrelevant, that the torpedo damage inflicted by the British torpedo hits was more than enough to have caused the ship to sink when it did"" and this in the conclusions of the Ballard report: "Late in the final engagement, the Bismark was defeated, sinking as the result of uncontrollable progressive flooding, and virtually defenseless. The Executive Officer, CDR Hans Oels, ordered the scuttling of the ship − “Measure V [V = ‘Versunken’]” − and the charges were detonated shortly after 1020. By 1035, the ship had assumed a heavy port list, capsizing slowly and sinking by the stern. The bow disappeared about 1040." So, although it was scuttled or at least scuttling charges were detonated, it would have sunk later due to battle damage. The report can be downloaded from the internet, therefore, you can check for yourself.

One detail that was probably not known in 1960 is that Prince of Wales won her exchange with Bismarck. It is a common belief that Admiral Lutjens erred in not finishing off his opponent. This belief is false. Prince of Wales scored two critical hits on Bismarck and reduced her speed to 27 knots. Both German ships turned away because they thought torpedoes were in the water and they opened the range. Bismarck no longer had a speed advantage. (See Simon Read's " The Iron Sea) Esmond Knight was not the only British actor who participated in the events shown in a movie. Richard Todd played Maj John Howard in the Longest Day. LT John Todd was part of Howard's force that siezed Pegasus Bridge. In the movie you see LT Todd reporting to Major Howard. When they were filming one of the scenes and not getting it right, Todd stepped out of character to make it right.

"Sink The Bismarck" such a classic movie.

To me, it is one of those movies that never dates. The scripting, acting and effects are first class.

Thank you for mentioning the declassified role of the code breakers. A close member of the family was at Bletchley Park and after things about Station X became public had told me they were decoding Bismark’s signals.

Good piece, thanks. I read Forrester's book when I was 10 or 11 and it left quite an impression on me. I love the film but always thought that the Lutjens character was overcooked. So I appreciate your notes on him. Great notes on the actors/characters, thank you. I did not know.

This movie has do lots of the things you talk about. The fictional characters and the room they work in. It is not covered nor does it need to be stated but is seems pretty clear the actions to track, locate and then to finally sink the Bismarck probably took place over 2 weeks to a month. Moving the ships around looking and then dispatching the carrier . The movie is more about the effort it took then about the actual sinking, even though Bismarck is sunk. The movie is not historic movie but it cover the historic sinking of Bismarck. Remember to tally all lives lost from both sides. As always I think of the lives lost from both sides. Such a waist of life. This is a good movie I enjoy watching 2 times a year still

Another great review! Thanks for posting. Having previously seeing your 1st Review of this movie, I was particularly impressed with your additional background info adding to my enjoyment. When I was a young lad, I read a detailed book of the event with historical photos and insider knowledge of the events. Jolly Well Done my Lad.

Fascinating!!!

Back in the sixties there were plenty of actors who had seen service in WW2, Esmond Knight being a prime example. You're correct about the large gunned ships, any surface ships for that matter....WW1 was the swan song for them...ie:- Jutland... The development of the airplane finished them in WW2.....They were lucky to survive a concentrated aerial attack...

Reading about the careers of the Bismarck and Tirpitz makes you wonder if the expense of building them was worth it, between them they accounted for one ship in direct combat, H.M.S. Hood. Admittedly it was the fear that the Tirpitz had sailed that led to the PQ17 convoy debacle, but even then the Tirpitz never actually engaged another ship in combat.

Hi Walt, just binge watched all your videos in the last few days and I've loved every one of them. 5 requests: 1. The Go Between 2. Carve Her Name with Pride 3. Unwin, Wittering and Zigo 4. Juggernaut 5. A Kind of Loving Keep up the great work

Very good doco! One correction though - The Prinz Eugen was a Battlecruiser and the Bismarck was a Battleship not the other way around!

Congratulations on your closing remarks and footage. You have summed the looming demise of the battleship perfectly and the service in the RN by lead actors adding authenticity to the film is a nice touch. My final. We could have done with Shepherd's descent to humanity after his son is missing, then his recovery just before KHV opens fire. A tad twee methinks

Another great review! Thanks for posting.

Good review, as always, of a great film. It’s interesting to note that there are no Hollywood big names attached to the film, that financing the film was not dependent on A list actors bringing money to the production. Clearly the British film industry was thriving.

Great review except you left out the fact that HMS Solent was not sunk by Bismarck but it was a dramatic scene for sure! I’ve only seen this movie ten times!!

i saw it years ago - probably the 60s - on TV i think - i was hugely impressed at its documentary approach - with B&W enhancing the effect - to its credit - romance was almost non-existent - altho the beauteous Dana Wynter stimulated romantic notions in a lot of young men in the audience - - the earlier film "The Enemy Below" had a similar procedural vibe - but it was color lacked the documentary feel

The Prince Of Wales was actually a battleship. Second ship of the KGV class I believe.

Thanks for real scenes at sea and your take on the Movie. I think i first saw the movie in 1974. I always looking for different people documentary on wars facts and biases which is always on the US side 😅😂

Another great film that I could watch again and again. The final scene, the two sailors outside the underground naval HQ. The one doing all the talking, Victor Maddam he used to live about a mile away from me. An episode of a police drama called Z cars was once filmed on his land.

Excellent review.

During the swordfish attack on Bismarck they show the famous British pom-pom firing. Tirpitz was the largest warship built in Europe... in Europe... until the carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth. The notion of Taranto inspiring Pearl Harbor is British self agrandisment. The air minded Yamamoto (who had been captain of Akagi yeeears ago) already had that in his head.

Great video thanks

The Star of this film, Kenneth More, was a Royal Navy veteran. He portrays Captain Shepard as a strict disciplinarian who also conducts himself in a far more gentlemanly manner than General Patton ever did.

HMS Victorious attacked Bismarck in her own right. as well as Ark Royal.

Based on the book from C S Forrester

Love watching this film,there are lots of characters in the film even Johnny briggs, ( Mike Baldwin ) 👍👍.

Best British war movie ever? It's a contender.

They must make another movie about Bismarck, just more historically accurate, especially in its portrayal of Lindermann and definitely Lutjens! Portray Lutjens so he’s an antagonist in the story but not turn him into a villain either, I think Lutjens has potential as a sympathetic antagonist!

I don't know if someone has already mentioned it or not, but HMS Hood was a Battlecruiser. You called her a Heavy Cruiser.

There is so many more historical errors in the movie, so I'll just name some of the biggest! Admiral Lutjens would not give the order to open fire on the Hood and POW, Kapitan Lindemann stepped in saying "I will not have my ship shot out from under my ass" and gave the order to open fire! A couple of days before the Battle of the Denmark Straight, the Bismarck fired it's 15 inch guns at the shaddowing cruisers Norfolk and Suffork, the concussion of the shots knocked out Bismarck's radar! So Lutjens's ordered the Prinz Eugen to take the lead! Because the silhouettes of the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen were so simular the British opened fire on the Prinz Eugen first before realizing their mistake! After the battle in the movie Lutjens ordered the Prinz Eugen to make for France while the Bismarck continued on to hunt for convoys! It was the other way around! A hit from Prince of Wales damaged Bismarck's fuel tanks causing it to lose fuel, so the Bismarck made for France while the Prinz Eugen continued to hunt for convoys! The Bismarck did not sink a British destroyer! The birthday message Lutjen's received was sent by Grand Admiral Erich Raeder, not Hitler! But at least you got the biggest error right! Admiral Lutjen's was not a wild eyed fanatical Nazi in denial until the end! In fact, Lutjen's ignored Hitler's 1935 Nuremberg Laws and refused to dismiss his Jewish officers that served under him! It's confusing why the British in the 1956 movie Pursuit of the Graf Spee respected the memory of Kapitan Hans Langsdorff so honorably, but trashed Admiral Gunther Lutjen's memory so badly in Sink the Bismarck?

Good review!

It could be argued that the Bismarck's sea reign was ended by a lucky torpedo hit that struck it's rudder. Then again; how about the slow, cumbersome, antiquated Swordfish, that, because of that, snuck under the depression-point of those mighty guns....enabling the rudder hit.....the fortunes of naval war, e.g the lucky shot on the mighty Hood that killed not only the ship but 1,415 sailors......c'est la guerre.

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Another error in the film, besides the downed Swordfish, was the sinking of a British Destroyer during a night attack on Bismarck towards the end of the film. While there was an actual nighttime attack by 5 destroyers, one Polish, none were sunk.🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

"Those are not cruisers, they are battleships, Captain, open fire on the leading ship!" Not true, Admiral Lutjens primary objective was attacking merchant vessels and avoiding a show down with the Royal Navy, following several salvos from our ships, none back from Bismarck in retaliation. So a frustrated Lindemann had intervened saying "I will not have my ship blown out from under my arse!"

The footage of Bismarck firing from Prinz Eugen is not of former firing at Hood. The latter had already been sunk and the Germans had turned away due to fear of torpedo attack from Hood before it exploded. B is shooting over its port aft shoulder at PoW, latter's by then way off salvos are seen splashing (note B is ripple firing its main guns). In the movie battle the ships are shown shooting in the wrong (reverse) directions!!!!!!:(:(:(:(:( What is that about? And the simplistic explosion of Hood is nothing like described my witnesses, with the main explosion not including the bow section, and the bow rearing up near vertical from turrets forward before the final death plunge. The Hornblower movies from the same era had much more realistic battle scenes. This is a movie that could use a redo -- but they would probably overhype the scenes as in Pearl Harbor and Midway:(

A lovely film, to be sure...

I met some of the crew Bismarck in Wilhelmshaven in 1972, their group was twinned with the Petty Officers mess on HMS Fife, they said that their ship was sunk by the RN, they made no mention scuttling.

It was wrong to make Lutjens a Nazi. But then this was a British Film so one has to remember that and in 1960 there were still a lot of Brits who remembered the war. and films tended to do this sort of thing; like in Zulu where they made the character Hook into a troublemaking drunk when he was a fine soldier artistic license is as old as films and sadly always has been used way too much

From Wikipedia: "In November 1938, Lütjens was one of only three flag officers, including Dönitz, who protested in writing to Raeder, Commander-in-Chief of the navy, against the anti-Jewish Kristallnacht pogroms." I believe this helps explain why the German Navy chose to name a destroyer after him.

I had no idea that a newsreel might have multi language commentaries.

It;s a great film and should be compulsive viewing for all school kids and students. Some inaccuracies, but still entertaining and well worth a watch. And Dana Wynter still looks gorgeous in black and white. Have to say I do love a woman in uniform..

I find it vindictive of the British not to accept the surrender of the crew. I am quite sure it was related to the loss of the Hood’s crew.

Have you done The Cruel Sea? One of the best British war films ever made. The best naval war film ever made.

At 5;32, "Between the Bismarck and the 'hooser" Hood"? How did that gibberish get into the narration?

Check out the actual naval chart of the battle of Denmark straight then look at this movie, the ships are shown back to front. Bismarck is shown firing to the right when in reality she was shooting to the left, the opposite is true for Hood.

Like others I love this film except the very last scene when Moore and Wynters decide to go to dinner and emerge into the daylight realizing it’s seven am instead of pm. The fact that they weren’t on military time in a war room is a bit far fetched.

I got a book on the Bismarck written by a man who served on her

6:55 Of course Bismarck didn‘t have pom-poms but the notoriously bad German 3.7 cm Flak. Otherwise I found the film mostly looking realistic and thus much better than that about Graf Spee (can’t even remember its name).

I just can't remember any mention of Bismark sinking a British cruiser in the film

One minor point, as well as a Navy and propaganda operation, it was also an RAF one.

The battle of the Denmark Strait depicted in the film is the wrong way round, the British ships should have been firing to starboard, not to port. The film is riddled with historical inaccuracy, but it's still a great film, highly recommended.

Its a pity that the film didnt show the actual battle more closely and show the actual movements of the ships, especially HOOD. That would be preferable to the scene on HOOD's bridge just before the fatal hit. And got the scene on Bismarck's bridge right at thecstart of the engagement. Lutjen's specific fleet orders were, wherever possible, avoid contact with enemy capital units. In fact, he did NOT say, "those are not cruisers, they are battle ships. Open fire Lindemann'. He actually held to his own orders after Hood and POW opened fire on Eugen, misidentifying her (POW was to engage Eugen , Hood Bismarck). It wasnt't until Lindemann said "I wont have my ship shot out from under my arse" that he gave the order.

Have you read the destruction of the Bismarck by Holger hair wig?

There was no captain shepherd in reality Or a beautiful wren! Altho kenneth more was a ww2 naval officer!

THERE IS A CRIME OF SLANDER associated with the movie. Not only was Luchens NOT A NAZI. I WAS MISTAKEN ABOUT Lindemann being a Nazi so I withdraw the comment. Thanks to commentator DovetonSturdee for correcting me!

A couple of points. The film portrays a British destroyer being sunk by Bismarck and this didn't occur. Also, on what evidence do you base the claim that German crewmen were making signs that they wished to surrender? Thirdly, the idea that Bismarck was scuttled and somehow not sunk by British forces is ridiculous. Bismarck was totally done for as a result of British action and would not have survived anyway.

kms Bismark was scuttled per Clive Cussler

In real life, as presented, Shepherd was obviously suffering from early PTSD having lost his ship in action and therefore should not be in this high stress posting.

The unfortunate and unnecessary inclusion of a totally false event, the supposed sinking of a Royal Navy destroyer by Bismarck, rather detracts, at least in my opinion, from the film.

Dana Wynter's first name is pronounced "Donna"...

I remember seeing this film in 1960 as a boy of 14 years of age. I loved the film with the exception to TWO things. Ed Morrow, a typical American constantly refers to the ROYAL NAVY as the British Navy, and he also states that Britain stood alone at that time. Whilst this is technically correct; it is also INCORRECT! The BRITISH COMMONWEALTH of NATIONS all STOOD BEHIND THE MOTHER COUNTRY, AND PROVIDED THEIR TROOPS (ARMIES; NAVIES AND AIR FORCES) TO SUPPORT THE MOTHER COUNTRY from 1939 to 1945.

I have some 800 movies in my collection. This movie, I’ve seen 24 times. Never gets old. OK, not exactly historically accurate at all points, but I think it captures the realities , the fears, the decisions that had to be made, and sacrifices of what really happened. The Acting is superb , and fictional story line, believable. It’s just a fantastic movie. 📻🙂