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Helmuth Brinkmann

January 31, 2023

Helmuth Brinkmann (12 March 1895 – 26 September 1983) was a Vizeadmiral in the Kriegsmarine during World War II who captained the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen. Prior to World War II he commanded the aviso Grille, Adolf Hitler's state yacht. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Brinkmann surrendered to British troops in 1945 and was held until 1947.

Operation Rheinübung

Goal

The goal of Operation Rheinübung (Rhine Exercise) was for Prinz Eugen and the battleship Bismarck, under the command of Brinkmann's Crew 1913 classmate Captain Ernst Lindemann,[1] to break into the Atlantic and attack Allied shipping. Grand Admiral Erich Raeder's orders to the task force commander, Admiral Günther Lütjens, the Chief of Fleet aboard the Bismarck, were that "the objective of the Bismarck is not to defeat enemies of equal strength, but to tie them down in a delaying action, while preserving combat capacity as much as possible, so as to allow Prinz Eugen to get at the merchant ships in the convoy" and "The primary target in this operation is the enemy's merchant shipping; enemy warships will be engaged only when that objective makes it necessary and it can be done without excessive risk."[2]

Events

At 02:00 on 19 May 1941, Bismarck and Prinz Eugen left Gotenhafen and proceeded through the Baltic Sea and out towards the Atlantic. Unknown to Lütjens, the British had intercepted enough signals to infer that a German naval operation might occur in the area. The German task force was first encountered by the Swedish seaplane-cruiser Gotland on 20 May heading north-west, past Göteborg. The British Admiralty was informed through a Norwegian officer in Stockholm who had learned of the sighting from a Swedish military intelligence source. Alerted by this report, British Admiralty requested air reconnaissance of the Norwegian coast. A Spitfire reconnaissance aircraft found and photographed the German task force in the Grimstad fjord (60°19.49′N 5°14.48′E / 60.32483°N 5.24133°E / 60.32483; 5.24133), near Bergen, at 13:15 on 21 May. On the evening of 23 May at 19:22, the German force was detected by the heavy cruisers HMS Suffolk and HMS Norfolk that had been patrolling the Denmark Strait in the expectation of a German breakout. Bismarck fired five salvos without scoring a direct hit. The heavily outgunned British cruisers retired to a safe distance and shadowed the enemy until their own heavy units could draw closer. However, Bismarck's forward radar had failed as a result of vibration from the heavy guns firing during this skirmish, and Lütjens was obliged to order Prinz Eugen to move ahead of Bismarck in order to provide the squadron with forward radar coverage.[3]

Battle

The hydrophones on Prinz Eugen detected a foreign ship to port at 05:00. The Germans sighted the smokestacks of two ships at 05:45. The British ships started firing at the German task force at 05:53. Vice-Admiral Lancelot Holland planned on targeting Bismarck first, but due to the reversed battle order, HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Hood opened fire on the Prinz Eugen instead. The commander of the Prince of Wales, Captain John Leach, detected this error and ordered his guns swung around to fire on Bismarck. The German task force was still waiting for the order to commence firing, which Admiral Lütjens did not give immediately. Two minutes into the battle Bismarck and Prinz Eugen started firing at Hood. At 05:57 Hood was hit by Prinz Eugen, igniting reserve ammunition stored on deck, and starting a fire. The fifth salvo by Bismarck, fired at a range of about 180 hectometres (18,000 m; 20,000 yd) at 06:01, was seen to hit Hood abreast her mainmast. It is likely that one 38-centimetre (15 in) shell struck somewhere between Hood's mainmast and 'X' turret aft of the mast. A huge jet of flame burst out from Hood from the vicinity of the mainmast. This was followed by a devastating magazine explosion that destroyed the aft part of the ship. This explosion broke the back of Hood, and she sank in only three minutes, her nearly vertical bow last to descend into the water.[4]

Afterwards

Following the explosion, Prince of Wales was targeted by both German ships and disengaged from combat after seven direct hits, four by Bismarck and three by Prinz Eugen, at about 06:09. In the afternoon of 24 May, Admiral Lütjens, ordered Prinz Eugen to break away from the battleship Bismarck and operate independently against the enemy's merchant shipping. Prinz Eugen and Bismarck separated at 18:14 that evening. Bismarck was sunk by the concentrated effort of the Royal Navy on 27 May 1941 while Prinz Eugen arrived safely at Brest, France on 1 June 1941.[5]

Awards

References

Citations

  1. ^ Boyne 1997, p. 56.
  2. ^ Boyne 1997, pp. 53–54.
  3. ^ Boyne 1997, pp. 56–58.
  4. ^ Boyne 1997, pp. 59–60.
  5. ^ Boyne 1997, pp. 61–63.
  6. ^ a b c d e Dörr 1995, p. 95.
  7. ^ Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 61.
  8. ^ Scherzer 2007, p. 244.

Bibliography

  • Boyne, Walter (1997). Clash of Titans: World War II at Sea. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-684-83914-8.
  • Dörr, Manfred (1995). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Überwasserstreitkräfte der Kriegsmarine—Band 1: A–K [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Surface Forces of the Navy—Volume 1: A–K] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2453-2.
  • Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
  • Range, Clemens (1974). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Kriegsmarine [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Navy]. Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 978-3-87943-355-1.
  • Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.

January 31, 2023
helmuth, brinkmann, march, 1895, september, 1983, vizeadmiral, kriegsmarine, during, world, captained, heavy, cruiser, prinz, eugen, prior, world, commanded, aviso, grille, adolf, hitler, state, yacht, also, recipient, knight, cross, iron, cross, nazi, germany. Helmuth Brinkmann 12 March 1895 26 September 1983 was a Vizeadmiral in the Kriegsmarine during World War II who captained the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen Prior to World War II he commanded the aviso Grille Adolf Hitler s state yacht He was also a recipient of the Knight s Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany Brinkmann surrendered to British troops in 1945 and was held until 1947 Helmuth BrinkmannBorn12 March 1895 1895 03 12 LubeckDied26 September 1983 1983 09 27 aged 88 Diessen am AmmerseeAllegiance German Empire Weimar Republic Nazi GermanyService wbr branch Imperial German Navy Reichsmarine KriegsmarineYears of service1913 45RankVizeadmiralUnitSMS VinetaSMS Kaiser Friedrich IIISMS Kaiser Karl der GrosseSMS RegensburgCruiser KonigsbergCommands heldAviso GrilleHeavy cruiser Prinz EugenBattles warsWorld War IWorld War IIAwardsKnight s Cross of the Iron Cross Contents 1 Operation Rheinubung 1 1 Goal 1 2 Events 1 2 1 Battle 1 3 Afterwards 2 Awards 3 References 3 1 Citations 3 2 BibliographyOperation Rheinubung EditGoal Edit The goal of Operation Rheinubung Rhine Exercise was for Prinz Eugen and the battleship Bismarck under the command of Brinkmann s Crew 1913 classmate Captain Ernst Lindemann 1 to break into the Atlantic and attack Allied shipping Grand Admiral Erich Raeder s orders to the task force commander Admiral Gunther Lutjens the Chief of Fleet aboard the Bismarck were that the objective of the Bismarck is not to defeat enemies of equal strength but to tie them down in a delaying action while preserving combat capacity as much as possible so as to allow Prinz Eugen to get at the merchant ships in the convoy and The primary target in this operation is the enemy s merchant shipping enemy warships will be engaged only when that objective makes it necessary and it can be done without excessive risk 2 Events Edit At 02 00 on 19 May 1941 Bismarck and Prinz Eugen left Gotenhafen and proceeded through the Baltic Sea and out towards the Atlantic Unknown to Lutjens the British had intercepted enough signals to infer that a German naval operation might occur in the area The German task force was first encountered by the Swedish seaplane cruiser Gotland on 20 May heading north west past Goteborg The British Admiralty was informed through a Norwegian officer in Stockholm who had learned of the sighting from a Swedish military intelligence source Alerted by this report British Admiralty requested air reconnaissance of the Norwegian coast A Spitfire reconnaissance aircraft found and photographed the German task force in the Grimstad fjord 60 19 49 N 5 14 48 E 60 32483 N 5 24133 E 60 32483 5 24133 near Bergen at 13 15 on 21 May On the evening of 23 May at 19 22 the German force was detected by the heavy cruisers HMS Suffolk and HMS Norfolk that had been patrolling the Denmark Strait in the expectation of a German breakout Bismarck fired five salvos without scoring a direct hit The heavily outgunned British cruisers retired to a safe distance and shadowed the enemy until their own heavy units could draw closer However Bismarck s forward radar had failed as a result of vibration from the heavy guns firing during this skirmish and Lutjens was obliged to order Prinz Eugen to move ahead of Bismarck in order to provide the squadron with forward radar coverage 3 Battle Edit The hydrophones on Prinz Eugen detected a foreign ship to port at 05 00 The Germans sighted the smokestacks of two ships at 05 45 The British ships started firing at the German task force at 05 53 Vice Admiral Lancelot Holland planned on targeting Bismarck first but due to the reversed battle order HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Hood opened fire on the Prinz Eugen instead The commander of the Prince of Wales Captain John Leach detected this error and ordered his guns swung around to fire on Bismarck The German task force was still waiting for the order to commence firing which Admiral Lutjens did not give immediately Two minutes into the battle Bismarck and Prinz Eugen started firing at Hood At 05 57 Hood was hit by Prinz Eugen igniting reserve ammunition stored on deck and starting a fire The fifth salvo by Bismarck fired at a range of about 180 hectometres 18 000 m 20 000 yd at 06 01 was seen to hit Hood abreast her mainmast It is likely that one 38 centimetre 15 in shell struck somewhere between Hood s mainmast and X turret aft of the mast A huge jet of flame burst out from Hood from the vicinity of the mainmast This was followed by a devastating magazine explosion that destroyed the aft part of the ship This explosion broke the back of Hood and she sank in only three minutes her nearly vertical bow last to descend into the water 4 Afterwards Edit Following the explosion Prince of Wales was targeted by both German ships and disengaged from combat after seven direct hits four by Bismarck and three by Prinz Eugen at about 06 09 In the afternoon of 24 May Admiral Lutjens ordered Prinz Eugen to break away from the battleship Bismarck and operate independently against the enemy s merchant shipping Prinz Eugen and Bismarck separated at 18 14 that evening Bismarck was sunk by the concentrated effort of the Royal Navy on 27 May 1941 while Prinz Eugen arrived safely at Brest France on 1 June 1941 5 Awards EditIron Cross 1914 2nd Class 10 October 1915 amp 1st Class 24 July 1920 6 Honour Cross of the World War 1914 1918 15 October 1934 6 Commander of the Order of the Crown of Italy Commendatore della Corona d Italia 8 October 1937 6 Clasp to the Iron Cross 1939 2nd Class amp 1st Class 9 June 1941 6 High Seas Fleet Badge 5 April 1942 6 Order of Michael the Brave 3rd Class 30 May 1944 German Cross in Gold on 25 March 1942 as Kapitan zur See on heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen 7 Knight s Cross of the Iron Cross 17 May 1944 as Vizeadmiral and commander of the Black Seas Fleet 8 References EditCitations Edit Boyne 1997 p 56 Boyne 1997 pp 53 54 Boyne 1997 pp 56 58 Boyne 1997 pp 59 60 Boyne 1997 pp 61 63 a b c d e Dorr 1995 p 95 Patzwall amp Scherzer 2001 p 61 Scherzer 2007 p 244 Bibliography Edit Boyne Walter 1997 Clash of Titans World War II at Sea New York Simon amp Schuster ISBN 0 684 83914 8 Dorr Manfred 1995 Die Ritterkreuztrager der Uberwasserstreitkrafte der Kriegsmarine Band 1 A K The Knight s Cross Bearers of the Surface Forces of the Navy Volume 1 A K in German Osnabruck Germany Biblio Verlag ISBN 978 3 7648 2453 2 Patzwall Klaus D Scherzer Veit 2001 Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II The German Cross 1941 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2 in German Norderstedt Germany Verlag Klaus D Patzwall ISBN 978 3 931533 45 8 Range Clemens 1974 Die Ritterkreuztrager der Kriegsmarine The Knight s Cross Bearers of the Navy Stuttgart Germany Motorbuch Verlag ISBN 978 3 87943 355 1 Scherzer Veit 2007 Die Ritterkreuztrager 1939 1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer Luftwaffe Kriegsmarine Waffen SS Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbundeter Streitkrafte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives The Knight s Cross Bearers 1939 1945 The Holders of the Knight s Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army Air Force Navy Waffen SS Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives in German Jena Germany Scherzers Militaer Verlag ISBN 978 3 938845 17 2 Portals Biography Military of Germany World War I World War II Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Helmuth Brinkmann amp oldid 1129467206, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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