Why German Admirals Couldn't Explain How A Fabric Biplane Crippled The Bismarck

In May of nineteen forty one, the German battleship Bismarck was the most powerful warship afloat, a fifty thousand ton giant that seemed almost unsinkable, yet she was brought to her knees by one of the oldest and slowest aircraft in the sky. This is the true story of how a fabric covered Fairey Swordfish biplane, the aircraft affectionately nicknamed the Stringbag, crippled the pride of the German navy and left German admirals unable to explain how it had happened. Follow the full dramatic chase across the North Atlantic, from the shocking loss of HMS Hood in the Denmark Strait and Winston Churchill's order to sink the Bismarck, to the desperate pursuit by the Royal Navy Home Fleet, Force H, and the aircraft carrier Ark Royal. Discover how a single torpedo, launched from an obsolete open cockpit biplane flying into a full Atlantic gale, jammed the Bismarck's rudder and sealed the fate of Admiral Günther Lütjens and Captain Ernst Lindemann. This carefully researched World War Two naval history documentary explores the courage of the Fleet Air Arm aircrew, the brilliant engineering of the battleship, the debate over how the Swordfish survived the flak, and the human cost paid on both sides. If you love naval history, military history, aviation history, and true stories of the Second World War, the Royal Navy, and the Battle of the Atlantic, this deep dive is for you. Subscribe for more untold stories of remarkable weapons, impossible odds, and the extraordinary people who changed the course of history.