With her raked bo proudly slicing through the morning swell of Norwegian waters, the mighty 41,000 ton battleship Bismarck leads her consort, the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, with destroyers Z10, Z16 and Z23 among her escorts, into the approaches to Korsfjord near Bergen, at 0800hrs on 21st May 1941. Aboard, Bismarcks captain Ernst Lindemann was plotting a voyage that was to result in one of the greatest epics in the annals of naval warfare. As they steam towards Grimstadtfjord, an Arado Ar196A-2 floatplane gives a fly-by salute to the flotilla, this aircraft serving with I./Bordfliegerstaffel 195 which, together with 5./196 was responsible for providing aircraft for German naval vessels. Operated by Luftwaffe crews, and affectionately known as Eyes of the Fleet, the Arado 196 was specially designed for shipboard operation - with an airframe sturdy enought to withstand the rigours of catapult launching it was a highly effective armed Recce aircraft. Bismarck carried no fewer than fo.........
The heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen slips quietly through the waters of Kiel Harbour as one of her own Arado Ar.196s flies overhead. In the background, Bismarck, wearing her Baltic camouflage, is alongside taking on supplies.
Item Code : B0206
Prinz Eugen by Ivan Berryman. - Editions Available
