Bismarck Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Search Board
• Battle Board
• Ship Counters
• How to Win
• Prepare for Play
• How to Play
  • Area Search
  • Zone Search
  • Battle
• How to Move Counters on the Search Board
• How to Search
• How to Move Ships on Battle Board
• How to Face Ships After Movement on Battle Board
• How to Figure Salvo Count
• How to Resolve Battle
• Multi-Ship Battle
• Chance Tables
• How to Withdraw From Battle
• Time
• Historical Commentary and Notes
  • Ship Statistics
• Example of Play

Search Board

The search for the Bismarck is done on the Search Board. The Search Board shows the portion of the North Atlantic Ocean where the Bismarck operations took place May 23 to May 27, 1941. Areas and zones printed on the board are used to determine movement.

AREAS: The large blocks such as A-1, B-2, etc.

ZONES: The small blocks lettered A to D.

The Search Board is used by both players. A smaller reproduction of this board is printed on the Record Pad so players can keep a written record of opponent's movements.

Battle Board

Actual battle is conducted on the Red and Blue Battle Board. At the start of any battle the Bismarck is placed in the center square, and the British ships are placed on any of the outermost squares at the discretion of the British player.

NOTE: Ship forms printed on the Battle Board do not indicate where you are to place ship counters. They are printed merely for effect.

Ship Counters

The square counters represent all ships that take part in the search procedure. They are used only on the Search Board.

A square counter shows, from top to bottom: the name of the ship, then the type of ship and its Search Board movement factor (for example, HOOD, type B, movement factor 2).

TYPES: B—Battleships and Battle Cruisers; C—Cruisers; A—Aircraft Carriers.

MOVEMENT FACTOR: Maximum number of zones a counter may be moved in one turn on the Search Board.

The rectangular counters represent ships that take part in battle. They are used only on the Battle Board. A rectangular counter shows the ship's Bow turrets, Stern turrets, and Port and Starboard Secondary Armament.

There are no counters for cruisers. In real life such ships would engage a battleship only in sheer desperation. Therefore, in the play of Bismarck, cruisers are used only in the Search Procedure—and any engagement between the Bismarck and British cruisers can be done only through Chance Table play. In addition, the German cruiser Prinz Eugen, which was with the Bismarck for a short time, is also not included since it played no important role in the actual Bismarck operations.

How to Win

The player who has accumulated the most points when the game ends is declared the winner. A Points Earned table is printed on the Battle Board. The game ends as soon as:

A. The Bismarck is sunk, or

B. The Bismarck enters any one of the ports of Bergen, Brest, St. Nazaire or Ferrol after May 25, or

C. The German player has accumulated more points than it is possible for the British player to score, or

D. Play reaches the time limit.

Sinking the Bismarck does not automatically make the British player the winner—it merely ends the game with the winner being the player having the most points at that time.

Prepare for Play

1. Place the Search Board between both players with the Search Board Chance Table side facing the British player.

2. Place the Screen in the middle of the Search Board so that Starting Placement and subsequent play on both sides can be done in secret.

3. Place the Battle Board off to the side with the North end facing the German player.

4. The British player places on his Search Board all the square ship counters as instructed under Starting Placement Of All Ships printed on the Search Board.

5. The German player places on his Search Board at Bergen the square ship counter labeled Bismarck.

How to Play

The following is a condensed step-by-step explanation of how to play Bismarck. Hereafter, the British player is called Blue; the German player is called Red.

Area Search

STEP 1: Red takes his turn. He secretly moves the Bismarck from Bergen (C-8,A) to the desired zone. On the first turn the Bismarck may move up to 6 zones from Bergen; on all succeeding turns it moves up to two zones per turn.

STEP 2: Blue takes his turn. He secretly moves his counters on the Search Board up to the number of zones represented by their movement factors.

STEP 3: Blue "calls out" areas his counters lie in. Red must reply immediately when Blue calls out an area the Bismarck is in.

A. If Red is not in any of the areas called out, the Bismarck has not been located in which case play reverts to Step 1.

B. But, if Red is in an area with Blue, players proceed to zone search, Step 4.

Zone Search

STEP 4: Blue takes the pack of Zone Cards and pulls out one for each zone in the Bismarck's area that he has counters in.

STEP 5: Red takes the remaining Zone Cards and looks for the card representing the zone the Bismarck is in.

A. If Red finds his card in the pack, he has not been sighted in which case play reverts to area search, Step 1.

B. But if Red does not find his card, he has been sighted:

1. If sighted by a Carrier or Cruiser, Red must disclose exact zone. Do not proceed to battle but revert to area search, Step 1.

2. If sighted by a battleship, proceed to battle, Step 6.

Battle

STEP 6: Red places the rectangular ship counter representing the Bismarck in the middle square of the Battle Board.

STEP 7: Blue places on the Battle Board rectangular ship counters for each battleship that sighted the Bismarck—placing them on any of the outermost squares regardless of the direction of movement of their respective Search Board counters.

STEP 8: Blue may move each battleship counter one square in any direction after which Red may move the Bismarck one square in any direction.

STEP 9: Players figure their salvo count—getting one die roll for each salvo.

STEP 10: After each die roll players consult the Battle Results Table and record "hits" on their respective Record Sheets.

After all salvos have been fired a round of battle is over. Repeat Steps 8 through 10 as often as necessary until:

a. The Bismarck is sunk thus ending the game, or

b. All British ships on the Battle Board are sunk in which case play reverts to area search, Step 1, or

c. A withdrawal occurs through Chance Table play in which case play reverts to area search, Step 1.

REMEMBER: When the Bismarck is sighted by a Carrier or Cruiser, do not proceed to battle—do not play any Chance Table. Simply repeat area search procedure.

Be sure you understand the above routine before reading further. The remaining instructions deal with details of play.

How to Move Counters on the Search Board

1. Blue is allowed to move all counters up to their movement factor in each turn.

2. Blue is not required to move every counter, nor does he have to move any counter in each turn.

3. Counters may be moved in any direction, or combination of directions, in each turn.

4. Counters may be moved less than their movement factors.

5. Movement factors are not transferable from one counter to another, nor can they be accumulated from one turn to the next.

6. There is no limit to the number of counters that can be stacked on any one zone.

7. Movement is not allowed into or through zones not containing letters A through D.

8. Counters may be moved through occupied zones.

9. Counters in zones at the board edges are not allowed to move off the board.

10. When play is on the Battle Board, all Search Board counters may be moved one zone after every three rounds of battle.

11. Movement factor for the Bismarck is six zones in the first turn; two zones all turns thereafter.

The die is used only to resolve battle and Chance Table situations—it has nothing to do with movement.

How to Search

AREA SEARCH: After Blue has moved all the counters he chooses to move on the Search Board, he finds out whether or not he has moved into an area that Red is in. This is done as follows:

1. Blue calls out one area at a time after each of which Red must state whether or not the Bismarck is in that area.

2. Blue is allowed to call out only the areas where there are British counters. He is not allowed to call out areas where there are no counters.

3. Blue is allowed to call out areas in any order he chooses.

4. Blue is not required to call out every area where he has counters.

5. Blue stops calling out areas as soon as the Bismarck has been located. Players then proceed immediately to zone search.

6. Blue may stop calling out areas any time he chooses in which case players mark off time and repeat search procedure.

ZONE SEARCH: After Blue has located the area Red is in he finds out whether or not he has counters in the same zone with the Bismarck. This is done as follows:

1. Blue withdraws cards representing only the zones where he has counters. He is not allowed to withdraw cards for zones where there are no British counters.

2. Red takes the remainder of the zone cards and looks for the card of the zone the Bismarck is in. If Red cannot locate his card, then Blue and Red are in the same zone. If Blue and Red are not in the same zone, or Red has been sighted only by a Blue Cruiser or Carrier, players mark off time and revert to area search, Step 1.

If the Bismarck has entered a zone of Bergen, Brest, St. Nazaire or Ferrol and British battleships have also entered that zone, players must proceed to battle. The Bismarck is not considered in port until the Chance Table calls for withdrawal or all British battleships on the Battle Board are sunk.

How to Move Ships on Battle Board

1. You are allowed to move all ships one square per round.

2. You are not required to move every ship, nor do you have to move any ship in a round.

3. Ships may be moved vertically, horizontally and diagonally.

4. Ships are not allowed to engage each other from A-range until they have first fought from B-range. For instance, if a British ship, in moving first, moves into B-range, the Bismarck is not allowed to move closer into A-range. If it wishes to move it must either move out of range or to another square in B-range.

5. Ships of opposing players are never allowed in the same square.

6. There is no limit to the number of British ships allowed in any one square.

7. Ships on the Battle Board cannot move off the Battle Board. Withdrawal may occur only when called for by the Battle Board Chance Table.

8. When a British ship is sunk it is removed from the game. Its corresponding Search Board counter must also be removed from the game.

9. After every three rounds of battle all Search Board counters may be moved one zone—and all ships that were previously just one zone away from the battle zone may be brought into battle. Ships already on the Battle Board remain in position—all new arrivals are placed on the outermost squares according to their direction of movement.

10. Ships may be turned completely around each turn.

How to Face Ships After Movement on Battle Board

1. Ships may be faced in any direction regardless of the number of ships in any one square.

2. Examples of facing positions are as follows:

• Bow to Bow, Bow to Stern, Stern to Bow or Stern to Stern
• Bow to Broadside or Stern to Broadside
• Broadside to Bow or Broadside to Stern

All other situations not shown above are automatically Broadside to Broadside.

How to Figure Salvo Count

The maximum number of salvos a ship is allowed to fire in a round is based on the following:

a. RANGE: Bow and Stern turrets may fire from A and B-ranges. Secondary Armament may fire from A-range only.

b. FACING: In Bow facing only Bow turrets may fire; in Stern facing only Stern turrets may fire; in Broadside facing all turrets may fire. For secondary armament, Port guns may fire only when the enemy is on the Port side; Starboard guns may fire only when the enemy is on the Starboard side.

c. GUN DAMAGE: A ship gets one die roll for each gun section box containing no hits at the beginning of a round of battle. That salvo count is not reduced during a round if hits are incurred. However, such hits affect the salvo count for the following rounds. For instance, the Bismarck starts off with a Bow turret salvo count of six. If two Bow turret hits are incurred during the first round, Bismarck still gets six die rolls in that first round; however, in the second round the Bismarck only gets four die rolls. If a ship is sunk before a round is over it still rolls its full salvo count for that round.

d. TIME: If battle is at night the British player's salvo count is reduced in half—Blue getting the benefit of any fraction. Red's salvo count is not reduced at night.

NOTE: If no salvos are fired after both players have moved their ships such action still counts as a round of battle.

How to Resolve Battle

1. One player rolls off his entire salvo count; then his opponent does likewise. It makes no difference which player rolls first since both players roll their salvo count for the round regardless of hits incurred on their own ships.

2. After each die roll, match up the number rolled with the proper firing at column under the correct range to get the result of the salvo. For instance, if the Hood is firing at the Bismarck's Port side from B-range and a 3 is rolled, the Bismarck incurs a Port secondary armament hit.

3. Whenever a hit is scored, players place a check in one box of the section that has been hit.

a. Each hit upon a gun section reduces the salvo count by one for the following rounds.

b. Hits incurred on gun sections that are already completely knocked out are scored as midships hits instead.

c. A ship is not sunk until every midships box has been checked. For instance, it takes 10 midships hits to sink the Bismarck; three midships hits to sink the Hood, etc.

d. When a ship incurs a hit on the first shaded box in its midships section it loses its firepower. Beginning with the following round, it may no longer fire and must hope for withdrawal and attempt to elude the enemy for the remainder of the game. For instance, the Bismarck would be rendered helpless on the 8th midships hit; KGV on the 4th midships hit, etc.

e. The Rodney has no Stern turrets. However, it does have a third Bow turret but it is in such a position that it can fire only in broadside facing. On the Hit Record the third Bow turret is considered a Stern turret.

f. In cases where it is not obvious which secondary armament (Port or Starboard) has been hit the decision is left to the ship receiving the hit.

Multi-Ship Battle

1. When more than one British ship engages the Bismarck on the Battle Board, Blue's salvo count is the total salvo count of all ships. For instance, in the first round when both the Hood and Rodney are engaging the Bismarck broadside to broadside from B-range the total salvo count would be: Blue—20 die rolls; Red—12 die rolls.

2. You may direct fire on any and all ships in range.

3. You are not required to direct all your fire on one ship, nor are you required to fire at every ship.

4. Ships in B-range may fire over ships in A-range.

Chance Tables

SEARCH BOARD: The Blue player has the option to play the Chance Table at the end of any daytime search turn in which he has failed to locate the Bismarck. Red may play the Chance Table only if Blue declines his option. To play the Search Board Chance Table, roll the die once.

BATTLE BOARD: Both players may play the Chance Table at the end of any round of battle. Players electing to play the Chance Table are allowed one die roll each—Blue rolling first when both elect to play.

Players are cautioned to study the Chance Tables before electing to play them.

How to Withdraw From Battle

Withdrawal from the Battle Board may occur only when called for by the Battle Board Chance Table. If a 1 or 2 is rolled by either player, play on the Battle Board ceases immediately. Players revert to area search, Step 1, with all ships moving from the same zone that they were in at the beginning of the round of battle procedure.

Time

Players record the passage of time by checking off one box left to right as follows:

1. After each Search turn in which the British player fails to sight the Bismarck, or

2. After every 6 rounds or at conclusion of battle.

NIGHT PLAY: Shaded Time Record boxes indicate play is at night—a distinct advantage for the Bismarck which was the only ship with radar-controlled fire power at night.

You have completed the instructions to BISMARCK. BISMARCK has been purposely designed to be challenging. For this reason you must become completely familiar with the rules in order to play correctly. Examples of play are included in the Historical Notes Card and should be referred to while playing your first few games.

Historical Commentary and Notes

The Bismarck was the pride of the German Navy. Over 800 feet long and displacing more than 45,000 tons she was, next to the Hood, the largest warship afloat. Mounting eight 15 inch guns, heavily armored and well broken in, there was not a ship in the world that could stand up to her alone.

Now—May 22, 1941—the Bismarck was at sea.

The British Admiralty, with the recent rampage of the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau still fresh in their mind, swung into action. The plan of action devised earlier by Sir John Tovey, Commander in Chief of the Home Fleet, to stop a breakout of the Bismarck into the Atlantic was put into effect.

Sir John had the cruisers Norfolk and Suffolk patroling the Denmark Straits, the Birmingham, Manchester and Arethusa patroling between Iceland and the Faroes, and air reconnaissance covering the Faroes to the Shetlands. The capital ships of the Home Fleet at Scapa Flow had been divided into two squadrons. The Hood and Prince of Wales were sent to Iceland prepared to swing to either side of the island if the Bismarck came that way. The King George V, Repulse, and the aircraft carrier Victorious left Scapa Flow at 10:15 P.M. on the 22nd to cover from the Faroes southwards.

All day of the 23rd there was no news of the Bismarck. Then, at 7:22 P.M. the Suffolk sighted two ships that were without a doubt the Bismarck and the Prinz Eugen. Messages were immediately sent and soon the Norfolk joined the Suffolk in tracking the Bismarck. The Hood and Prince of Wales, following the signals from the tracking cruisers, left Iceland on a course which would bring the Bismarck to action as soon as possible. At 5:35 A.M. on the 24th the Bismarck was sighted by the Hood squadron and shortly thereafter the two squadrons entered into battle. The Bismarck chose the Hood, much to the Prince of Wales' relief, as its target. Almost from the beginning splashes from its 15 inch shells were seen rising around the ship. The Hood was steering a direct course for the Bismarck which in turn was showing her full broadside to the Hood. Thus, though the Hood presented a smaller target she could only bring her bow guns to bear on the enemy.

Three minutes later, with the range decreased considerably, Vice Admiral Holland on the Hood ordered the ship to turn broadside and bring all guns to bear on the enemy. However, at that moment, a gigantic ball of fire roared up from the Hood—quickly changing to a column of smoke that completely enveloped the ship. When the smoke cleared, oil and scattered debris was all that marked the spot where the Hood had been.

Before they could recover from the shock of seeing their companion ship blown from the water, the men on the Prince of Wales were brought under a heavy barrage of fire from the enemy ships. After several minutes of battle it became apparent that the new British battleship was no match for the Bismarck. With her upper bridge destroyed and firepower reduced, Captain Leech wisely retired from action behind a smoke screen.

When the news of the Hood's sinking reached the Admiralty immediate steps were taken to bring the Bismarck to action again. The Ramillies and the Rodney were ordered to leave the convoys they were escorting and converge on the Bismarck's known position. Sir James Somerville's Force H of the Mediterranean Fleet, which had previously been ordered to come into the Atlantic to help cover convoys, was now also ordered to continue North to engage the Bismarck if the German ship headed for France. Meanwhile, Sir John Tovey on the King George V continued to make for the enemy in company with the Repulse and the Victorious. At 10:30 P.M. on the 24th the Victorious sent her planes to strike the Bismarck, but the attack did not succeed in doing any significant damage to the ship though one torpedo did find its mark. However, Sir John was not pessimistic. On his present course he would engage the Bismarck by morning if the Norfolk, Suffolk and Prince of Wales, who had joined the two cruisers, could continue to track the Bismarck. But the Prinz Eugen had already broken away, and at 3:00 A.M. on the 25th, in heavy seas and foul weather, the Bismarck gave her trackers the slip.

Throughout the morning and afternoon of the 25th the British Navy and Air Force searched for the Bismarck. Twice the enemy battleship had broken radio silence, but for various reasons it was not until 6:30 P.M. that the Admiralty ascertained that she was headed in the general direction of the Bay of Biscay. All ships that had fuel enough to continue the search converged toward this area in the hope that the Bismarck's exact position would soon be discovered. And fortunately at 10:30 A.M. on the 26th coastal aircraft located her steaming for France. By this time Force H was fast approaching the Bismarck, and at 3:20 P.M. the aircraft carrier Ark Royal launched an unsuccessful air attack. At 7:00 P.M. another strike by the Ark Royal's torpedo planes was carried out in a last ditch attempt to slow up the Bismarck. There was practically no chance of aircraft torpedos ever sinking the giant ship, but there was some hope that a lucky hit might slow her up enough to allow another engagement by heavy British ships. And a lucky hit it was that caught the Bismarck in the stern section and disrupted her steering. With only emergency steering to aid her, the Bismarck was forced to turn into the wind to reduce the force of the sea on her stern.

At 8:43 A.M. on the 27th the Bismarck was sighted by the King George V and the Rodney which had joined her shortly after the Repulse had retired because of fuel shortage. Five minutes later the two British ships opened fire almost simultaneously. For some two minutes the Bismarck did not return their fire. When she did she put the Rodney under a very accurate barrage. However, after her first few salvos, her gunnery efficiency was observed to fall off noticeably.

By 9:30 A.M. many fires were discernible along the length of the ship and the stern turret was the only turret still firing. By 10:00 A.M. the Bismarck was reduced to a silent wreck belching forth clouds of smoke and flame. But the wreck continued to float. The distinction of sinking the Bismarck was left to the cruiser Dorsetshire which fired three torpedoes at the ship from close range. The ship rolled slowly over to port and turned bottom up. Moments later the Bismarck slid silently beneath the waves.

Ship Statistics

Ship	Max. Spd. (Knots)	Main Guns No.	Main Guns Size	Sec. Armament No.	Sec. Armament Size
Bismarck	32	8	15"	12	6"
King George V	30	10	14"	16	5¼"
Prince of Wales	30	10*	14"	16	5¼"
Hood	32	8	15"	12	5½"
Rodney	23	9	16"	12	6"
Ramillies	21	8	15"	12	6"
Renown	29	6	15"	20	4½"
Repulse	29	6	15"	12	4"

*Newly commissioned—guns not completely functioning properly.

Example of Play

The following is an example of a few rounds of battle as they might actually occur. Hits have been arbitrarily administered for purpose of illustration. Hit Record shown at end of each round example shows accumulative effects of battle.

Round 1: After both players place their ships on the Battle Board, Blue moves the Hood into B-range of the Bismarck's starting position. The Bismarck cannot now move into the Hood's A-range on this turn but it can move to another square in B-range. Both ships are now bow to bow. Since only bow turrets may fire in bow to bow facing, the salvo count is: Hood—5 die rolls; Bismarck—6 die rolls.

Battle Results: The Hood incurs 2 bow turret hits; the Bismarck incurs 1 bow turret hit.

Round 2: The Hood closes to A-range. The Bismarck then swings around to a bow to broadside facing reducing its firepower but providing a smaller target. The Hood will be facing broadside to bow and will be able to use its starboard secondary armament. Salvo count: Hood—10 die rolls (3 bow, 2 starboard secondary armament, 5 stern); Bismarck—5 die rolls.

Battle Results: The Hood incurs 2 starboard secondary armament and 1 midships hit; the Bismarck incurs 3 bow turret hits.

Round 3: The Hood moves 1 square and turns itself around so its starboard secondary armament cannot receive additional hits, showing the Bismarck its port side instead. The Bismarck then places itself somewhat behind the Hood—both ships are now broadside to broadside. Salvo count: Hood—10 (3 bow, 2 port secondary armament, 5 stern); Bismarck—10 (2 bow, 2 starboard secondary armament, 6 stern).

Battle Results: The Hood incurs 1 bow turret, 2 port secondary armament, 1 stern and 1 midships hit; the Bismarck incurs 2 starboard secondary armament, 2 stern and 2 midships hits.

Round 4: At the start of Round 4, Blue brings on the Prince of Wales that has been on the Search Board one zone away since the start of battle. It is placed on the East side of the Battle Board since that was its direction of movement on the Search Board. The Hood and Prince of Wales move first. The Prince of Wales is not allowed to move toward the Bismarck because it hasn't yet fought from B-range. The Bismarck moves last as always, moving to B-range on both British ships. Salvo count: Hood—6 (2 bow, 4 stern); Prince of Wales—5; Bismarck—6 (2 bow, 4 stern with only the stern turrets allowed to fire on the Prince of Wales).

Battle Results: The Hood incurs 1 bow, 1 stern turret hit; the Bismarck incurs 2 stern and 1 starboard secondary armament hit which becomes a midships hit instead since the starboard secondary armament was knocked out in a previous round.

Round 5: The Hood, badly damaged, moves out of range. The Prince of Wales closes. But the Bismarck goes after the Hood and moves back into B-range on the Hood; A-range on the Prince of Wales. All ships are now broadside to broadside. Salvo count: Hood—4 (1 bow, 3 stern); Prince of Wales—12 (5 bow, 2 secondary armament—port or starboard at Blue's choice, 5 stern); Bismarck—6 (2 bow, 2 port secondary armament—directed on the Prince of Wales only, 2 stern).

Battle Results: Hood sunk (The Bismarck hits the Hood's port secondary armament which becomes a midships hit instead); Bismarck—1 bow, 2 port secondary armament, 2 midships hits; Prince of Wales—1 bow, 2 midships, 2 secondary armament with Blue choosing to record them as 1 port and 1 starboard armament hit since in the above diagram it is not apparent which side of the Prince of Wales is facing the Bismarck.

At the conclusion of this Round Red decides the Bismarck is too badly damaged to continue. He hopes for a withdrawal through Chance Table play. He rolls the die—and gets a 2. In this case, players do not go to Round 6 but remove the ships from the Battle Board and revert to area search, Step 1.