What if the Bismarck was mass produced about 5 units altogether navigating the Atlantic seas and they work in groups?

More targets for British subs and aircraft, less German tanks and aircraft to face on land, or subs at sea.

i doubt they would have ever been built,

german industrial capacity was severly stretched as it was, more ships of that size was not really an option,

after the first one took to sea, and was sunk, the ones still being built or those already in service would have been bombed of the face of the earth,

once the method of sinking the bismark was repeated, then i dont think they could have lasted long,

cheers

joe

It would have been ugly!!! However, as stated above, due to the British blockade the Germans weren't capable of producing a navy on that scale during war. If they had not invaded Poland in 1939 and continued with construction of the Plan Z navy, then they could have done. Luckily, Hitler didn't have the patience!

It is not the production of the vessels that counted in the end. The Royal Navy had the tradition and knowledge of sea warfare unmatched by any other European power (IMHO). Manpower was always a German shortfall. Diverting the assest to construct the ships is one mighty obstacle to overcome given the German economic situation. Getting the sailors and leaders trained is an impediment that I doubt the German could ever overcome. Look what happened when they ventured into Norweigan waters at the outset of war.....lost a great deal of their fleet.
DJ

more bombing runs for the Lancasters .

well if they were in groups they would have been more easily spotted and considering their relatively light AAA armament I would have to agree with more targets for bombers crowd.

The one thing that could have helped the Germans if they had built even a couple more was the effect on the British navy. Churchill had decided that at least one fleet carrier must be kept with the home fleet at all times whilst the Tirpitz was still afloat. Imagine how many more carriers and heavy units of the fleet would have been tied to home waters if there were more of those monsters in existence, especially at a time when they were needed in the Med.

couln't have happened as german war production never fully geared up until 1942 as they thought it'd be a quick war so if they had more emphis would have been placed on the ship yards this I'd say would have over ridden most bombing missions so that any sort of big gun ship fleet would be stopped at the start

Doubtful the Germans could have pulled it off - but a great "What IF?" topic. A class of Bismarck battleships roaming the Atlantic - heady stuff.

Seriously, The shipbuilding capacity of the Germans could never have sustained such an effort and after the war started the shipyards would have been targets for day and night bombing.

The Germans had a plan for this. A couple more Bismarck class and some super Bismarks. The war just started a couple of years too early for ADM Raeder. Donitz would have also had more time to buid up the U-Boats.

Despite everything the DKM Bismarck was still a World War 1 super dreadnaught, and was NOT the equal of comparable Allied third generation battleships (KGV and her sisters, North Carolina and her sisters)
Imagine an Iowa class BB up against a Bismarck, talk about one sided :-)
I also extensively wargamed North Carolina and Washington versus Bismarck and Tirpitz, and guess whose radar guided gunnery decimated the others at long range, and whose dual purpose 5" guns blew the tar out of the other ship at close range?

If ever the Allied Powers had nothing to defeat it, The Kriegsmarine would turn the Atlantic into a German lake.

On the other hand, it would not matter. The Brits and maybe the US would offset their small number of battlewagons for lots of CV's. The Brits (and Japanese), and later the Americans showed us how aircraft can defeat dreadnoughts (Pearl Harbor, Gulf of Malaya, Taranto and then Coral Sea, Midway and Leyte Gulf)