Bismarck
Also called: 俾斯麦 Beta- Push to within secondary range (~7.5 km) so the auto-fire battery starts contributing
- Avoid: Torpedo Boat Brawling; with no torpedoes you cannot trade back a fight fought inside enemy torpedo range
On this page
Bismarck Community Stats
Across 31,000+ Standard battles from 320+ players, Bismarck averages a 54% win rate, 64,900 damage and 0.8 kills per battle, and survives 28% of them.
Bismarck Community Stats
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Bismarck Community Stats
Record History
Playstyle
Overview
Bismarck is a Tier VII German turtleback brawler: her angled deck armor roofs the citadel and deflects low-angle fire up and away, so the citadel is safer inside secondary range than at long-line trades. The kit is brawl-positive with secondaries out to 7.5 km that punish anyone who closes. HE pen sits at the 1/4 caliber ratio instead of the standard 1/6. Her main-battery HE volume is low on its own, but inside 7.5 km the secondaries join in: 17.1 fires/min combined (17th of 53 T7 BBs). In a brawl, HE keeps fires burning on the target while she works into position for an AP finish. Standout traits: punch-through secondaries in T7 BBs (38 mm, 7th of 46) and AP guaranteed-ricochet angle in T7 BBs (65°, 3rd of 49).
Positioning
Push to within secondary range (~7.5 km) so the auto-fire battery starts contributing. The turtleback bounces plunging shells, so close range protects the citadel better than long-line trades do; let peers think you are overextending while the kit's brawl angle eats their AP. Bow on between salvos still matters; the bow plate handles overmatch where the turtleback handles plunge.
Potato Avoidance
Torpedo Boat Brawling
With no torpedoes you cannot trade back a fight fought inside enemy torpedo range. Hold the band where your guns and secondaries punish them while their fish still fall short, and lean on armor and volume of fire instead of closing the last few kilometers into a spread you have no answer for.
Signature Traits
Deck armor angled downward over the citadel, forming a roof outside it. Deflects shells arriving at a low angle up and away, so flat-trajectory fire from close range struggles to reach the citadel.
HE pen at the 1/4 caliber ratio instead of the standard 1/6. HE-spam is a real damage option here, not just a fire-starter, shared by 15/49 T7 BBs.
- Punch-through secondaries · 38 mm
- Secondary brawler BB
65° AP guaranteed ricochet angle, top decile of T7 BBs. Auto-bounce kicks in later than peers'.
No stat falls into the cohort's bottom decile across T7 BBs. Stable baseline in every category, no glaring weakness to play around.
How to get Bismarck
Bismarck is available in the Brawler Battleships branch of the Germany Tech Tree for 18,000,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 4,500,000 credits.
While you save up, check active promo codes for free doubloons, camouflages, and other rewards.
Show Germany tech-tree branch diagram
Bismarck sits in the Brawler Battleships branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full Germany tree.
Official WG availability sources
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May Update: The Cat and the Eagle
Sale
Start: 2025-05-15
- Plus, from May 26 through June 2, enjoy a 50% discount on Bismarck!
-
Join the Hunt for Bismarck and Meet Unsinkable Sam!
Sale
Start: 2025-05-26
- You can pick up Tech Tree Tier VII battleship Bismarck at a 50% discount, available from May 26 to June 2.
Builds
Pair with a commander whose unique skill complements her main armament; check the build tool for current recommendations.
Günther Lütjens
Secondary brawlerHipper's Elbowroom trait pushes secondary range and grouping, and Scheer's Fire Alarm trait cuts fire risk and Damage Control cooldown, so close-in brawls go your way. Lütjens's own tree is built for cruisers, so on Bismarck the inspirations do the work.
Reinhard Scheer
Armored advanceScheer's durability focus keeps Bismarck in the fight longer. Angle toward incoming fire, let the armor work, and use secondaries to punish anything that tries to disengage.
AL Bismarck
Secondary brawlerSecondary dispersion 458 m to 249 m, a 45 percent cut, with reload 3.4 s to 2.7 s and range out to 8.4 km. Brawler trades 1.4 km of main battery range for a 22.9 s reload, and the heal goes 346 to 727 HP/s.
Have a build you swear by? Open it in the Build Tool and hit Save build to share it here, or browse the Ship Builds guide for proven loadouts across the fleet.
Cohort position
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Where Bismarck sits among Tier VII BBs (48 ships). Notable standouts are shown first; the rest of the cohort-ranked stats are in the expand below. Acquisition variants (Black Friday, Founders Edition) are counted once with their base ship, not as separate peers.
See 34 mid-pack stats
Not standouts for Bismarck -- here's where she sits on every other ranked stat in the cohort. Stats tagged NORM are tied across more than half the cohort, so the value is the cohort default rather than a standout.
Peers in this cohort
Compare Tier VII BattleshipsShow all 48 peers
Stats & specs
Customize in the Build Tool →ƒ
How far each mount can train, in degrees to either side of the mount's own facing. A rear turret with ±150° leaves a 60° blind wedge over the bow; one-sided arcs are wing mounts that cover a single side. The data does not say which way each mount faces, so the arcs are listed per mount without bow/stern angles.ƒ
180° − 145° (the most restricted aft-facing mount's arc) = 35° off bow; 180° − 138° (the most restricted forward-facing mount's arc) = 42° off stern. How far off the bow (or stern) the ship must angle before every main turret can fire: the widest blind wedge among the rear-facing (or forward-facing) mounts, from each mount's trainable arc.ƒ
In practice: 1% wider (worse) horizontal dispersion and 1% more vertical spread at max range (17.3 km) than a standard battleship: about 236 m wide × 142 m tall, against 233 m × 140 m. Also on this curve (55): AL Vittorio Veneto, Alsace, Andrea Doria, BA Binah, BA Tirpitz, Bayern, Bismarck B, Brandenburg, Bretagne, Cavour, Centurion, Cristoforo Colombo and 43 more.ƒ
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the dispersion model:ƒ
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range:ƒ
50%-hit horizontal radius:ƒ
50%-hit vertical radius:ƒ
180 degrees / 5 deg/s traverse speed = 36 s.ƒ
Zero upgrades: 8 broadside guns x 60 / 26 s base reload = 18.5. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 8 broadside guns x 60 / 23.429 s (23.4 s = 164 ticks) all-upgrades reload (26 s × 0.9 Main Battery Mod. 3 = 23.4 s) = 20.5.HE shells
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95 mm ≈ 380 mm caliber / 4 (improved HE penetration: German BBs, Yamato-class, and a handful of others).ƒ
4,400 HE damage x 8 broadside guns = 35,200.ƒ
Zero upgrades: 35,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 26 s base reload = 81,231. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 35,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 23.429 s (23.4 s = 164 ticks) all-upgrades reload (26 s × 0.9 Main Battery Mod. 3 = 23.4 s) = 90,146.ƒ
Zero upgrades: 18.5 shells/min × 0.34 (34% fire chance) = 6.28. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 20.5 shells/min × 0.34 (34% fire chance) = 6.97.AP shells
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floor(380 mm caliber / 14.3) = 26 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).ƒ
AP formula evaluated at muzzle velocity: .ƒ
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (17.3 km), where the shell has slowed to 556.8 m/s: .ƒ
11,600 AP damage x 8 broadside guns = 92,800.ƒ
Zero upgrades: 92,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 26 s base reload = 214,154. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 92,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 23.429 s (23.4 s = 164 ticks) all-upgrades reload (26 s × 0.9 Main Battery Mod. 3 = 23.4 s) = 237,659.ƒ
AP shell over-penetration splash radius; scales with shell mass. Wickes 102mm = 3, standard 152mm CL ~ 20, Iowa 406mm ~ 270, Yamato 460mm = 400, Incomparable 650mm = 550 (max). Larger value = bigger splash damage area when AP over-pens.ƒ
Longest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 3.5 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.ƒ
Dual-purpose: your secondaries doing double duty against aircraft. The same mounts appear on the Secondary Battery card - shared guns, not extra hardware.ƒ
Dual-purpose: your secondaries doing double duty against aircraft. The same mounts appear on the Secondary Battery card - shared guns, not extra hardware.ƒ
Effective DPS in in-game units (raw aura damage × 3.5 × hit probability, summed per contributing aura) - matches the Close-range AA DPS headline's currency. Includes 123 from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.ƒ
Initial: 11 × 3.5 × 0.75 = 29 → 51 × 3.5 × 0.75 = 134. Raw aura damage × 3.5 × hit probability, the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.ƒ
Far 123 + Medium 134 = 257ƒ
Initial: 32 × 3.5 × 0.7 = 78 → 83 × 3.5 × 0.7 = 203. Raw aura damage × 3.5 × hit probability, the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.ƒ
Far 123 + Medium 134 + Near 203 = 460ƒ
Each ~2 s salvo fires 2 AA explosions in quick succession, each leaving 4 clouds ahead of the attacking squadron, plus 2 stray clouds farther out that appear off-beat between salvos - up to 10 clouds per salvo × 210 damage each. Planes that fly into a cloud take its damage; clouds dissipate before the next salvo lands. Defensive AA Fire, where fitted, multiplies the AA explosions within each salvo, and commander skills that raise the Number of AA explosions add to it.ƒ
Damage a plane takes for flying into one flak cloud, before any reductions.ƒ
Each cloud in the pattern rolls this chance to spawn, so salvos average fewer clouds than the maximum. Often called flak 'hit chance', but spawned clouds always damage planes that fly into them - the roll is on spawning.ƒ
A new flak salvo (the AA explosions above) fires roughly every 2 s.ƒ
Flak keeps firing while at least one secondary battery mount is operational - even losing every dedicated AA mount does not stop it.ƒ
The activation band: flak fires while attacking planes are inside it. Clouds are placed ahead of the planes' path, so clouds can land short of 2.5 km or past 4.5 km - once planes get inside the band, new salvos stop. AA range bonuses push the outer edge out; the 2.5 km inner edge does not move.ƒ
Sum of each gun family's fires/min (per side): stock hull 3.5 + 3.5 + 3.8 = 10.8; upgraded hull 1.8 + 5.2 + 3.8 = 10.8. Per side: the barrels that bear on one broadside target (mounts × barrels / 2). A ceiling: assumes every shell hits and ignores the four-fire cap and Fire Prevention.ƒ
Sum across all secondary families of (per-side barrels × 60 / reload_s × alpha), with each reload counted in whole 1/7 s ticks (guns fire on the first tick after the reload), where per-side barrels = mounts × barrels-per-mount / 2 (the guns that bear on one broadside target). Per-family: 2×2 105 mm (2/side) × 60/3.429 s (3.35 s = 24 ticks) × 1200 = 42,000 + 6×2 105 mm (6/side) × 60/3.429 s (3.35 s = 24 ticks) × 1200 = 126,000 + 6×2 150 mm (6/side) × 60/7.571 s (7.5 s = 53 ticks) × 1700 = 80,830. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).ƒ
Fires/min (per side) 10.8 × (1 − 0.366 fire resistance) × 60 s × 0.003 of max HP per second × 65,000 HP = 80,140. Per side: the barrels that bear on one broadside target (mounts × barrels / 2). A ceiling: assumes every shell hits and ignores the four-fire cap and Fire Prevention.ƒ
Secondary DPM (per side) 248,830 + secondary fire DPM 80,140 = 328,970: shell damage plus fire damage against one T7 battleship, every shell hitting.ƒ
Max dispersion = range (km) × 57 + 30. Each dispersion type sets its own slope; this is not a percentage applied to a standard baseline.ƒ
7.5 km × 57 + 30 = 457.5 m.ƒ
Dual-purpose: the same mounts also fire at aircraft, so they appear on the AA Defense card too - shared guns, not extra hardware.ƒ
Stock hull: 4×2 barrels / 2 sides × 60 / 3.429 s (3.35 s = 24 ticks) × 0.05 (5% fire chance) = 3.5. Upgraded hull: 2×2 barrels / 2 sides × 60 / 3.429 s (3.35 s = 24 ticks) × 0.05 (5% fire chance) = 1.8. Per side: the barrels that bear on one broadside target (mounts × barrels / 2). A ceiling: assumes every shell hits and ignores the four-fire cap and Fire Prevention.Show 2 more gun families
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Dual-purpose: the same mounts also fire at aircraft, so they appear on the AA Defense card too - shared guns, not extra hardware.ƒ
Stock hull: 4×2 barrels / 2 sides × 60 / 3.429 s (3.35 s = 24 ticks) × 0.05 (5% fire chance) = 3.5. Upgraded hull: 6×2 barrels / 2 sides × 60 / 3.429 s (3.35 s = 24 ticks) × 0.05 (5% fire chance) = 5.2. Per side: the barrels that bear on one broadside target (mounts × barrels / 2). A ceiling: assumes every shell hits and ignores the four-fire cap and Fire Prevention.ƒ
6×2 barrels / 2 sides × 60 / 7.571 s (7.5 s = 53 ticks) × 0.08 (8% fire chance) = 3.8. Per side: the barrels that bear on one broadside target (mounts × barrels / 2). A ceiling: assumes every shell hits and ignores the four-fire cap and Fire Prevention.ƒ
top speed / 4 + 4.9 = 31 / 4 + 4.9 = 12.7 kt. Base value; speed modifiers scale it.ƒ
Seconds from top speed to a dead stop after ordering full reverse: reverse power winds in over the reverse spool-up while water drag does most of the braking, using the ship's own reverse-power ratio. The full curve is on the acceleration chart. Full reverse stops about a quarter faster than a plain Stop order from top speed.ƒ
Speed below which the engine's built-in power boost applies in reverse.ƒ
Time to reach 90% of top speed (27.9 kt of 31.0 kt).ƒ
Time to reach 99% of top speed (30.7 kt of 31.0 kt). 99% rather than 100% because true top speed is asymptotic (thrust meets drag), so the last fraction of a knot is never quite gained.ƒ
With the rudder hard over the hull turns 4.1°/s, so a target drifts across the bow at that rate. Turret traverse minus hull turn: 5 − 4.1 = +0.9°/s, so the guns hold the target through the turn. Main Battery Mod. 2 (+20% traverse) and Mod. 3 (−15%) move this line.ƒ
Base value, no camouflage. With a Grade IV permanent camo (or any disposable camo): 15.44 km x 0.955 = 14.75 km. Camouflage does not change detectability by air.ƒ
Detectability by sea 15.44 km x 0.955 (Grade IV permanent camo or any disposable camo) = 14.75 km.ƒ
max(main battery range, sea detectability 15.44 km) = 17.35 km. Equal to the ship's main battery range (never below base detectability): firing makes you visible to everyone you can reach.ƒ
Air detectability 12.35 km + gun-firing bloom 7.6 km = 19.95 km. The bloom tracks main-battery caliber 380 mm × 0.020 = 7.6 km.ƒ
Sea detectability 15.44 km + 2.0 km while burning = 17.44 km.ƒ
Air detectability 12.35 km + 3.0 km while burning = 15.35 km.
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 80 s reload · 15 s active
Repair Party3 charges · 80 s reload · 28 s active · 9,688 HP (14% of max HP) total heal (per charge) ƒ
0.005 of max HP per second (0.5%) × 28 s effective active time = 0.14 of max HP × 69,200 HP = 9,688 HP: up to 14% of max HP restored per charge.ƒ
0.14 of max HP per charge × 3 charges = 0.42 × 69,200 HP = 29,064 HP: up to 42% of max HP if the whole Repair Party loadout is used.ƒ
0.005 (0.5% of max HP) × 69,200 HP = 346 HP/s. WoWS heals a flat percent of MAX HP each second, so this rate holds at any health level.
Catapult Fighter4 charges · 80 s reload · 60 s active · 5 km patrol radius ƒ
Derived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000):
Observation Seaplane4 charges · 200 s reload · 30 s active · 1 squadron size · Tightens main-battery shell grouping
Enhanced Secondary Targeting3 charges · 160 s reload · 30 s active · +100% grouping · -50% dispersion
Sonar2 charges · 180 s reload · 96 s active · 4.44 km ship detect ƒ
Derived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000):ƒ
Derived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000):
Under the hood
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All values are ship base stats with modifications and upgrade changes denoted inline.
The constants behind the formulas and the long tail: shell and dispersion inputs, fixed-range anchors, salvo math, layered AA. Click the formula chip on any row to see how it is calculated.
Main battery formulas
H = horizontal, V = vertical spread. This ship's curve against the standard battleship curve, both evaluated at this ship's max range (17.3 km) with the same model as Max Horiz/Vert Disp: horizontal 236 / 233 m − 1 = +1%, vertical 142 / 140 m − 1 = +1%. Shell grouping (σ) is separate: it sets how shells bunch toward the centre of this ellipse.(166.7 × (12 − 2.2) / 1000 + 2.2) × 30 = 115 m. Horizontal scatter at a fixed 5 km, from the same dispersion model as the rows below - a knife-fight-range anchor comparable across ships.(333.3 × (12 − 2.2) / 1000 + 2.2) × 30 = 164 m. How wide your shells scatter at 10 km, from the same dispersion model as the max-range figure above. Picking a fixed range makes this number directly comparable from ship to ship: max-range dispersion makes a longer-range gun look worse even when it's tighter at any common range. The interactive Dispersion tab on the Charts card plots the full curve from 0 to max range.(500 × (12 − 2.2) / 1000 + 2.2) × 30 = 213 m. Horizontal scatter at a fixed 15 km, from the same dispersion model - the long-range anchor. Only shown when the ship's guns reach 15 km.How tall the scatter ellipse is at a fixed 5 km, from the same model, comparable from ship to ship. The height/width ratio is a piecewise-linear curve through three points from the ship's own dispersion data: at 0 m, at m, and at 17348.1 m. Below the kink: , so .How tall the same scatter ellipse is at 10 km. Comparable from ship to ship for the same reason as the width value above. The height/width ratio is a piecewise-linear curve through three points from the ship's own dispersion data: at 0 m, at m, and at 17348.1 m. Above the kink: , so .How tall the scatter ellipse is at a fixed 15 km, from the same model. Only shown when the ship's guns reach 15 km. The height/width ratio is a piecewise-linear curve through three points from the ship's own dispersion data: at 0 m, at m, and at 17348.1 m. Above the kink: , so .AP penetration at a fixed 5 km, from the same ballistic curve as AP Pen Close/Far: the shell's impact velocity at that range fed through the AP formula , where 727.5 m/s is the shell's speed when it arrives at 5 km (from 820 m/s at the muzzle). Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.AP penetration at a fixed 10 km, from the same ballistic curve as AP Pen Close/Far: the shell's impact velocity at that range fed through the AP formula , where 647.9 m/s is the shell's speed when it arrives at 10 km (from 820 m/s at the muzzle). Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.AP penetration at a fixed 15 km, from the same ballistic curve as AP Pen Close/Far: the shell's impact velocity at that range fed through the AP formula , where 582.7 m/s is the shell's speed when it arrives at 15 km (from 820 m/s at the muzzle). Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.How long an AP shell takes to reach a target at a fixed 10 km, from the same numerically integrated trajectory the Charts card plots. The shell slows under quadratic air drag, , where is air density from a standard-atmosphere profile and bundles the shell's drag coefficient, caliber and mass: . That runs from a 820 m/s muzzle velocity in 0.02 s steps under gravity 9.8 m/s² until the shell lands, then divides by 2.77 because the game clock runs faster than real time. Lower is better, since a faster shell is harder to dodge and needs less lead.How long an HE shell takes to reach a target at a fixed 10 km, from the same numerically integrated trajectory the Charts card plots. The shell slows under quadratic air drag, , where is air density from a standard-atmosphere profile and bundles the shell's drag coefficient, caliber and mass: . That runs from a 820 m/s muzzle velocity in 0.02 s steps under gravity 9.8 m/s² until the shell lands, then divides by 2.77 because the game clock runs faster than real time. Lower is better, since a faster shell is harder to dodge and needs less lead.This ship's HE shells use a 1/4 (~0.25) caliber-to-pen ratio instead of the standard 1/6 (~0.167) - 0.249 in this case. Lets HE pen ~95mm armor instead of ~63mm. Hits every German cruiser (150mm CL, 203mm CA) and BB (350mm+), British heavy cruisers / Lion / Nelson, a handful of other premiums.4 mounts × 2 barrels = 8; all 8 bear on the broadside.Model inputs
Armor-penetration constant of the AP shell; penetration scales straight with it, so a 10% higher Krupp is 10% more penetration at every range.Enters penetration as mass^0.69 and slows the shell's drag deceleration, so a heavier shell keeps more velocity at range.Air drag on the AP shell in flight; lower keeps velocity, and with it penetration, at long range.Starting speed of the AP shell; penetration scales with velocity^1.38.Starting speed of the HE shell; sets its flight time and lead.Horizontal dispersion growth per idealDistance of range, in 30 m units; the slope of the scatter-width line.Horizontal dispersion at zero range, in 30 m units; the intercept of the scatter-width line.Range step over which horizontal dispersion grows by idealRadius.Inside this range the scatter width tapers toward minRadius instead of following the line.Vertical scatter as a share of horizontal at zero range.Vertical scatter as a share of horizontal at the delim point.Vertical scatter as a share of horizontal at maximum range.Where the vertical-scatter curve bends, as a share of maximum range.AA defense
Only families that reach 4.5 km contribute at the outer edge of the AA bubble. In-game families: 37mm Flak M42 Zwilling 10x2 -> 134 DPS @ 3.5 km; 20mm Flak 38 14x1 -> 95 DPS @ 2 km; 20mm Flack 38 quad 16x4 -> 108 DPS @ 2 km; 105 mm SKC 33 2x2 -> 31 DPS @ 4.5 km; 105 mm SKC 37 6x2 -> 93 DPS @ 4.5 km.@ 4.5 km: 31 + 93 = 124; @ 3.5 km: 134 + 31 + 93 = 258; @ 2 km: 134 + 95 + 108 + 31 + 93 = 461. Cumulative AA DPS at each family range threshold. Inner ranges stack the outer families, so a target closing the distance hits stronger AA bubbles as it crosses each band.134 + 95 + 108 + 31 + 93 = 461 DPS: the sum of every family's average DPS, achievable only inside the closest-range family (2 km).134 × 3.5 + 95 × 2 + 108 × 2 + 31 × 4.5 + 93 × 4.5 = 1433. SUM over AA auras of (aura DPS x aura range km). A plane crossing the AA bubble is exposed to each aura for a time proportional to that aura's range, so long-reach DPS is worth more than the same DPS in a short bubble. Units: DPS*km; used to rank overall AA threat across the cohort.Secondary battery dispersion
Same per-type line evaluated at a fixed 5 km: 5 km × 57 + 30 = 315 m.Secondary battery firepower
max(1200 (105 mm), 1200 (105 mm), 1700 (150 mm), 1700 (150 mm)) = 1700. Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 1700 from the 150 mm family.max(5% (105 mm), 5% (105 mm), 8% (150 mm), 8% (150 mm)) = 8%. Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 8% from the 150 mm family.max(20 mm (105 mm), 20 mm (105 mm), 38 mm (150 mm), 38 mm (150 mm)) = 38 mm. Maximum HE armor penetration across secondary HE families (caliber × 1/6 for most nations; 1/4 for German/UK BBs). Shells whose pen falls under a plate's armor thickness shatter for 0 hull damage though fire chance still applies. Best on this ship: 38 mm from the 150 mm family.Ship Charts
Historical context
The real Bismarck that gave this ship her name. Facts cross-checked against the linked Wikipedia article.
Background
By the start of World War II, Bismarck was one of the mightiest battleships in the world, owing to her advanced gun fire control system and powerful artillery. Her rugged construction, elaborate subdivision into compartments, and extensive armor ensured a high level of endurance.
Notable engagements
- Battle of the Denmark Strait (24 May 1941) - Sank HMS Hood in roughly six minutes; damaged HMS Prince of Wales.
- Final action and sinking (26–27 May 1941) - Rudder jammed by Swordfish torpedo from HMS Ark Royal; pummeled by HMS King George V and HMS Rodney.
Fate
Sunk 27 May 1941 in the North Atlantic. Crew scuttled the ship to prevent capture after sustained gunfire and torpedo damage. Roughly 2,200 dead; 114 survivors. Wreck discovered by Robert Ballard in 1989 at ~4,800 m depth.
Armor Beta
Hull HP 64,500 → 69,200 with hull upgrade, distributed across 5 hull zones, each with its own plate thicknesses, saturation cap, and pen thresholds.
Overmatched by AP from only MusashiARP Musashi. Angled, everything else bounces.
Citadels come from a flat broadside at close range; held past ~30° of angle, AP shatters or bounces.
Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 37%, fires burn 60s. Range-by-range in the Compare tool →
| Section | Plates | HP cap | Threats | Tactic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bow | 32 mm primary (range 20–60 mm) | 2,100 (3% of HP) | Overmatched by 460mm+ AP (Aki, Musashi)Angle bounces 410mm32 mm: HE pens from 203mm+ | Bow-tank fits behind this exterior plate. Saturation is FAST here; the cap is often only a few thousand HP. |
| Hull (midship) | 110 mm primary (range 38–320 mm) | 51,900 (75% of HP) | No common AP caliber overmatches110 mm: standard HE shatters; improved HE (DE / FR BB) pens from 460mm+ | Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest. |
| Stern | 32 mm primary (range 32–110 mm) | 1,400 (2% of HP) | Overmatched by 460mm+ AP (Aki, Musashi)Angle bounces 410mm32 mm: HE pens from 203mm+ | Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation. |
| Citadel | 320 mm primary (range 25–245 mm) | ≈ 165,500 (effectively no cap) | Citadel pen: full damageOver-pen: ×0.10 damage | Effectively no cap; citadel pool sits at ~165k HP on every ship. An AP citadel penetration deals the shell's full damage, the biggest single hit available; only over-penetrations are damped, to ×0.10. |
| Superstructure | 19 mm primary (range 19–50 mm) | 4,700 (7% of HP) | Any HE ≥16 mm pens at full damage | Any HE ≥16 mm pens at full damage. HE-spam target, and the section saturates fast (often only a few thousand HP). |
| Turret (module, per magazine) | separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP | 34,600 magazine HP | Turret knocked out | Per-turret powder-magazine HP, a separate pool that does not drain ship HP. As it is worn down the turret is likelier to be knocked out, and a smaller pool gets there faster. |
| Secondary mount (150 mm mount) | separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP | 800 per-mount HP | Destroyed at 0 HP | Per-mount HP for the heaviest secondary on this ship. A mount destroyed at 0 HP is out for the rest of the battle; DCP does not repair destroyed mounts. Smaller (lighter-caliber) secondaries typically share the same HP value. |
| AA mount (37 mm mount) | separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP | 200 per-mount HP | Destroyed at 0 HP | Per-mount HP for the heaviest AA on this ship. An AA mount destroyed at 0 HP stops shooting down planes for the rest of the battle; DCP does not repair destroyed mounts. HE shells specifically target AA mounts since the small-caliber HP pool falls fast. |
| Engine (module, research) | engine coefficient (unconfirmed) | -0.080 research estimate | Largest on BB/BC; zero on destroyers | Engine durability isn't a per-ship value. This small negative coefficient is non-zero only on battleships, battlecruisers, and the heaviest cruisers, and is exactly zero on every destroyer, so it scales with hull displacement rather than any commander skill. Most likely an engine drag or power term in the same family as the deceleration stats; its exact meaning is not yet confirmed. |
| Rudder (module) | separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP | 20,800 module HP | Incapacitated at 0 HP | When module HP reaches 0 the rudder locks at its current angle until DCP repairs it. Repair via Damage Control Party. |
Saturation cap = HP a section can absorb before further damage to it is reduced (the "bow-tank" effect). Citadel pool is ~165k on every ship (effectively no cap); damage is gated by pen/over-pen multipliers instead. Superstructure saturates fast but HE always pens regardless of the plate thickness. Rudder (and other module HPs) are a separate pool from ship HP: damaging a module doesn't drain ship HP. Incapacitated modules like the rudder and engine are restored by DCP, but secondary and AA mounts destroyed at 0 HP stay out for the rest of the battle.
Balance History
Balance updates affecting Bismarck. Cards are condensed; use each source link for full context.
September update: the Redinforcements
- Shell grouping increased by 5%.
Two Years Strong: The April Update
- 105 mm secondary guns of German battleships can now penetrate 20 mm armor, which they weren't able to do before. This means that Bismarck and Tirpitz become more of a threat to any destroyers that wander too close, especially if the battleships have enhanced secondaries.
Marchin' on: The First Update of Spring 2021
- Main battery accuracy improved by about 3%.
- Guaranteed ricochet angle for main battery shells increased from 60 to 65 degrees, which means that Bismarck will be able to damage even more angled targets whose armor cannot be overmatched by 380 mm shells.
- Penetration of AP shells increased by about 4%, which should lead to a few more citadels when shooting angled but penetrable targets.
Skins & permanent camouflages
Every custom exterior Bismarck can equip.
Primary official WG sources
Filtered to official World of Warships: Legends pages where this ship is a focus, reward, line member, or high-context variant mention.







