Bismarck's missing fuel and the Denmark Strait choice

Operation Rheinubung followed quickly after Berlin, leaving little time to absorb the earlier raid's lessons. Lutjens initially described a plan to refuel at sea, then ordered a stop near Bergen without explaining the change to his captains. Prinz Eugen refuelled there, but Bismarck did not top up despite having left the Baltic short of fuel and burned more on the way to Norway. An Arctic tanker offered another possible replenishment point farther from British reconnaissance, but whether Lutjens intended to use it remains unknown. On 22 May, an incorrect report placed four British battleships and possibly an aircraft carrier at Scapa Flow when they were already at sea. That information encouraged an immediate breakout. Lutjens chose the Denmark Strait despite advice favouring the route south of Iceland; northern low visibility offered cover from aircraft, while ice restricted the passage and made it easier to patrol.