Did Bismarck and Prinz Eugen attempt a ruse?

Did switching Bismarck and Prinz Eugen's positions before the Denmark Strait action count as a ruse de guerre?

Yes; it was designed to confuse British identification, although it did not work very well.

A viewer asks whether Bismarck and Prinz Eugen changing their order before the Battle of the Denmark Strait counts as a ruse. It was intended to confuse the enemy, so it belongs within naval deception even though it was not especially effective. The example distinguishes intent from outcome: a failed or short-lived deception remains a ruse. It also helps explain why visual identification and correct target assignment mattered before radar plots could resolve every contact confidently.