War at Sea
Allied Nations
- Australia
- Brazil
- Canada
- France
- Greece
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Poland
- Soviet Union
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Allies stat table
Axis Nations
Neutral Nations/Installations
Sets
- War At Sea
- Task Force
- Flank Speed
- New Starter
- Condition Zebra
- Set V (Fleet Command)
- Surface action
- First Strike (Forumini Expansion Deck A)
- Infamy (Forumini Expansion Deck B)
- Battle Line (Forumini Expansion Deck C)
- All Hands on Deck (Forumini D)
- Action Stations (Forumini E)
- Dead Reckoning (Forumini F)
Unit Card:
Set - Rarity - Number
Flank Speed - Rare - 24/40
History:
Prinz Eugen was an Admiral Hipper class Heavy Cruiser. Commissioned in August of 1940, Eugen was armed with eight 8" guns on dual mounts. Also, it was armed with a large array of anti-air and surface guns, ranging from 10.5 cm down to 2 cm.
At the start of World War II, Prinz Eugen was damaged early by RAF bombers, and later, it struck a mine, delaying it from combat.
Her first actual combat operation was Operation Rheinübung, in which she and the brand new German battleship Bismarck were to break out into the Atlantic and attack Allied convoys.
While taking on fuel, Eugen and Bismarck were spotted by a reconnaissance Spitfire, which alerted the Royal Navy to their presence. Immediately HMS Prince of Wales and the pride of the Royal Navy, HMS Hood , were sent to intercept.
In the upcoming Battle of the Denmark Strait, Prinz Eugen opened fire on Hood, from one of those salvos started a large fire on the British flagship. Both German ships continued to fire on the British, until a lucky hit from Bismarck struck Hood and it promptly exploded and sank. Prince of Wales was forced to retreat.
After the battle, Bismarck was forced to find safe haven in occupied France, for a salvo from PoW ruptured its oil lines. Prinz Eugen parts ways from Bismarck and continues into the Atlantic.
However, its mission is cut short when engine problems develop and it forced to go to Brest, France for repairs. While in dock, Eugen is attacked by the RAF, suffering a bomb hit to behind her bridge.
After Bismarck's loss, Hitler declared no more raids, and called all German capital ship back to Norway.
This began "Operation Cerberus", or "The Channel Dash". Prinz Eugen formed up with battlecruisers Scharnhorst, and Gneisenau, and several other small vessels.
Despite escaping the British, Eugen was torpedoed by HMS Trident, on her way to Norway. The hit resulted in the loss of her stern. PE managed to make it Kiel for repairs soon after.
After repairs, Prinz Eugen steamed for the Baltic, and was preparing to shell Russian troop positions when she collided with the light cruiser Leipzig ,(near-sister of the (Koln) nearly splitting the smaller ship in half. It took 14 hours of being stuck together before the two ships could be seperated and repaired. After extensive repairs were made, PE continued with its original mission, and shelled Russian land forces for 26 days, also assisting in the evacuation of German refugees. Finally, Eugen docked at Copenhagen for the last time, unable to leave due to lack of fuel.
When the war ended, Eugen was surrendered to the British there. Soon, she was award to the United States and briefly sailed as USS Prinz Eugen as an unclassed misc. vessel.
Finally, Prinz Eugen was selected to take part in the Operation Crossroads atomic bomb trials off Bikini Atoll. After surviving tests, it capsized, where it remains to this day.
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Reviews:
Lobukia
If Hipper is a bargain, the Prinz Eugen is a steal. Good guns, solid anti-air, a one-in three chance of ignoring battleship fire, and the ability to temporarily cripple a cruiser (good luck using this against an Allied battleship) all make the Prinz Eugen one of the better cruisers at her cost. Be cautious against a Baltimore or Cleveland, but used with an Admiral Scheer, a Prinz Eugen makes a solid anti-cruiser or carrier killing combination.
