That included utilizing elements of the Bayern-class battleship, and as a result the Bismarck was actually less advanced than American, British, Italian, or Japanese battleships of the era.

The HMS Prince of Wales was a King George V-class battleship and the most advanced ... the signing of the Japanese surrender. The German Bismarck-class Tirpitz was a behemoth and a scourge of ...

Both ships in this class were equipped with a main battery of eight 38-centimeter guns capable of firing shells weighing 800 kilograms. Additionally, the Bismarck vessels sported a secondary ...