English: Illustration of battleship Bismarck as she left Norway in May 1941:"Bismarck kept the dark gray colour at the ends of the hull including the white bow water and stern water as indicated on your sketch, leaving Norway May 21...Bismarcks and our black and white stripes ended at the waterline." Paul Schmalenbach, gunnery officer Prinz Eugen from John Asmussen's site: file and website
1)Pre-Rheinübung aerial identification markings. Note: I included the swastikas because most people I talk to expect to see them, and indeed some recreations of Bismarck during her one and only sortie erroneously include them. The reason they were ever there is both because the Nazis loved em and they explained very clearly whose side the ship was on for German pilots while near home. Of course the easily visible Nazi icon cut both ways thus making it easier to spot the ship at sea for the British, which is why they were painted over for deployment.