Helmuth Brinkmann (12 March 1895 – 26 September 1983) was a Vizeadmiral in the Kriegsmarine during World War II who captained the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen.

The goal of Operation Rheinübung (Rhine Exercise) was for Prinz Eugen and the battleship Bismarck, under the command of Brinkmann's Crew 1913 classmate Captain Ernst Lindemann,[1] to break into the Atlantic and attack Allied shipping.

The commander of the Prince of Wales, Captain John Leach, detected this error and ordered his guns swung around to fire on Bismarck.

[4] Following the explosion, Prince of Wales was targeted by both German ships and disengaged from combat after seven direct hits, four by Bismarck and three by Prinz Eugen, at about 06:09.

In the afternoon of 24 May, Admiral Lütjens, ordered Prinz Eugen to break away from the battleship Bismarck and operate independently against the enemy's merchant shipping.

Bismarck was sunk by the concentrated effort of the Royal Navy on 27 May 1941 while Prinz Eugen arrived safely at Brest, France on 1 June 1941.