Buzzard was then one of the captains assigned to visit the parents of those lost in the sinking of to offer his condolences. By 1941 Buzzard was serving as gunnery officer aboard the battleship during the pursuit and sinking of the German battleship "Bismarck", with the "Rodney" being the first ship to open fire with her own guns. On 14 October 1941 Buzzard was appointed as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his service. Buzzard then served as assistant director, in the Admiralty Plans Division, and as a member of Joint Planning Committee, with the War Cabinet between 1942 and 1943.