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RE: Naval War Day-by-Day - 12/16/2019 6:44:46 AM   
warspite1


Posts: 41353
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The warring parties look to Norway


British and French interest in Scandinavia

This is a naval war day to day thread. There is much here I could write about the sometimes tortuous, sometimes farcical events that led to Allied action in Norway, but that would be a book in itself and is outside the scope of this thread.

Instead here is a brief summary of events that led to British warships being at sea off Norway in the hours leading up to the German invasion. It is one of life's ironies that the man probably most responsible for the Allies, ultimately disastrous, intervention was made Prime Minister as a result of the previous encumbent losing his job over a debacle he had little appetite for.

Winston Churchill had been brought back to the Admiralty at the outbreak of war. He was always a proponent of operations on the edges in the hope of ending a war without the need for wholesale clashes of armies. At the beginning of WWII he wanted to revive Operation Catherine - a Royal Naval squadron moving into the Baltic to attack the German Navy and disrupt convoys of iron ore. Fortunately he was quickly dissuaded from this - but kept in mind what he thought was the war winning cutting off of the Swedish iron ore that fed the German war machine.

The best way of achieving this was to bring Norway (and Sweden) in on the Allied side. The Scandinavians were less than keen on that....

Short of achieving that, mining Norwegian territorial waters seemed like the best option. But then, when the Soviet Union attacked Finland in November 1939, the idea of sending aide to the Finns was mooted - with that aide being delivered via Narvik and then the Swedish ore fields.....

Thankfully a dampner was placed on that spiffing wheeze when the Finns sued for peace in the Spring of 1940.

But by now, the temperature was rising for both Chamberlain and Reynaud (Daladier's premiership ended largely thanks to the French public's hostile reaction to inactivity over Finland). As a result even Chamberlain - who had been a sensible break on the weird idea emanating largely from Churchill - was inclined to agree that something need to be done. And this set the scene for Operation Wilfred and Operation R4....

Operations Weserubung (Nord and Sud)

Like with the Allied side, there is much that can be written on the political intriguing and diplomatic manoeuvring that led Hitler to order Weserubung in April 1940. But again I will simply summarise events in order to quickly get to the naval action.

The first German study into potential operations in Norway was made by OKW in January 1940. 'Studie Nord' was largely carried out by the Navy staff and the army and air force showed little interest - they were more concerned with the very real attack on France that was to be implemented sooner rather than later. Studie Nord was developed but the overriding feeling was that Norwegian neutrality was actually in Germany's favour and so any move north would only be in response to Allied action.

But the Altmark incident (see post 259) proved, to Hitler's mind, that the Norwegians could not be trusted to maintain their neutrality and as a result, preparations for invading Norway were immediately intensified. On the 21 February 1940 General Nicolaus von Falkenhorst, an infantry corps commander, was summoned to present plans for an invasion. This was done in secret and with the army sidelined. By the 29th the outline of Weserubung was presented to Hitler.

The plan called for the invasion Denmark (Weserubung Sud) and Norway (Weserubung Nord). The latter would be carried out by regiment strength landings at key Norwegian ports from Narvik to Oslo, supported in some places by paratroopers. The operation would require practically the entire Kriegsmarine, including u-boats that would need to be withdrawn from Atlantic operations.

Sources:
Hitler's Pre-emptive War (Lunde)

< Message edited by warspite1 -- 1/16/2020 5:52:24 PM >


_____________________________

England expects that every man will do his duty. Horatio Nelson October 1805



(in reply to warspite1)
Post #: 271
RE: Naval War Day-by-Day - 12/16/2019 6:44:54 AM   
warspite1


Posts: 41353
Joined: 2/2/2008
From: England
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The Norwegian Navy April 1940

A recurring theme amongst nations - big and small - during the inter-war years, was that there was insufficient money and appetite to spend on defence. Norway was no different, and it was the belief of successive governments that they could be spared becoming involved in any future conflict by maintaining the state of neutrality that had served them well in World War I.

Neutrality was declared on 1 September 1939 in response to the German invasion of Poland - and re-affirmed two days later when Britain and France declared war on Germany. Sentiment appears to have been largely anti-German at this time - and the fact that, by April 1940, fifty-five Norwegian merchant ships were sunk (and almost 400 sailors died) at the hands of the u-boats can only have hardened this general feeling.

In April 1940 the Royal Norwegian Navy (RNN) consisted of 121 vessels. Of these approximately half were chartered auxiliaries and unarmed support vessels. The remaining 59 ships, only 19 were launched post World War I (although 10 were post 1935). Serviceable naval aircraft was no more than a couple of dozen.

The most important aspect of the defence was the various fortresses at key points along the coast. Sadly, as we shall see, the guns were largely obsolete, and weren't fully manned in April 1940. There were no minefields laid either.

In overall command of the RNN was Rear Admiral Henry Diesen at the Supreme Sea Defence Command based in Oslo. The naval defence of the country was in the hands of three Sea Defence Districts (SDD). There were based at Horten, Bergen and Tromso. Within each SDD were Sea Defence Sectors (SDS). The key forts along the coast fell under the command of the SDD commander whose SDD they fell within. The naval aircraft also came under the SDD commander.

Sea Defence District 1
Horten - Rear Admiral Smith-Johannsen*
1st Minelayer Division - Glommen, Laugen,Nor, Vidar
1st Air Wing

* Note, the two panserships - Harald Haarfarge and Tordenskjold had had their armament removed and were worthless as fighting vessels

Oscarborg Sea Defence Sector (Oscarborg)
Oscarborg Patrol and Auxiliary Division - Kranfartoy II, Alpha, Furu

Kaholmen Fort - 28cm Battery with 3 guns (only 2 were manned). There was also a 57mm Battery with 4 guns but this was unmanned.
Kopas Fort - 15cm Battery with 3 guns
Husvik Fort - 57mm Battery with 2 guns and a 15cm Battery with 3 guns but undermanned
Nesset Fort - 57mm Battery with 3 guns
Nordre Kaholmen Torpedo Battery - 3 x 45mm torpedo tubes
Selersten AA Battery - 2 x 40mm and 3 x 7.92 machine guns

Outer Oslofjord Sea Defence Sector (Tonsberg)
1st Submarine Division - A2, A3, A4, Sarpen
1st Minesweeper Division - Hauk, Hvas, Falk, Kjoerk
3rd Minesweeper Division - Otra, Rauma

Oslofjord Fortress
Rauoy Fort - 4 x 15cm guns. There were also 4 x 12cm guns but these were unmanned. 2 x 40mm AA and 2 x 7.92 machine guns
Bolaerne Fort - 3 x 15cm guns. There were also 4 x 12cm guns but these were unmanned.
Makeroy Fort - 2 x 30.5cm howitzer. This fort was undermanned
Haoy Fort - 2 x 21 cm guns. This fort was undermanned

Kristiansand Sea Defence Sector (Kristiansand)
2nd Torpedo Boat Division - Kjell, Skarv, Teist
2nd Submarine Division - B2, B4, B5
10th Auxiliary Division - Kvik, Blink, Lyn
11th Auxiliary Division - William Barents, Fireren, Lyndgal, Hval IV, Hval VI, Hval VII
3rd Torpedo Boat Division - Jo, Grib, Ravn, Orn, Lom

Kristiansand Fortress
Odderoya Fort - 21cm Battery, 24cm Howitzer Battery, 3 x 15cm Battery and AA Battery
Gleodden Fort - 15cm Battery

Sea Defence District 2
Bergen - Rear-Admiral Tank-Nielsen
2nd Air Wing

Stavanger - Haugesund Sea Defence Area
Destroyers - Aeger, Draug
Torpedo Boat - Stegg
Auxiliary Vessels - Sperm, Motorbat nr.7

Floro - Maloy Sea Defence Area
Destroyer - Troll
Torpedo Boat - Snogg

Maloy - Alesund Sea Defence area
Auxiliary Vessels - Hval V, Commonwealth

Bergen Sea Defence Sector (Bergen)
4th Torpedo Boat Division - Storm, Brand Sael
2nd Minelayer Division - Gor, Tyr, Uller, Vale
2nd Minesweeper Division - Derv, Dristig
Submarine - B6
Minelayer - Olav Tryggvason
Destroyer - Garm
12th Patrol and Auxiliary Division - Alvaersund, Manger, Lindaas, Haus Oygard
13th Patrol and Auxiliary Division - Oster, Smart, Bjerk, Veslefrikk, Veslegutt

Bergen Fortress
Kvarven Fort - 21cm Battery (3 guns), 24cm Howitzer Battery (3 guns), Torpedo Battery (not operational), AA Battery
Hellen Fort - 21cm Battery (3 guns), 24cm Howitzer Battery (2 guns - not manned)
Leroy Fort - 2 x 65mm guns
Faeroy Fort - 2 x 65mm guns
Herdla Fort - 2 x 65mm guns
Haoy Fort - 2 x 57mm guns

AA Batteries at Oyfjord and Slettebakken

Trondelag Sea Defence Sector (Trondheim)
Destroyer - Sleipner
Torpedo Boat - Trygg
5th Torpedo Boat Division - Sild, Skrei, Laks
14th Patrol and Auxiliary Division - Fosen, Nauma, Steinkjoer, Heilhorn

Agdenes Fortress
Brettingen Fort - 21cm Battery (2 guns), 15cm Battery (3 guns), AA Battery
Hysnes Fort - 21cm Battery (2 guns), 15cm Battery (2 guns), AA Battery


Sea Defence District 3
Tromso - Commander Hagerup
Coastguard and Patrol Vessels - Heimdal, Nordkapp, Thorodd, Kvitoy, Svalbard II, Syrian, Torfinn I, Aud I
3rd Air Wing

Ofoten Detachment (Narvik)
1st Pansership Division - Norge, Eidsvold
3rd Submarine Division - B1, B3 Lyngen (Depot Ship)
Auxiliary Patrol Vessels - Michael Sars, Senja, Kelt


The obsolete coastal battleships (panserships), Norge and Eidsvold, seen here at Narvik. These British built ships, launched in 1900, were armed with a main armament of two 8.2-inch guns in single turrets. Secondary armament consisted of six 5.9-inch guns in casemates. Eight 3-inch AA guns and 18-inch torpedo tubes rounded off the weaponry.



Finmark Detachment (Kirkenes and Vadso)
Fishery protection/Patrol Vessels - Fridtjof Nansen, Bortind, Nordhav II, Rossfjord, Spanstind
Vardoyhus Fortress


The HQ's for the three SDD's - Horten, Bergen and Tromso - and the principal bases.




Sources:
The German Invasion of Norway (Haarr)


Attachment (2)

< Message edited by warspite1 -- 3/21/2020 4:55:30 PM >


_____________________________

England expects that every man will do his duty. Horatio Nelson October 1805



(in reply to warspite1)
Post #: 272
RE: Naval War Day-by-Day - 12/16/2019 6:46:31 AM   
warspite1


Posts: 41353
Joined: 2/2/2008
From: England
Status: offline
The German Marine Gruppen (MG) assigned to Weserubung

As can be seen, pretty much the entire Kriegsmarine were employed on this operation.

Weserubung Nord

Cover Force (Vice-Admiral Lutjens)
BB: Gneisenau (F), Scharnhorst

MG I (Commodore Bonte)
Target - Narvik
DD: Wilhelm Heidkamp (F), Georg Thiele, Diether von Roeder, Hans Ludemann, Hermann Kunne, Anton Schmitt, Wolfgang Zenker, Bernd von Arnim, Erich Giese, Reich Koellner

Support vessels:
Tankers: Jan Wellem, Kattegat
Transports: Rauenfels, Alster, Barenfels

MG II (Captain Heye)
Target - Trondheim
CA: Admiral Hipper (F)
DD: Paul Jacobi, Theodor Riedel, Bruno Heinemann, Friedrich Eckholdt

Support Vessels:
Tankers: Skagerrak, Moonsund
Transports: Levante, Main, Sao Paulo

MG III (Rear-Admiral Schmundt)
Target - Bergen
CL: Koln (F), Konigsberg
Gunnery Trainning Ship: Bremse
Depot Ship: Carl Peters
Torpedo Boats: Leopard, Wolf
S-Boats: S18, S19, S20, S21, S22, S24
Auxiliaries: Koblenz, Alteland

Support Vessels:
Tanker: Belt
Transports: Marie Leonhardt, Curityba, Rio de Janeiro

MG IV (Captain Rieve)
Target: Kristiansand and Arendal
CL: Karlsruhe
Depot Ship: Tsingtao
Torpedo Boats: Saedler, Luchs, Grief
S-Boats: S9, S14, S16, S30, S31, S32, S33

Support Vessels:
Tanker: Stedingen
Transports: Wiegand, Westsee, Kreta, August Leonhardt

MG V (Rear-Admiral Kummetz)
Target: Oslo
CA: Blucher (F), Lutzow
CL: Emden
Torpedo Boats: Mowe, Albatross, Kondor
Minesweepers: R17, R18, R19, R20, R21, R22, R23, R24
Auxiliaries: Rau VII, Rau VIII

Support Vessels:
Tankers: Euroland, Senator
Transports: Antares, Ionia, Muansa, Itauri, Neidenfels

MG VI (Commander Thoma)
Target - Egersund
Minesweepers: M1, M2, M9, M13

Support Vessels:
Transports: Roda, Tubingen, Tijuca, Mendoza

Weserubung Sud Note: I'm unsure on the status of some of these vessels.

Support Vessel (for Group VII, VIII and IX)
OBB: Schliesen

MG VII (Captain Kleikamp)
Target - Korsor/Nyborg
OBB: Schleswig-Holstein
Auxiliaries: Claus von Bevern, Pelikan, Nautilus
Trawlers + Tugs: Nine
2 x Transports: Campinas, Cordoba

MG VIII (Commander Schroder)
Minelayer: Hannestadt Danzig
Icebreaker: Stettin
Auxiliaries: Unknown?

MG IX (Captain Leisner)
Auxiliaries: Rugard, Arkona, Otto Braun,
Minesweepers: R6, R7, Silvia, Cressida
Subhunter UJ 107
Tugs: Passat, Monsun

MG X (Captain Ruge)
Target - Esbjerg
Auxiliary: Konigin Luise
Minesweepers: M4, M20, M84, M102, M1201, M1202, M1203, M1204, M1205, M1206, M1207, M1208, R25, R26, R27, R28, R29, R30, R31, R32

MG XI (Captain Berger)
Target - Limfjord, Thyboron
Minesweepers: von der Groben, M61, M89, M110, M111, M134, M136, R33, R34, R35, R36, R37, R38, R39, R40

In addition, the minelayers Roland, Cobra and Preussen and M6, M10, M11, M12 lay a protective mine barrier northwest of Denmark on the night of the 8th/9th April

In support of operations in Norway, were the u-boats. Hitler had ordered the suspension of the war against merchant shipping from the 1st March 1940.


Sources:
The German Invasion of Norway (Haarr)
Hitler's U-boat War (Blair)

< Message edited by warspite1 -- 2/14/2020 7:44:57 PM >


_____________________________

England expects that every man will do his duty. Horatio Nelson October 1805



(in reply to warspite1)
Post #: 273
RE: Naval War Day-by-Day - 12/16/2019 6:46:40 AM   
warspite1


Posts: 41353
Joined: 2/2/2008
From: England
Status: offline
UNDER CONSTRUCTION

British and French plans; R4 and Wilfred

And so, in late March 1940, with the new French administration clamouring for action (and pursuing operations in the Caucasus and Balkans that would likely bring the USSR into the war on the German side) the British - perhaps as fearful of more unrest in France as they were of going to war with Stalin - decided that the mining of Norwegian waters should go ahead (Operation Wilfred) and troops would be landed in key strategic locations as soon as the Germans react (R4). In return the French would lay mines in German waterways (Operation Royal Marine).

However. the French War Council rejected Royal Marine a few days later on the grounds that it would invite retaliation on French cities...... Churchill was sent to France to change their minds but doesn't appear to have been too bothered when the French wouldn't budge. One can only imagine that this was because, in his mind, something was at last being done about the ore traffic (and possibly bringing the Norwegians into the war on the Allied side).

Diplomatic warnings were issued to Norway and Sweden on the [ ] April

Let the absurdity unfold....

Operation Wilfred

The plan for Wilfred, which began with sailings from the UK on the 5th April, was as follows:

Force WS: A minefield was to be laid off Stadlandet by the minelayer Teviot Bank, escorted by four more destroyers (Inglefield, Ilex, Imogen, Isis).

Force WV: Four minelaying destroyers of the 20th Destroyer Flotilla (Esk, Icarus, Impulsive, Ivanhoe) were sent to the mouth of Vestfjorden to lay the most northern of the minefields. These ships sailed on the 6th April and were escorted by four destroyers from the 2nd Destroyer Flotilla (Hardy, Havoc, Hotspur, Hunter).

The battlecruiser HMS Renown and her two-strong destroyer escort from the 1st Destroyer Flotilla (Greyhound, Glowworm) had also sailed on the 5th and their task was to screen the minelaying operations.

Force WB: The destroyers Hyperion and Hero sailed with Renown and detached off Bud. They were to simulate a minelaying operation, although no mines were to be laid.

At this time the cruiser HMS Birmingham and the destroyers Fearless and Hostile were off the Norwegian coast on patrol.

Plan R4

The 'plan' was for landings to be made in Norway as soon as the Germans had 'reacted' to the minelaying operations. Quite what was meant by a German reaction was not clear, but is all part of the muddled thinking that characterised Allied operations at this time.

The 24th (Guards) Infantry Brigade, together with a French contingent were to sail for Narvik escorted by the cruisers Penelope and Aurora.

The 1st Cruiser Squadron (Devonshire, Berwick, York, Glasgow) were to transport two battalions of the 148th Infantry Brigade to Bergen and Stavanger, while a battalion destined for Trondheim would follow later.

The whole point of R4 was to land in Norway at the first sight of German reaction. Instead, apparently fearing a breakout into the Atlantic, the operation was cancelled when German units were spotted at sea....







Attachment (1)

< Message edited by warspite1 -- 2/22/2020 2:30:19 AM >


_____________________________

England expects that every man will do his duty. Horatio Nelson October 1805



(in reply to warspite1)
Post #: 274
RE: Naval War Day-by-Day - 12/16/2019 6:46:56 AM   
warspite1


Posts: 41353
Joined: 2/2/2008
From: England
Status: offline
UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Timeline of operations

3rd April

0200hrs - the first of the support vessels got under way from Brunsbuttel. These were the Narvik bound Barenfels, Rauenfels and Alster, while Kattegat sailed from Wilhelmshaven.

4th April

The first of the Trondheim-bound support vessels, Skaggerak and Sao Paulo got underway from Wilhelmshaven and Brunsbuttel respectively.

5th April

0200hrs - The Levante and Main left their base at Brunsbuttel bound for Trondheim
Morning - Force WS left Scapa Flow to lay the southern minefield off Stadlandet. This force consisted of the minelayer Teviot Bank, escorted by the destroyers Inglefield, Ilex, Imogen, Isis.
Midday - The light cruiser Birmingham was patrolling off the Lofoten Islands with the destroyers Hostile and Fearless. They were ordered to link up with HMS Renown (see below) off Vestfjorden on the evening of the 7th.
1830hrs - The battlecruiser Renown sailed for Vestfjorden with the destroyers Glowworm, Greyhound, Hero and Hyperion to provide protection for Force WV. Note: Hero and Hyperion (Force WB were to detach to 'sow' the dummy minefield off Bud.

6th April

0400hrs - The three Bergen-bound transports - Marie Leonhardt, Curityba and Rio de Janeiro - sailed from Stettin
0700hrs - The three transports - Tubingen, Tijuca, Mendoza - sailed for Stavanger from Stettin.
0800hrs - The fifth of the five Narvik-bound support vessels sailed for Narvik. She sailed from a German supply base near Murmansk.
Morning - The four minelaying destroyers of Force WV, and their four-strong destroyer escort, sailed for Vestfjorden and the laying of the northern-most minefield
Morning - A sailor aboard HMS Glowworm was lost overboard. The destroyer was allowed to conduct a search (although this proved in vain). Glowworm then proceeded to locate Renown and Greyhound. With radio silence being maintained this proved impossible and so Glowworm headed back to Scapa Flow for further orders.
1143hrs - By now close enough to Scapa to be able to radio, Glowworm was given Renown's position and she was ordered to rendezvous with the battlecruiser.
1200hrs - The tanker Senator sailed from Hamburg
1700hrs - The four transports - Wiegand, Westsee, Kreta, August Leonhardt - left Stettin for Kristiansand

7th April

The Stedingen left Hamburg bound for Stavanger
0200hrs - The four transports - Antares, Ionia, Muansa, Itauri and Neidenfels - left Stettin and headed for Oslo. Also at this time, the fourth Stavanger bound transport, Roda, sailed from Brunsbuttel.
0045hrs - MG 1 left Wilhemshaven
0300hrs - MG I and MG II rendezvous
0848hrs - MG I and II sighted by British reconnaissance aircraft of 220 Sqn
0920hrs - The 2nd Cruiser Squadron - the light cruisers Galatea and Arethusa with the destroyers Afridi, ORP Burza, ORP Blyskawica, Cossack, ORP Grom, Gurkha, Kashmir, Kelvin, Mohawk, Sikh and Zulu - left Rosyth with orders to make a sweep into the North Sea and later join up with the Home Fleet. They were joined by Mashona, Matabele, Somali and Tartar the following day. The light cruisers Manchester and Southampton were in the North Sea at this time escorting a convoy to Norway. The convoy was recalled and the two cruisers ordered to join the Home Fleet.
1120hrs - Forbes C-in-C Home Fleet made aware of the report
1420hrs - Blenheims of 107 Sqn attacked the fleet but no damage ensued. No further attacks were possible as the weather then closed in. The sudden change in weather ensured that MG I and MG II would no longer receive the attentions of the RAF (and Royal Navy), but for those aboard the destroyers - particularly the soldiers, many of whom had never been to sea before - it was the start of a nightmare. The storm became a force 9 gale and the older, Type 34 destroyers were particularly badly affected - although the newer Type 36 vessels and the three larger ships also found the going incredibly tough.
1900hrs - HMS Renown and Force WV arrived at Vestfjorden and the minelaying destroyers were detached to begin sowing their mines.
2050hrs - Upon receiving news that bombers had attacked 'heavy units' of the Kriegsmarine earlier that afternoon, Forbes ordered units of the Home Fleet to sea - the battleships Rodney and Valiant, the battlecruiser Repulse, the light cruisers Sheffield and Penelope, and ten destroyers - Codrington, Brazen, Bedouin, Electra, Eskimo, Escapade, Griffin, Jupiter, Kimberley and Punjabi. The carrier Furious only followed later for some curious reason.
2210hrs - Carl Peters and the two torpedo boats of MG III leave Cuxhaven
2251hrs - With the poor weather making further reconnaissance updates impossible, and fearing a breakout into the Atlantic, the minelayer Teviot Bank was recalled (and the so the southern minefield was never laid) and her four escorting destroyers ordered to rendezvous with the Home Fleet. Forbes set the Home Fleet on a course to stop a breakout - leaving the German marinegruppen to sail on....
2310hrs - The remainder of MG III put to sea from Wilhelmshaven and headed for Bergen
2400hrs - MG I and MG II were off Bergen by this point. Despite the atrocious weather speed had to be maintained to ensure they stuck to the timetable. At least ten men were lost overboard and there was a lot of loss to equipment - both naval and army - from the decks. By now some of the ships were starting to lose touch.


The 7th April was a day of missed opportunity and confusion at the Admiralty. The thinking across all services and the political direction from above was simply lacking.



8th April

0300hrs - MC V left Kiel and set course for Oslo
0500hrs - MG IV leave Wesermunde and headed for Kristiansand
0500hrs - Force WB arrived off Bud and began 'laying' the dummy minefield.
0525hrs - Force WV completed the sowing of 234 mines off Langerode. The Norwegian auxiliary Syrian intercepted the British force and requested they leave Norwegian waters. The British signalled they would not do so and a conference was held aboard Syrian, during which the Norwegians were given the co-ordinates of the minefield and were told that two British destroyers would remain in the area for 48 hours to warn traffic of the danger. SDD3 at Tromso were alerted and this information passed to Captain Per Askim in Narvik (see post 277).
0720hrs - The Norwegian destroyer Sleipner intercepted the British destroyers off Bud and also requested the British to leave. Again a shipboard conference was held and the Norwegian vessel reported the incident to SDS in Trondheim. Around this time, and aware of all three minefields, the Norwegians also detached three vessels - the torpedo boat Snogg and two auxiliaries (likely to have been Hval V and Commonwealth - to the southern-most minefield at Stadlandet
0735hrs - The Germans intercept a radio signal that confirms the presence of three minefields. This could well have proven vital for the destroyers of MGI which sailed outside of Norwegian territorial waters as a precaution.

The Sinking of HMS Glowworm

The last time we met the destroyer Glowworm was late on the 6th April when she was ordered to rendezvous with HMS Renown (and was provided with her position). The destroyer had taken weather damage and was hove to during the night of 7th/8th of April, but proceeded to get underway again in the early hours of the 8th. Meanwhile the officers and men aboard the destroyers of MG I and MG II were recovering from the violence of the night before.

While off Trondheim at around 0750hrs Hans Ludemann sighted HMS Glowworm. Ludemann's captain wanted to attack Glowworm (which did not appear to see the German ship at this point) but was overruled by the commander of the 3rd Destroyer Flotilla; their primary task was the delivery of troops to Narvik. Glowworm challenged Ludemann and got the response "Swedish destroyer Goteborg". Thinking this unlikely Glowworm sought to follow but Ludemann disappeared into the gloom.

It was not long before another destroyer was sighted. Bernd von Arnim appeared on Glowworm's port bow. A running fight began but the sea remained heavy and neither ship managed to hit the other. Arnim fared worse than the British destroyer in the heavy seas and took heavy damage as she tried to run at 35 knots. Glowworm was the better sea boat and began to reel Arnim in, however a rude surprise awaited the little destroyer. Amongst the messages then sent by Glowworm were the following:

0759hrs - He reported enemy contact and a bearing
0801hrs - Am engaging an enemy destroyer
0840hrs - Enemy making smoke
0845hrs - Am endeavouring to draw the enemy northwards
0855hrs - One enemy vessel, unknown identity, bearing 000, 6 miles bearing 180
0904hrs - The last signal received, incomplete.....

The message at 0845hrs indicates Glowworm's captain, Lt-Commander Gerard Roope believed he was chasing the German ship toward Renown which of course he knew to be to the north. And indeed, on hearing the messages, Admiral William Whitworth, aboard Renown, headed south (as did HMS Birmingham - which had not rendezvoused with Renown by this time). But one wonders why Roope doesn't appear to have considered that an enemy destroyer was unlikely to have been alone that far north. The unidentified ship we know was Admiral Hipper - and the luckless Glowworm was about to find that out.

Receiving various messages from his own destroyers, Admiral Lutjens ordered Captain Hellmuth Heye, commanding Admiral Hipper, to go and sort things out. When Hipper arrived on the scene at about 0850hrs Heye could not tell which of the two destroyers was which initially. It was only when Glowworm flashed "What Ship?" using the signal "A-A-A" that her identity became known - at which point Hipper unleashed 8-inch guns at the little destroyer. Heye sensibly kept his ship facing Glowworm so as to protect his cruiser from torpedoes. The first hits on Glowworm came quickly and Roope ordered she turn into her smokescreen. When she emerged from the screen Glowworm was quickly hit time and again. Under such conditions Glowworm was only able to get a few shots away and none did any damage to Hipper. At 0910hrs Roope ordered a torpedo launch but, though close, the torpedoes failed to hit. Glowworm turned into the smoke once more and Heye, desperate to get this battle done, followed.

By now the two ships were very close. It is not known whether Roope intentionally rammed Hipper or whether her steering was jammed, but whichever the reason, that is what happened. Glowworm's bow crashed into Hipper near her anchor. The destroyer's bow was torn off and the remainder of the ship then scrapped along the side of the German vessel, creating a 35 metre long dent in her side, tearing off railings and destroying the starboard torpedo mounting. One man was lost overboard and she took on 500 tons of water.

Roope gave the order to abandon ship and at 0924hrs Glowworm was rocked by an explosion and sank. Heye ordered that survivors be picked up and around forty were saved (although some may have died shortly after). Commander Roope was not one of the survivors. He made it to the ropes hung over Hipper's side but fell back into the sea.

Commander Roope received the Victoria Cross for his actions, and this was in no small part to Heye who made the recommendation to the British via the Red Cross.

As for Hipper and the four destroyers of the 2nd Destroyer Flotilla, the five vessels re-grouped and, with their destination being Trondheim, now had nothing to do but effectively sail up and down awaiting the following day and the invasion.

The end of HMS Glowworm at the hands of Admiral Hipper



1000hrs - Admiral Forbes ordered Repulse, Penelope, Bedouin, Eskimo, Kimberley and Punjabi to detach from the Home Fleet and head northeast at maximum speed.
1007hrs - The Admiralty ordered the eight destroyers in Vestfjorden to head west to join Renown.
1100hrs - The Admiralty sent a message to Forbes (and copied in to Whitworth in Renown) that they believed intelligence regarding a landing at Narvik could well be true. By now Whitworth, having heard nothing more from Glowworm, heading north once more.

Cancellation or Plan R4

Plan R4 was cancelled during the morning of the 8th. It would be very interesting to know exactly who made this decision (likely Churchill) - but more importantly, why? What was the thinking in making the decision? It seems that someone decided overwhelming force was required to defeat whatever German forces were at sea. But in so doing, the best chance of engaging the enemy at sea on the 8th/9th came and went. What is most frustrating is that cancelling R4 because the Germans were at sea, flew in the face of the whole point of R4 being put into being in the first place.

The Sinking of the Rio de Janeiro

Whilst the British and French displayed rank amateurishness during the Norwegian Campaign, the Norwegians don't come out of the whole sorry mess looking too clever either. The aftermath of the sinking of the Rio de Janeiro is a prime example (although probably strays a little outside of a look at the naval war).

During the morning of the 8th, the Polish submarine Orzel was operating in the Skaggerak. When off Lillesand, she came across a merchant vessel heading west. Unbeknown to Lt-Commander Grudzinski, the merchant in question was the Rio de Janeiro, a 5,261 ton vessel heading for Bergen, and loaded with a variety of supplies including artillery pieces, AA guns, vehicles, horses and over 300 troops. Orzel, against orders, surfaced to challenge the ship which bore no flag. Instead of stopping as per Grudzinski's request, the merchant increased speed and headed toward shore. Orzel could easily catch the ship on the surface and she fired numerous warning shots that eventually brought Rio de Janeiro to a halt. The Germans tried to send a radio signal and at 11:45hrs, Grudzinski had had enough a fired a torpedo (having first given warning that he was about to do so). The torpedo struck, but didn't sink, while Orzel submerged. Meanwhile two Norwegian vessels (later joined by the destroyer Odin) arrived and went to the Rio de Janeiro's assistance. Orzel broke the surface and, half an hour after her first torpedo, a second was launched. This quickly dispatched the merchant to the bottom of the sea. Orzel removed herself from the scene and made a report.

Around half those on board died, but the survivors were picked up by the Norwegian vessels and taken to Kristiansand. Many of the soldiers openly told their Norwegian rescuers that they were on their way to Bergen to assist the Norwegians against an Allied invasion. The Norwegians effectively did nothing despite yet another piece of information - in an ever mounting sea of information and reports - suggesting that the Germans were going to invade. Sadly for the Allied cause, for whatever reason, Grudzinski's report never reached the Admiralty and when, belatedly, the British did hear of the sinking via Reuters, nothing was made of the news.

1138hrs - Force WB left Sleipner to guard the dummy minefield and exited Norwegian waters.

The Sinking of Stedingen

The Germans lost another support vessel that morning. Further east of where Orzel encountered Rio de Janeiro, the British submarine Trident came across the 8,000 ton tanker Stedingen. The latter was full of aviation fuel and was headed for Stavanger, and the airfield at Sola. At the same the Polish Eagle was delivering the coup-de-grace to her prey, Trident was surfacing to confront Stedingen. Similar to the earlier incident, upon a warning being fired, the German ship headed for the coast and only stopped when a couple of rounds fell close to the bridge. The crew began to scuttle the tanker and Trident finished her off with a torpedo. The German captain was captured by Trident. A second vessel - the Kreta - almost fell victim to Trident, but she was able to make it into Norwegian waters.






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UNDER CONSTRUCTION

8th April (Continued)

1330hrs - Renown, Greyhound and the eight destroyers from Vestfjorden rendezvoused off Skomvaer Lighthouse.
1400hrs - A Sunderland flying boat spotted what was reported as a battlecruiser, two cruisers and two destroyers heading west off Trondheim. This force was in fact the ships of MGII that were cruising around off Trondheim for the invasion the following day. The Sunderland was hit by AA fire from Hipper and so could not shadow. But importantly - and unfortunately for the British - when the ships were seen they were heading west and this was what was reported.
1530hrs - The report by the Sunderland led Forbes to believe that there may have been to forces at sea - one heading for Narvik and the other toward the Atlantic. The Home Fleet headed northwest to counter a possible Atlantic breakout - although Repulse, Penelope and their four-strong destroyer escort were, after some consideration, ordered to remain heading northeast for a rendezvous with Renown. Meanwhile inexplicably (or so it seems) Whitworth headed west from Skomnvaer and away from Vestfjorden.
1524hrs - Whitworth was ordered back to Vestfjorden but its not clear why this order was not followed. So during the afternoon of the 8th, the German destroyers of MGI and the two battleships of the covering force entered the mouth of Vestfjorden. Scharnhorst and Gneisenau detached from Bonte's ships and headed northwest into the Norwegian Sea. The weather conditions were appalling and Scharnhorst in particular suffered storm damage at this time. Speed was severely reduced but even so, a ventshaft was broken and many tons of oil was rendered unusable when seven oil tanks were polluted with sea water.
1600hrs - Eleven transports left Gotenhafen bound for Oslo.
1850hrs - The Admiralty issued a most immediate order to Whitworth that his force was to head for Vestfjorden. Whitworth received this at 1915hrs - but by then the weather had continued to deteriorate severely and if Whitworth was to continue to Vestfjorden, he would have to do this without the destroyers.
1930hrs - The tanker Jan Wellem - loaded with fuel to replenish Bonte's destroyers - reached Narvik from the Soviet Union. Her captain's story that she was on her way to Germany was accepted and she moored in the harbour to await events...
2030hrs - MG VI sailed from Cuxhaven bound for Egersund




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RE: Naval War Day-by-Day - 12/16/2019 6:47:17 AM   
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UNDER CONSTRUCTION

9th April

Renown clashes with Scharnhorst and Gneisenau

xx

Narvik

Having parted company with Lutjens, Bonte's destroyers proceeded into Vestfjorden for the journey to Narvik. After the harrowing journey that caused losses to equipment and men overboard, the ships were remarkably on schedule - albeit one of the destroyers was lagging some miles behind.

Before continuing, with this part of story it might be an idea to show a map with some of the key places that will feature in the story. Here is the wider picture.



And here is a more detailed map of the Narvik area. As some idea of scale here, Ofotfjorden is sixty kilometres in length and ranges from about three to eighteen kilometres wide. Note the location of proposed coastal batteries at Ramnes and Hamnes that were never built. Vidkun Quisling had told the Germans that these were in existence.



As the German destroyers continued their journey towards Narvik on the 8th April, The Norwegian forces were located as follows:

The panserships Norge and Eidsvold were moored at Narvik. The submarines B1 and B3 were also in the harbour with their depot ship Lyngen. Of the three patrol vessels that completed the Ofoten Division, Senja was in the harbour, while Micheal Sars and Kelt were on patrol in the fjord. In command of the division was Captain Per Askim whose flag was in Norge. Also in the harbour that morning were twenty-six merchant vessels – ten of which were German.

You will recall that the auxiliary Syrian was at the minefield laid by Force WV and had reported what was happening to SDD3. Askim ordered steam be raised on the elderly panserships and also sent his two submarines and their depot ship to Liland as a precaution.

In the evening, with gathering evidence of a possible German attack, Askim held a conference with Captain Odd Willoch of Eidsvold, and it was agreed that any defence of Narvik would be best carried out outside of the harbour. At 2200hrs Eidsvold left to take up position to the north of the harbour. Norge stayed to aid communications, but would follow later. The patrol vessels Michael Sars and Kelt were ordered to the mouth of Ofotfjorden to report any vessels seeking to venture into the fjord.

At around midnight an order came through that any attack on Narvik (including by the British) should be met with force – and this was passed to all ships of the command. The patrol vessel Senja was ordered to sail at 01:35hrs and head for the minefield laid by Force WV in Vestfjorden.

In the early hours of the 9th developments started to move quickly. Reports came in that various points along the coast were under fire and the intruders were German.

Meanwhile, at 0310hrs, nine of Bonte’s ten destroyers (Giese was around three hours behind), with fuel tanks almost dry, were entering Ofotfjorden. The German ships were spotted by Kelt and Michael Sars and their presence was reported to Askim. The patrol vessels continued to patrol and be ready to report any further incursions while Bonte continued on. Askim passed the news to SDD3 and this message – sent in clear text – was picked up by Bonte. The Germans now knew that their presence was known and so could expect a likely unwelcome reception.

At 03:40 the German destroyers reached Ramnes-Hamnes and the three ships of the 3rd Flotilla – Ludemann, Schmitt and Roeder – were ordered to detach. Their role was to land men to capture the forts at Ramnes and Hamnes that the Germans were led to believe were in place. The three ships of the 4th Flotilla – Zenker, Koellner and Kunne – were also ordered to detach and head for Herjangsfjorden. Their task was to take the barracks at Elvegardsmoen. This would leave the remaining three destroyers to continue on to Narvik.

Senja, which had been ordered to Vestfjorden had by now reached Ramnes/Hamnes and spotted a destroyer near Ramnes. The confusion and errors that abound in time of war now started to move into overtime. In the poor weather, with snow falling and visibility limite, Senja reported a British destroyer was at Ramnes. This message was picked up onboard Norge… but was read as British cruiser at Ramnes. One can only imagine the relief felt by Askim in hearing the news that the Royal Navy were close at hand…. The inquisitive crew of the Senja moved toward the destroyer and realised their mistake. There were actually two of them and they were German. A revised message was sent to Norge but for some reason was never received.

Norge slipped anchor and sailed to a position off Malmkaia, just outside the harbour. I am unclear as to why the two ships didn’t operate together for mutual support. The two ships were about a mile apart but could not see each other for the snow. At 04:20hrs the order was passed to Askim that British vessels were not to be fired upon. For some reason this message was not relayed to Willoch on Eidsvold. However Eidsvold did receive a message sent a little earlier to order her to prepare for war.

The Loss of the Eidsvold

At 04:15, with Eidsvold in the process of weighing anchor, Heidkamp came into view, just 400 metres away. Eidsvold ordered a warning shot to be fired and Bonte brought Heidkamp to a stop. Meanwhile Arnim and Thiele continued on into Narvik, presumably unseen from Eidsvold. Bonte ordered a party to take to a boat and head over to Eidsvold. Heidkamp’s guns remained fixed fore and aft, although her torpedo tubes were swung into position.

The Germans, led by Captain Gerlach, boarded Eidsvold and gave Willoch the prepared story that the Germans were there to help Norway defend herself against the British and that Willoch should surrender his ship. Willoch advised that he would need to seek higher authority and Gerlach refused to wait for an answer and left. Willoch’s brief conversation with Askim was clear; “Open Fire!” And Willoch confirmed “I will attack!”.

But at this point, Willoch hailed Gerlach, who was by this time heading back to Heidkamp. Back on board the pansership, Willoch gave Gerlach the news that he would not surrender, upon which, Gerlach departed once more. While heading back, a red flare was launched from the whaler to warn Bonte that the Norwegians would fight.

What is strange at this point – and something we will never know the answer to – is why Eidsvold didn’t fire. Apparently Willoch gave the order and Eidsvold started to move toward Heidkamp. Why Willoch felt he needed to even do this is also not clear. In addition, during Gerlach’s conference, Heidkamp was not at anchor but instead was allowed to circle Eidsvold – although Eidsvold kept her guns trained on the German ship. After the flare went up, Heidkamp was about 700 metres away from Eidsvold and in a perfect position to fire her torpedoes, but Bonte was under orders not to fire first. He hesitated but both General Dietl (concerned for his troops aboard the destroyer) and Heidkamp’s captain (alarmed that his ship had two 8-inch guns and three 6-inch guns trained on his ship at point blank range) had no such concerns.

Reluctantly Bonte gave the order to fire the torpedoes and four were launched. Two minutes after the warning flare had been launched, and with still no shot being fired by Eidsvold, the torpedoes started slamming into the hapless Eidsvold. It is unclear whether two or three of the four torpedoes hit, but what is clear is that Eidsvold exploded – presumably one of her magazines was penetrated through her thin armour. It was 04:37hrs. One hundred and seventy seven men died and only eight men survived the carnage.




The Loss of the Norge

While Heidkamp and Eidsvold were facing off, Arnim and Thiele had continued their journey toward Narvik harbour. Askim had positioned Norge at the entrance to the harbour and spotted the two German destroyers. Askim ordered them to halt and flashed a “what ship” signal. The two destroyers ignored the pansership and disappeared, without changing course, into the snow.

At this stage Askim knew that German ships were in the fjord because he’d just had a communication with Willoch, he also thought he knew the Royal Navy was in the fjord because of Senja’s erroneous report. He now had two German destroyers sailing past him and, just a few moments later, he heard an explosion from far off.

The two German destroyers headed for the pier and moored, one each side – and the troops began immediately to disembark. Norge followed them into the harbour and they came into view as they were mooring. Askim ordered the guns to fire and, from a range of about 800 metres, but in poor visibility, Norge’s shells landed over or short. The Germans responded but their shooting was not much better. However, Arnim was able to loose seven torpedoes at the pansership. Five missed despite the range, but two struck Askim’s flagship with almost as devastating results as befell her sister ship. Norge rolled over and sank within 60 seconds. 105 men were killed.

After despatching Eidsvold to her watery grave, Heidkamp also headed for the harbour and the pier at Fagernes which she reached at 0500hrs.

The land battle for Narvik is outside of the scope of this naval history, but the town was surrendered at 0615hrs.

While these events were taking place, the other two flotillas were busy discharging their orders.

The 4th Flotilla, which had been ordered to Harjangsfjord, arrived at their objective at 0415hrs and found an almost empty barracks as troops had been ordered into Narvik and their replacements had not arrived at Elvegardsmoen. The facilities for disembarking and embarking the four destroyers were basic and so it would not be before the afternoon that the 4th Flotilla reached Narvik.

We left the 3rd Flotilla sailing to Hamnes/Framnes to capture the non-existent forts. Roeder acted as picket while Schmitt was sent to Ramnes and Ludemann to Hamnes. In the north, German troops found, and captured, a naval depot and the mines within. But that was it. All troops were back on the destroyers by 1100hrs and they headed for Narvik.

Michael Sars and Kelt continued to patrol the narrows and reported the presence of Roeder and the tardy, and almost fuel-free Giese which had finally caught up with her fellow destroyers and was heading for Harjangsfjord as economically as possible. Roeder ordered the two Norwegian patrol vessels to surrender and head back to Narvik. Any thoughts the little vessels had of resisting were ended by a couple of warning shots. They proceeded to Narvik. Senja too was ordered back to Narvik by Schmitt.

And what of the two submarines? Unable to contact Norge, the commander of B3 acted on his own initiative and took his two submarines into the fjord. But by the time they had taken up station, the Germans had passed. At around 0600hrs B3 came across the two auxiliaries that had been ordered to Narvik. Michael Sars reported to the submarine commander Brekke, that they had been ordered back to Narvik… but neglected to inform Brekke of why! So B3 headed back to Liland to find out what was going on.

At this point Brekke found out that the panserships were sunk and he was ordered by SDD3 to head for Vestfjorden. The boat started to spring a leak and so, upon reaching Vestfjorden, she was camouflaged as best she could be, and repair work began. B1 was ordered to Tromso and she arrived there a few days later.

By the end of the 9th April, Narvik had been captured, but the positions was far from rosy for the German forces. The destroyers were to be refuelled by two tankers, but only Jan Wellem had arrived. We will come across Kattegat later as we will the three support vessels – Rauenfels, Barenfels and Alster – that also failed to arrive.

Three of Bonte’s destroyers had refuelled by midnight, but Bonte told his superiors that his force would not be able to leave Narvik before late the following day. For the army, they had been able to take guns from British merchant ships in the harbour, but the non-arrival of the support vessels was a potential problem. Would the Allies be able to take advantage?......


U-boats
xx


Trondheim


0800hrs - The tanker Belt sailed for Bergen
0900hrs - Moonsund, the last of the Trondheim support vessels left Brunsbuttel for Norway

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9th April

Bergen

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9th April

Kristiansand, Arendal and Egersund

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9th April

Oslo

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Auxiliary Cruisers

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RE: Naval War Day-by-Day - 12/16/2019 6:48:05 AM   
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April 1940 (U-boat War)

From a successful, if costly, month of February, the u-boat arm was to suffer a period of huge frustration in March 1940.


Summary for the period
U-boat, type, ships sunk


U-9 (IIB) –
U-10 (IIB) -
U-13 (IIB) -
U-14 (IIB) –
U-20 (IIB) -
U-21 (IIB) -
U-23 (IIB) –
U-25 (I) -
U-26 (I) –
U-30 (VII) -
U-37 (IX) –
U-41 (IX) –
U-48 (VIIB) –
U-50 (VIIB) –
U-53 (VIIB) –
U-57 (IIC) –
U-58 (IIC) -
U-59 (IIC) -
U-61 (IIC) –
U-63 (IIC) -

Total: xx ships with a total tonnage of xxx,xxx tons. Not inc xx

The Germans lost x U-boats – x to mines (U-) and x to torpedo/depth-charge attack (xxxxx).




Sources:
Hitler’s U-boat War Volume I (Clay Blair)
Chronology of the War at Sea 1939-45 (Jurgen Rohwer)
www.uboat.net


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Dutch Navy

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Belgian Navy

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RE: Naval War Day-by-Day - 12/16/2019 6:50:48 AM   
warspite1


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UNDER CONSTRUCTION

May 1940 (U-boat War)

From a successful, if costly, month of February, the u-boat arm was to suffer a period of huge frustration in March 1940.


Summary for the period
U-boat, type, ships sunk


U-9 (IIB) –
U-10 (IIB) -
U-13 (IIB) -
U-14 (IIB) –
U-20 (IIB) -
U-21 (IIB) -
U-23 (IIB) –
U-25 (I) -
U-26 (I) –
U-30 (VII) -
U-37 (IX) –
U-41 (IX) –
U-48 (VIIB) –
U-50 (VIIB) –
U-53 (VIIB) –
U-57 (IIC) –
U-58 (IIC) -
U-59 (IIC) -
U-61 (IIC) –
U-63 (IIC) -

Total: xx ships with a total tonnage of xxx,xxx tons. Not inc xx

The Germans lost x U-boats – x to mines (U-) and x to torpedo/depth-charge attack (xxxxx).




Sources:
Hitler’s U-boat War Volume I (Clay Blair)
Chronology of the War at Sea 1939-45 (Jurgen Rohwer)
www.uboat.net


< Message edited by warspite1 -- 3/21/2020 4:57:28 PM >


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RE: Naval War Day-by-Day - 12/16/2019 6:50:57 AM   
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England expects that every man will do his duty. Horatio Nelson October 1805



(in reply to warspite1)
Post #: 298
RE: Naval War Day-by-Day - 12/16/2019 6:51:05 AM   
warspite1


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_____________________________

England expects that every man will do his duty. Horatio Nelson October 1805



(in reply to warspite1)
Post #: 299
RE: Naval War Day-by-Day - 12/16/2019 6:51:12 AM   
warspite1


Posts: 41353
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_____________________________

England expects that every man will do his duty. Horatio Nelson October 1805



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Post #: 300
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