warspite1
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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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< Message edited by warspite1 -- 3/21/2020 1:41:48 AM >
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