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Note: all vessels and aircraft are British unless otherwise identified or implied - click for abbreviations |
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Background Events - April-May 1940
1940 Monday,
8 April German
light cruisers KÖLN and KÖNIGSBERG and training ship BREMSE departed
Wilhelmshaven and rendezvoused off Heligoland with torpedo boats WOLF and LEOPARD
and the 1st S-Boat Flotilla with parent ship KARL PETERS and S.19, S.21,
S.22, S.24 which departed Cuxhaven. These units, which departed at 0040/8
April, were carrying two battalions of the 69th Division for the occupation
of Also
attached to this group were naval auxiliary ships Schiff 9 (trawler Shortly
after rendezvous, S.19 and S.21 collided and S.19 was so severely damaged
that torpedo boat WOLF had to tow her back to port. S
21 was damaged to the point that she could not continue and also returned to Later
on the 14th, S.23 and S.25 arrived at _____ German
light cruiser _____ German
heavy cruisers LUTZOW (previously pocket battleship DEUTSCHLAND) and BLUCHER,
light cruiser EMDEN, torpedo boats ALBATROS, MOEWE, KONDOR, motor
minesweepers R.17, R.18, R.19, R.20, R.21, R.22, R.23, R.24 of the 1st Motor
Minesweeper Flotilla, whalers RAU Heavy
cruiser LUTZOW had originally been designated to sail with the _____ German
minesweepers M.1, M.2, M.9, M.13 departed _____ German
minelayers ROLAND, KONIGIN LUISE, COBRA, PREUSSEN departed _____ German
forces for the invasion of Old
battleship SCHLESWIG HOLSTEIN with experimental shipsCLAUS VON BEVERN (ex WW
I T 190), NAUTILUS (M.582 ex WW I M.81), PELICAN (M.528 ex WW I M.28) and six
armed fishing trawlers departed Kiel with transports CAMPINAS (4541grt) and
CORDOBA (4611grt) for Korsor-Nyborg. However,
SCHLESWIG HOLSTEIN ran aground in the Great Belt before dawn at 0217/9th and
was left behind. Minelayer
HANSESTADT DANZIG and icebreaker German
steamer RUGARD (1358grt) with minesweepers ARKONA (M.517 ex WW I M.115),
M.157, OTTO BRAUN (M.529 ex WW I M.129), motor minesweepers R.6 and R.7,
patrol vessels Vp.102 (steamer CRESSIDA, 1046grt) and Vp.103 (steamer SILVIA
- 1049grt), submarine chaser UJ.172 (trawler FREIHERR VON STEIN, 198grt),
tugs MONSUN and PASSAT sailed for Middelfart to land three companies of the
170th Infantry Division. German
sloopF 6 (KONIGIN LUISE), minesweepers M.4, M.20, M.84, M.102, motor
minesweepers R.25, R.26, R.27, R.28, R.29, R.30, R.31, R.32 of the 2nd Motor
Minesweeper Flotilla and auxiliary minesweepers M.1201 (trawler HARVESTEHUDE,
523grt), M.1202 (trawler VON RONZELEN, 468grt), M.1203 (trawler BURGERMEISTER
SMIDT, 500grt), M.1204 (trawler ANNA BUSSE, 468grt), M.1205 (trawler LUDWIG
JANSSEN, 470grt), M.1206 (trawler SCHELSIEN, 430grt), M.1207 (trawler FRISIA,
429grt), M.1208 (trawler GAULEITER FORSTER, 425grt) of the 12th Minesweeping
Flotilla departed Cuxhaven for Esbjerg and Nordby on Fano. The
4th Minesweeping Flotilla with minesweepers M.61, M.89, M.110, M.111, M.134,
M.136 and the 3rd Motor Minesweeping Flotilla with mother ship VON German
battleship SCHLESIEN and a small escort screen from Despite
a considerable Danish Navy, The
Danish Navy at this time consisted of coastal defense ships PEDER SKRAM,
built in 1908, NIELS IUEL, built in 1918, seventeen small torpedo boats,
built between 1919 and 1934, of which six were acting as minesweepers, two
torpedo boats under construction, twelve coastal submarines built between
1915 and 1937. Total
losses during the Danish campaign were thirteen killed and twenty three
wounded among Danish forces and the German troops sustained some twenty
casualties. On
the 9th, British steamer ADELAIDE Also
on the 9th, Icelandic steamer GULLFOSS (1414grt) was seized at The
Danish Fleet was immobilized under the terms of the surrender. However, on _____ Between
0432 and 0529, Minelaying destroyers ESK (D.20), IMPULSIVE, IVANHOE, ICARUS
of the 20th Destroyer Flotilla laid a minefield in Vestfjord off Hovden
escorted by destroyers HARDY, HUNTER, HOTSPUR, HAVOCK of the 2nd Destroyer
Flotilla. _____ Destroyers
HYPERION and HERO of the 2nd Destroyer Flotilla simulated a minelaying by
dropping marker buoys off Bud near Molde. Destroyers
HYPERION and HERO remained on patrol off Hustadvika to patrol their minefield
until early on the 9th when Norwegian naval forces took over the patrol.
Norwegian armed auxiliary SYRIAN (trawler, 298grt) arrived at 0610 and
Norwegian destroyer SLEIPNER arrived at 0748. Both
Destroyers arrived at Sullom Voe at 1430/9th for refuelling and departed the
next day at 0300 with destroyers INGLEFIELD, ILEX, ISIS, IMOGEN to join
Forbes at sea. _____ Destroyer
GLOWWORM, travelling alone after leaving battlecruiser RENOWN to pick up a
man washed overboard on the 6th, contacted German destroyer LUDEMANN at 0715
eighty miles west of Fro Havet, then destroyer ARNIM which were part of the
Narvik/Trondheim invasion forces. In
heavy weather, in which German and destroyers, alike, were being weather
damaged, ARNIM and GLOWWORM engaged in an indecisive action. However, the
clash was soon brought to resolution when ARNIM called for assistance and
brought heavy cruiser ADMIRAL HIPPER to the scene. Mortally
wounded by HIPPER's gunfire, destroyer GLOWWORM rammed HIPPER, tearing away
130 feet of the cruiser's armour belt and wrenched HIPPER's starboard torpedo
tubes from their mountings. Before
sinking in 64‑13N, 06‑28E, destroyer GLOWWORM was able to get off
a contact and distress signal at 0749 and Forbes dispatched battlecruiser
REPULSE, light cruiser PENELOPE, destroyers BEDOUIN, ESKIMO, PUNJABI,
KIMBERLEY from his Main Force to assist. Destroyer
GLOWWORM was lost with Lt Cdr G. B. Roope, Lt O. S. Boothby, Lt M.T. Lawman,
Surgeon Lt J. W. Rhys MRCS, LRCP, Lt Cdr (E) James K. Macleod, RAN (emgcy),
Gunner (T) P. S. P. Hoiles, S/Lt R. V. N. Levinge Lt
R. A. Ramsey and thirty seven ratings were rescued from GLOWWORM. Six of the
ratings died in captivity. Off
Vestfjord, battlecruiser RENOWN with destroyer GREYHOUND headed south towards
GLOWWORM's last position and ordered the minelaying destroyers and their
escorts to follow. These eight destroyers joined the battlecruiser RENOWN at
1715 off Skomvaer Light, about seventy miles west of Bodo. Destroyer
HOSTILE, which had been detached from light cruiser Destroyer
HOSTILE later joined the RENOWN force off Vestfjord. _____ Destroyer
KELVIN and Polish destroyer BURZA with the 2nd Cruiser Squadron force
attacked a submarine contact at 1035 in 58‑10N, 1‑08E. This
contact later assessed as probably a wreck. _____ At
_____ Submarine
SEAL was involved in a collision with Estonian steamer OTTO (1954grt)
northwest of Egersund. Only minor damage was sustained with the pressure hull
leaking slightly. Submarine
SEAL was able to continue patrol, reconnoitering Stavangersfjord and acting
as a beacon ship for the Submarine
SEAL went on to _____ Polish
submarine ORZEL intercepted German transport Norwegian
destroyers ODIN and GYLLER and fishing boats picked up the It
was learned from the troops aboard the German ship that they were en route to
protect the _____ Submarine
TRIDENT on patrol in the The
crew scuttled the tanker as they abandoned ship. TRIDENT finished off
POSIDONIA with torpedoes at 1320 near Stavern. Tanker
POSIDONIA was salvaged in June and renamed STEDINGEN. _____ At
1800, submarine TRITON sighted the German Oslo Group and unsuccessfully
attacked it off the Submarine
TRITON was then heavily counterattacked by German torpedo boat ALBATROS. Submarine
SUNFISH also contacted the Oslo Force, but was unable to gain a position to
fire torpedoes. _____ _____ French
destroyers TARTAR and MAILLE BREZE arrived at French
destroyers FOUDROYANT (Capitaine de Corvette Paul Fontaine), BRESTOIS
(Capitaine de Fregatte J. L. C. Kraft), BOULONNAIS (Capitaine de Corvette J.
C. F. Champion) arrived at _____ Late
on the 8th, the German Trondheim Group was sighted by a British flying boat
while this force was steering west to adjust their arrival time at The
Admiralty decided that this was a German squadron breaking out into the French
light cruiser EMILE BERTIN large destroyers MAILLE BREZE and Light
cruiser AURORA and the destroyers in the Light
cruisers SOUTHAMPTON and Battleship
WARSPITE was ordered to discontinue her voyage to the Battleship
WARSPITE arrived at Destroyer
MACKAY which had been in the escort was detached at 1610/8th and returned to In
the Mediterranean, aircraft carriers GLORIOUS and ARK ROYAL were ordered to
enter Alexandria and late on the 10th, escorted by destroyers WESTCOTT,
BULLDOG, STUART, joined on the 11th by destroyer WISHART, were steaming at
high speed towards Gibraltar arriving on the 13th. _____ Late
on the 8th, heavy cruisers The
Eighteenth Cruiser Squadron, further north, was also ordered to sweep north
towards Forbes' Force. Late
on the 9th Light cruisers ARETHUSA and GALATEA, French light cruiser EMILE
BERTIN, French destroyers MAILLE BREZE and _____ As
the German Oslo Group neared its destination late on the 8th, the Norwegian
Naval Forces in the area were the old decommissioned coastal defense ships
HARALD HAARFAGRE and TORDENSKJOLD, minelayer OLAV TRYGGVASON which was at
Horten for repairs, fishery protection vessel FRIDTJOF NANSEN, 355 ton
minelayers GLOMMEN and LAUGEN at Melsomvik, 254 tons minelayers VIDAR and _____ In
the late evening of 8 April, the German Narvik Group reached the entrance to
Vestfjord and as the destroyers entered the fjord for Narvik, the battleships
GNEISENAU and SCHARNHORST turned out to sea to draw the main part of the
British Home Fleet away from the Norwegian coast. _____ Late
on the 8th, the British Admiralty finally awoke to the true nature of the
German naval activity around the Norwegian coast and decided that Narvik was
threatened. Battlecruiser
REPULSE, light cruiser PENELOPE, destroyers BEDOUIN, _____ Admiral
Forbes in battleship RODNEY with battleship VALIANT, light cruiser SHEFFIELD,
destroyers SOMALI, KELVIN, KASHMIR, JUPITER, MASHONA, MATABELE turned south
on receipt of intelligence of ships in the Skagerrak and Kattegat to join
light cruisers MANCHESTER and SOUTHAMPTON which were unsupported off Norway's
southern coast. _____ Destroyer
KEITH departed Ramsay
was en route for a conference with Amiral Nord regarding the possibility of
French trawlers taking over North Goodwins Patrol and French trawlers
cooperating with British trawlers in anti-submarine operations in the Straits
of Dover. Admiral
Ramsay and destroyer KEITH arrived back at _____ Convoy MT.47 departed Methil, escorted by destroyer WOLSEY, sloop _____ German
armed merchant cruiser ORION, breaking out during these operations, in the _____ German
tanker _____ Greek
steamer OKEANIA (4843grt) was sunk in 51‑18N, 02‑04E on a mine. One
crew, the Chief Engineer, was missing on the Greek steamer. Destroyer
BOADICEA on North Goodwin Patrol and minesweeper HUSSAR proceeded to assist
the Greek steamer. Destroyer
BOADICEA picked up twenty nine survivors and Dutch steamer BEVERLAND picked
up the remainder of the survivors. Tuesday,
9 April Submarine
PANDORA departed Submarine
PANDORA departed _____ Just
after Norwegian
patrol boat Eighteen
crew were lost on the patrol boat Early
on the 9th, motor minesweepers R.20 and R.24 landed troops at Rauoy and R.22
and R.23 landed troops at Bolaerne. However, when R.17 and R.21 attempted to landed
troops at Horten, Norwegian minelayer OLAV TRYGVASSON and minesweeper RAUMA
sank R.17 and damaged torpedo boat ALBATROS and motor minesweeper R.21,
despite covering gunfire from ALBATROS and KONDOR. Early
on the 9th, in the Light
cruiser With
the fall of Oslo, the Germans gained possession of two unnamed destroyers
building at Horten, SLEIPNER class destroyers TOR, which was outfitting at
Fredrikstad, BALDER, which was outfitting at Horten, minelayer OLAV
TRYGVASSON, submarinesA 3,A 4, B 4. The
building destroyers were never completed during the war due to continuing
acts of sabotage. The destroyers TOR and BALDER had been scuttled, but the
Germans were able to salve them and recommission them on 13 June and 26 July,
respectively. Minelayer OLAV TRYGVASSON was commissioned on the 28th 1940 as
ALBATROS and later in 1941 renamed BRUMMER. SubmarinesA 3 andA 4 were
scuttled by German forces on the 16th at Sauholmsundet near Tonsberg.
Submarine B 4, which surrendered at Filtvedt on the 10th, was considered for
use by German forces but due to her poor condition was never commissioned. Minesweepers
RAUMA (370grt) and HAUK (58grt) and auxiliary patrol boats HVAL Minesweeper
OTRA (370grt) was seized at Filtvedt on the 10th. Minesweeper
HVAS (58grt) was seized at Stavern on the 12th. Auxiliary
patrol vessels ALPHA (235grt) and FURU (85grt) surrendered at Halvorshamn on
the 12th. Minesweepers
FALK (58grt) and KJAEK (58grt) and auxiliary patrol vessels Minelayer
BRAGE (236grt) and auxiliary patrol vessel TREFF (204grt) surrendered at
Melsomvik on the 14th. Norwegian
whale catchers SAIMA (217grt) and SOUSA (217grt) laid up at Tonsberg were
seized on the 9th. _____ They
were followed two days later by eleven steamers carrying the 196th Division.
They were ESPANA (7456grt), FRIEDENAU (5219grt), Three
days later, twelve steamers (72,575grt) departed Three
days later after the third group, another convoy carrying the 214th Infantry
Division and rest of the 196th Infantry Division arrived at In
addition, independents began to regularly arrived at _____ German
U.boats operated off In
Vestfjord were U.25, U.46, U.51. U.64 had departed Off
Off
Off
Northeast
of Lerwick, Shetlands were U.48, U.49, U.52. U.50 supposed to be southeast of
Lerwick, but had been lost on a mine on the 6th in 54-15N, 5-06E with the
entire crew of forty four. U.38 and U.47 were to the north of the Shetlands.
U.37 escorted armed merchant cruiser ATLANTIS as far as the East
of the Off
U.2
was forced to return to Southeast
of the Shetlands were U.7, U.10, U.19. U.7 was southeast of Sumburgh Head,
U.10 and U.19 were east of At
the east end of the The
submarine group northeast of the Shetlands was dispersed on the 11th and U.50
and U.52 were redeployed off The
submarine group at the east end of the _____ At
0337/9th, Battlecruiser RENOWN with destroyers GREYHOUND, ICARUS, IVANHOE,
ESK, IMPULSIVE, HARDY, HUNTER, HAVOCK, HOTSPUR encountered German battleships
GNEISENAU and SCHARNHORST and an action ensued in 67‑22N, 09‑42E.
Battlecruiser
RENOWN hit GNEISENAU's main armament control system putting it out of order
and forcing the German ships to retire. Battlecruiser
RENOWN began to pursue the German ships. Destroyers
HARDY and HUNTER were able to keep up with RENOWN for a time in the heavy
weather, but the others fell behind. At 0658 the destroyers were ordered to
patrol the entrance to Vestfjord. RENOWN scored two more hits on GNEISENAU,
one of them crippled GNEISENAU's forward turret, opening it directly to the
sea. Battlecruiser
RENOWN received two hits in return. The one hit passing through the extreme
stern without exploding and the second perforating the foremast, severing all
internal cables, biy also not exploding. The searchlights sustained minor
damage by splinters. Lt Cdr M.J. Evans was the only crewman wounded. In
the high speed retirement, both SCHARNHORST and GNEISENAU sustained weather
damage in the form of flooding their forward turrets; GNEISENAU's damage
being much more severe because of the shell damage to her gun house from
RENOWN's hit. Three
hours after the action began, the German battleships were able to outdistance
RENOWN which returned to her patrol off Vestfjord. _____ Very
early on the 9th, Norwegian destroyer DRAUG at Haugesand captured German
supply ship Later
that morning, German aircraft bombed and badly damaged Destroyers
MATABELE and SIKH were ordered to join DRAUG and escort her towards Sullom
Voe, where she arrived at 1700/10th. The Destroyers then rejoined Forbes'
Main Force. At
2000/10th, French destroyer BRESTOIS departed Sullom Voe for French
destroyer BOULONNAIS escorted DRAUG directly to _____ Destroyers
ESCORT, JAVELIN, JANUS, Aircraft
carrier FURIOUS and destroyer Aircraft
carrier FURIOUS flew on nine Swordfish aircraft of the 816 Squadron and nine
Swordfish of the 818 Squadron. The Skuas of the 801 Squadron were not
embarked. Destroyer
DELIGHT suffered weather damage and was forced to return to The
battleship WARSPITE group and the aircraft carrier FURIOUS group proceeded to
a rendezvous ten miles north of Muckle Flugga where they met at 0500/10th Together,
these ships proceeded to join the Commander in Chief Home Fleet on course
115°, 16 knots, in 61-24N, 2W at 0700/10th. _____ |
