Hitler’s Pre-Emptive War: The Battle for Norway, 1940 by Henrik Lunde (popular e readers .TXT) 📗

of Trondheim when she sighted two destroyers from TF 1, Hans Lüdemann and Bernd von Arnim. The German ships had become separated from the rest of the Task Force in the gale and heavy seas. The destroyers were battered heavily and army supplies were washed overboard, as were a number of men, most of them soldiers. Speed was reduced to 22 knots but the formation became scattered.

Glowworm opened fire on Hans Lüdemann and the German ship immediately increased its speed and headed away from the British destroyer. Bernd von Arnim was further south. It engaged the British ship in a running battle on a northerly course. The German ship was larger and outgunned the British destroyer. However, Glowworm proved more seaworthy and her captain, Lieutenant Commander Gerard Broadmeade Roope, handled her in an excellent manner. Bernd von Arnim, on the other hand, had a hard time in the heavy seas, took considerable damage from the waves, and its target acquisition and gunnery suffered as a result.

The only German destroyer that attempted to come to Bernd von Arnim’s aid was Paul Jacobi, a ship of the same class as Bernd von Arnim. However, Paul Jacobi took a 55-degree roll in heavy seas, five men were swept overboard, and she lost the use of some of her boilers. Bernd von Arnim also lost two men overboard when she increased her speed to 33 knots in an attempt to outrun her adversary. Neither side scored any hits since gunnery became virtually impossible as the ships were tossed around in the heavy seas.

Admiral Lütjens ordered the heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper to turn around and deal with the British destroyer. Hipper came upon the two destroyers, which were still engaged violently in heavy seas, around 0900 hours. Both destroyers momentarily mistook her for a British cruiser and Bernd von Arnim even sent a couple of salvos in her direction. Hipper opened fire on Glowworm at a distance of 9,000 meters and hit the destroyer’s bridge with the first salvo. Glowworm answered with a salvo of torpedoes, and tried to escape. Hipper laid a smoke screen, avoided Glowworm’s torpedo salvo by some quick maneuvering, and entered the smoke screen. According to German sources, Captain Heye, Hipper’s skipper, feared additional torpedo salvos and decided to ram the British destroyer. According to British sources, Glowworm’s captain, realizing that his chances of escape were next to nil, also decided to ram his adversary. The heavy cruiser was slower to respond to the helm and the result was that the British destroyer hit Hipper and tore away about 150 feet of the ship’s outer armor plating and the starboard torpedo tubes. Heye stated later that the ramming by Glowworm resulted in less damage to his ship then his own attempt at a head-on ramming is likely to have caused. Glowworm was almost crushed by the impact with her adversary, fell away in the heavy sea, and blew up within a couple of minutes.

Glowworm’s class of destroyers normally carried a crew of 145 men. Hipper managed to rescue 38 despite the rough sea. Glowworm’s captain was among those the Germans tried to haul onto the cruiser deck. However, before reaching safety, he fell back into the ocean and perished. Lieutenant Commander Roope was awarded the Victoria Cross for his gallantry.

British Miscalculations

Glowworm provided a valuable service for the British fleet. She sent a series of radio messages starting at about 0800 hours, reporting the location and strength of the enemy force. She continued her reporting until she blew up. The British were able to determine from these reports that the German force, on a northerly course, was located about 300 nautical miles north of the Home Fleet and about 140 nautical miles south of the battle cruiser Renown, now near the entrance to Vestfjord. There were also eight British destroyers in Vestfjord engaged in mining activities.

Admiral Whitworth, with the battle cruiser Renown and the destroyer Greyhound, turned south at about 0830 hours upon hearing the Glowworm’s report. He had detached the destroyers Hyperion and Heron the previous afternoon to lay the dummy minefield near Molde.

Admiral Forbes realized he had little chance of reaching the Germans from the south with the main fleet. He therefore detached the faster battle cruiser Repulse (Renown’s sister ship), the cruisers Penelope and Birmingham, and four destroyers to head north at top speed. Later, it became necessary to detach Birmingham in order that she could return to Scapa Flow to refuel. The British were well positioned to bring on a major naval battle with the German surface fleet, but then the situation began to unravel.

The Home Fleet continued north during the day without making enemy contact. The weather was unfavorable for aerial reconnaissance but a seaplane scouting ahead of the Home Fleet sighted enemy ships around 1400 hours well out to sea north-northwest of Trondheim. The German ships were on a westerly course and were reported by the aircraft as consisting of one battle cruiser, two cruisers, and two destroyers. This was actually TF 2, Hipper and four destroyers. Admiral Lütjens had detached them around 1100 hours and they were steering various courses while waiting for the designated time to enter Trondheim. The British aircraft was fired on, damaged, and landed in Norway where the crew and aircraft were interned. Later attempts to locate the German ships failed.

The Home Fleet was about 150 nautical miles south of the German ships but the course reported by the reconnaissance aircraft had a major effect on Admiral Forbes’ subsequent tactical decisions. He had been steering a northeast course, which could have resulted in the Home Fleet meeting the German ships as they eventually steered a southeasterly course to enter Trondheimfjord. However, the report that the German fleet was heading away from the Norwegian coast caused Admiral Forbes to alter his course first to north and then, at about 1600 hours, to north-northwest. In this way, he moved away from the Norwegian coast and allowed a clear path for the Germans