11" will trash her upperworks, sensors, optics and secondaries, possibly disable turrets and set fires. They won't go through her armour. The Whitehead torps won't do shit to her though. About the only thing that could would be the 24" torps of the Nelson-class.
Det som går ned må komme opp-An Alternate Royal Norwegian Navy TL
- Thread starter CV(N)-6
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11" will trash her upperworks, sensors, optics and secondaries, possibly disable turrets and set fires. They won't go through her armour. The Whitehead torps won't do shit to her though. About the only thing that could would be the 24" torps of the Nelson-class.
Driftless
Donor
What was the actual range when the Oscarborg guns opened fire? 1200 to 1500 meters? That's pretty close
28cm/L35(11") "Moses und Aron"
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Agreed, but still the old whiteheads would still leave holes in the side and even if they didn't breach the TDS (which they almost certinally wouldnt) the hull damage would cause issues with speed and fuel consumption. And if she goes past armed and active forts spitting 11 and 8.2 inch rounds at her, at those ranges, even those old guns will cause an unholy mess in her upper works. Knocking out secondary guns and AA guns for sure. They won't penetrate the hull, they just won't and will bounce off main turrets and barbettes but you could mission kill her by ripping up the conning tower. Also in those close confines, one she heads into the fjord, she's got to go all the way in to turn around. Again under fire from anything the Norwegians have and probably after taking a few (very old and weak) torpedoes to boot.
The whitehead torpedos will cause hull damage, regardless of whether or not they breach her TDS. Don't forget the modern torpedo boats that Norway now fields. I'd imagine that a few of them charging in and letting loose will cause no end of damage and grief for Bismarck. Those tinfish are more powerful than either the whiteheads OR the 18" ones that crippled her OTL.
The guns of Oscarborg could penetrate the main deck of the Bismarck . They could penetrate 160 mm of amour from 13 km out, Bismarck's main deck was a 100 mm . If they could get the angel to shoot trough i do not know. I can not find the height for the the gun emplacement.
56ft above mean sea level I believe.
The guns I believe can depress to -5°.
Blücher OTL got struck at a range of 1800m.
Do the maths. I suspect the deck armour isn't going to be tested by those guns.
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Looking at google maps, the island starts barely above the water, and then slopes up into a good sized hill, 56ft sounds accurate
Deck armour? Not a hope. You need true plunging fire for that. Side armour however.....
According to Navweaps.com, the Norwegean guns can penetrate 6.3" of armour at 12,000m. Given the engagement took place at 1,800m or 15% of that range, the penetration capability will be much higher. According to Wiki, "The Bismarck-class ships had an armored belt that ranged in thickness from 220 to 320 mm (8.7 to 12.6 in)". The main belt being 12.6" would almost certainly have been unpenetrable by the 11.1" guns, but the 8.7" belt portions? Possible at the extremely close ranges involved. The ends, upper decks and superstructure (Bar armoured conning tower) can be penetrated I'm sure.
IMHO:
Main belt / citadel? Not likely.
Outside that? Likely.
Here is the order of battle. German land forces are the same as OTL, and naval forces are nearly identical, though I did shift a handful of ships around. Only Norwegian Army and Navy units at the areas that will be invaded are shown, other Army units are deployed throughout Norway.
BB=battleship
B=pre-dreadnought
CA=heavy cruiser
CL=light cruiser
DD=destroyer
SS=submarine
ML=minelayer
MS=minesweeper
SC=subchaser
AV=seaplane tender
MTB=motor torpedo boat, 1-40 are the original class, 41-48 are the newer, larger boats
TB=seagoing torpedo boat
BB=battleship
B=pre-dreadnought
CA=heavy cruiser
CL=light cruiser
DD=destroyer
SS=submarine
ML=minelayer
MS=minesweeper
SC=subchaser
AV=seaplane tender
MTB=motor torpedo boat, 1-40 are the original class, 41-48 are the newer, larger boats
TB=seagoing torpedo boat
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Chapter XIX
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Chapter XIX: Orders of Battle
The Wehrmacht would invade Denmark in the early hours of 9 April, while landings would begin at Norwegian ports in the late hours of 8 April and early hours of 9 April. The order of battle for the first wave invading forces in Norway was as follows*:
To Oslo: CA Lutzow, CA Blucher, CL Emden, R18, R19
To Kristiansand: CL Karlsruhe, TB Luch, TB Greif, TB Seeadler, S-Boat-Tender Tsingtau
To Egersund: MS M1, MS M2, MS M9, MS M13
To Stavanger: Cargo Ship Roda, invasion force to be airlifted
To Bergen: Troopship Rio de Janeiro, CL Koln, CL Konigsberg, ML Bremse, TB Leopard, TB Wolf, S-Boat Tender Carl Peters, 5 S-Boats
To Trondheim: CA Admiral Hipper, DD Z5, DD Z6, DD Z8, DD Z16, Cargo Ships Sao Paulo, Levante, Main, Tankers Skagerrak, Moonsund
To Narvik: DD Z2, DD Z9, DD Z11, DD Z12, DD Z13, DD Z17, DD Z18, DD Z19, DD Z21, DD Z22, Cargo Ships Baarenfels, Rauenfels, Alster, Tankers Kattegat, Jan Wellem
Distant Support: BB Scharnhorst, BB Gneisenau
Seagoing Combatants To Denmark: B Schleswig-Holstein, 6 M-class Minesweepers
Covering Minelaying in Skagerrak: B Schlesien
To Sail From Hamburg Noon April 9: BB Bismarck, TB Iltis, TB Jaguar
U-Boats:
U-Boat Group 1: Narvik
Norwegian Order of Battle at Landing Sites**:
Oslo
DD Alesund
ML Olaf Tryggvason
ML Glommen
ML Laugen
MS Otra
MS Rauma
SS C1
SS C2
MTB-41 through MTB-48(new MTB’s similar to S-Boats)
MTB-9 through MTB-16
SC UM-5
SC UM-6
4 Auxiliaries on patrol
1st Infantry Regiment
2nd Infantry Regiment
3rd Infantry Regiment
4th Infantry Regiment
1 Squadron of Fokker D.XXI fighters
2 Squadrons of Gloster Gladiator fighters
2 Squadrons of Hs 123 bombers
2 Squadrons of N-3PB floatplanes
Kristiansand
ML Fridtjof Nansen
MS Nordkap
MS Senja
MTB-5 through MTB-8
SC UM-1
SC UM-2
3 Auxiliaries on patrol
6th Infantry Regiment
1 Squadron of N-3PB floatplanes
Stavanger
ML Start(converted)
MTB-1 through MTB-4
3 Auxiliaries on patrol
1 Squadron of N-3PB floatplanes
8th Infantry Regiment
Bergen
DD Sleipner
DD Gyller
DD Odin
ML Bjorgvin
MTB Carrier Snar
MS Orkla
MS Tyr
SS D1
SS D2
SS C3
SS C4
MTB-17 through MTB-28
SC UM-7
SC UM-8
8 Auxiliaries on patrol
9th Infantry Regiment
1 Squadron of Gloster Gladiator fighters
1 Squadron of Hs 123 bombers
2 Squadrons of N-3PB floatplanes
Trondheim
ML Froya
SS B1
SS B2
MTB-29 through MTB-36
SC UM-3
SC UM-4
3 Auxiliaries on patrol
1 Squadron of Gloster Gladiator fighters
1 Squadron of Hs 123 bombers
1 Squadron of N-3PB floatplanes
12th Infantry Regiment
Narvik
DD Heimdal
DD Aeger
AV Loki
ML Kvernaas(converted merchant)
MTB Carrier Navarra
SS C5
SS C6
MTB-37 through MTB-40
2 Auxiliaries on patrol
1 Squadron of N-3PB floatplanes(operating from Loki)
15th Infantry Regiment
Flensburg, Germany
Flensburg was a very good site for the task the radiomen had. The powerful radios they had with them could send a message to all of Denmark, and most of southern Norway. The task was to get the southern Norwegian fortifications to allow the German fleets up their fjords. The way they were doing it was by broadcasting messages from a ‘British fleet’ approaching the Skaggerrak. Messages were broadcast as if they were from certain ships, the names of which the ships attacking Oslo and Kristiansand would use when challenged. As hoped, the ruse was received by the Norwegians, who took it seriously, and the southern forts were given notice of the British fleet in the area, along with the names of the ships thought to be in the fleet. With luck, the forts would let the Germans pass.
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*Landing forces as per OTL
**Total of 18 Infantry Regiments, only 9 in landing areas, all air and naval forces shown
Chapter XIX: Orders of Battle
The Wehrmacht would invade Denmark in the early hours of 9 April, while landings would begin at Norwegian ports in the late hours of 8 April and early hours of 9 April. The order of battle for the first wave invading forces in Norway was as follows*:
To Oslo: CA Lutzow, CA Blucher, CL Emden, R18, R19
- Horten: TB Mowe, TB Kondor, TB Albatros, R17, R22
- Rauoy: R20, R24
- Bolaerne: R22, R23
To Kristiansand: CL Karlsruhe, TB Luch, TB Greif, TB Seeadler, S-Boat-Tender Tsingtau
To Egersund: MS M1, MS M2, MS M9, MS M13
To Stavanger: Cargo Ship Roda, invasion force to be airlifted
To Bergen: Troopship Rio de Janeiro, CL Koln, CL Konigsberg, ML Bremse, TB Leopard, TB Wolf, S-Boat Tender Carl Peters, 5 S-Boats
To Trondheim: CA Admiral Hipper, DD Z5, DD Z6, DD Z8, DD Z16, Cargo Ships Sao Paulo, Levante, Main, Tankers Skagerrak, Moonsund
To Narvik: DD Z2, DD Z9, DD Z11, DD Z12, DD Z13, DD Z17, DD Z18, DD Z19, DD Z21, DD Z22, Cargo Ships Baarenfels, Rauenfels, Alster, Tankers Kattegat, Jan Wellem
Distant Support: BB Scharnhorst, BB Gneisenau
Seagoing Combatants To Denmark: B Schleswig-Holstein, 6 M-class Minesweepers
Covering Minelaying in Skagerrak: B Schlesien
To Sail From Hamburg Noon April 9: BB Bismarck, TB Iltis, TB Jaguar
U-Boats:
U-Boat Group 1: Narvik
- U-25, U-46, U-51, U-64, U-65
- U-30, U-34, U-37, U-38, U-47
- U-9, U-14, U-56, U-60, U-62
- U-1, U-4, U-6
- U-48, U-49, U-50
- U-13, U-57, U-58, U-59
- U-2, U-3, U-5
- U-7, U-10, U-19
Norwegian Order of Battle at Landing Sites**:
Oslo
DD Alesund
ML Olaf Tryggvason
ML Glommen
ML Laugen
MS Otra
MS Rauma
SS C1
SS C2
MTB-41 through MTB-48(new MTB’s similar to S-Boats)
MTB-9 through MTB-16
SC UM-5
SC UM-6
4 Auxiliaries on patrol
1st Infantry Regiment
2nd Infantry Regiment
3rd Infantry Regiment
4th Infantry Regiment
1 Squadron of Fokker D.XXI fighters
2 Squadrons of Gloster Gladiator fighters
2 Squadrons of Hs 123 bombers
2 Squadrons of N-3PB floatplanes
Kristiansand
ML Fridtjof Nansen
MS Nordkap
MS Senja
MTB-5 through MTB-8
SC UM-1
SC UM-2
3 Auxiliaries on patrol
6th Infantry Regiment
1 Squadron of N-3PB floatplanes
Stavanger
ML Start(converted)
MTB-1 through MTB-4
3 Auxiliaries on patrol
1 Squadron of N-3PB floatplanes
8th Infantry Regiment
Bergen
DD Sleipner
DD Gyller
DD Odin
ML Bjorgvin
MTB Carrier Snar
MS Orkla
MS Tyr
SS D1
SS D2
SS C3
SS C4
MTB-17 through MTB-28
SC UM-7
SC UM-8
8 Auxiliaries on patrol
9th Infantry Regiment
1 Squadron of Gloster Gladiator fighters
1 Squadron of Hs 123 bombers
2 Squadrons of N-3PB floatplanes
Trondheim
ML Froya
SS B1
SS B2
MTB-29 through MTB-36
SC UM-3
SC UM-4
3 Auxiliaries on patrol
1 Squadron of Gloster Gladiator fighters
1 Squadron of Hs 123 bombers
1 Squadron of N-3PB floatplanes
12th Infantry Regiment
Narvik
DD Heimdal
DD Aeger
AV Loki
ML Kvernaas(converted merchant)
MTB Carrier Navarra
SS C5
SS C6
MTB-37 through MTB-40
2 Auxiliaries on patrol
1 Squadron of N-3PB floatplanes(operating from Loki)
15th Infantry Regiment
Flensburg, Germany
Flensburg was a very good site for the task the radiomen had. The powerful radios they had with them could send a message to all of Denmark, and most of southern Norway. The task was to get the southern Norwegian fortifications to allow the German fleets up their fjords. The way they were doing it was by broadcasting messages from a ‘British fleet’ approaching the Skaggerrak. Messages were broadcast as if they were from certain ships, the names of which the ships attacking Oslo and Kristiansand would use when challenged. As hoped, the ruse was received by the Norwegians, who took it seriously, and the southern forts were given notice of the British fleet in the area, along with the names of the ships thought to be in the fleet. With luck, the forts would let the Germans pass.
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*Landing forces as per OTL
**Total of 18 Infantry Regiments, only 9 in landing areas, all air and naval forces shown
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I dont see why that helps as the Norwegians would if anything increase the alert state as they have to show neutrality by challenging the RN if its abusing Norwegian waters for advantage against Germany....?
I dont think Norway would allow the real RN ships in especially to Oslofjord without at least some demilitarisation efforts to maintain neutrality such as getting them to be searched and then having them come in one at a time with Norwegian Pilots and anchor under CD guns?
Norway would also have a telephone cable to GB so would ask RN why its coming without talking first so expect RN to be more ready and happy to join in the party? (assuming they have not allready set off due to listerning to the radio with better gear than Norwegians....)
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I'm just saying that telling everybody that you going to do it by radio before hand is incredibly dangerous as both the Norwegians and RN will be better prepared than a surprise attack and will challenge you with say a DD (or float plane) far out to sea......RN then will be ready to join the fight and they are bigger....
RN will almost certainly pick up the signal and then might simply phone and say its not from them, you might want to think about a surprise attack coming.....
It also runs into issues with Denmark as since LW aircraft have to base from northern Denmark after its been captured giving warning is likely to mean Norwegians (army especially) are far more mobilised by the time you arrive?
Also note its easy to tell ships apart in daylight and even with searchlights not impossible at night (at closer range) and Norwegians will have picture books of RN ships.....
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The Norwegians were fairly sure that there was a British fleet in the Skagerrak OTL, and there was some confusion amongst them at first over whether the ships steaming up their fjords were British or German. You are right, the plan is a bit shaky, but then again, so was Weserubung in general
Why they thought the RN would be crazy enough to sail a fleet within range of practically every German combat aircraft beats me. Sure if it was off Narvik that makes sense but otherwise not so much
*looks at Churchill* Don't be so sure..he was First Sea Lord at the time after all
Chapter XX
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Chapter XX: Oslofjord
The patrol boat Pol III, commanded by Leif Welding-Olsen, plodded through Oslofjord. It was late, and the crew on duty was tired, but they were doing their job, being the first tripwire to alert the defenses in Oslofjord to an invading fleet. Tonight was especially tense, as news of two German ships loaded with troops and supplies being sunk near Norway had been received.
The lookouts’ eyes were strained, trying to see through the fog in the fjord that night. One of them stopped scanning, and turned back to where he may have seen nothing. But it wasn’t nothing. It was a shape, just barely visible, but moving. He called to another lookout to confirm what he saw, and the other lookout agreed, it was something. Welding-Olsen wasted no time in steering towards the approaching vessel, which towered over Pol III.
Pol III challenged the ship, and got the answer “HMS Devonshire, headed for Oslo to protect from Germans.”
A smaller vessel, about the size of a destroyer, came up the side of the large ship. Scanning her and ‘HMS Devonshire’ with the ship’s searchlight, Welding-Olsen didn’t believe their story. He ordered flares fired, fire opened, and a collision course set towards the destroyer.
The 7.6cm gun aboard Pol III flashed, and the shell missed as the ship went flank speed at the destroyer. Anti Aircraft fire raked the small vessel, killing Welding-Olsen and the crewmen launching flares. The destroyer, actually the torpedo boat Albatross, evaded Pol III, and hosed her with gunfire. The crew dove into the water, and Pol III, riddled in holes, continued drifting as the invaders proceeded up the fjord. Passing the islands of Rauoy and Bolaerne, with elements detached to capture both, the Germans were shrouded in mist, and neither fort sighted them.
Reports of gunfire and searchlights by the patrol boat Farm led to the minesweeper Otra being dispatched to investigate. Otra’s lookouts reported possible ships in the fjord, but her skipper dismissed the reports when he failed to see the ships, and continued south, depriving the ships at Horten a chance to attack the Germans at their most vulnerable time, when they were stopped so that Emden could give the R-Boats the infantry they were to land at Horten.
The Battle of Drøbak Sound
After detaching the three torpedo boats and two R-Boats to capture Horten Harbor, R18, R19, Blucher, Lutzow, and Emden, in that order, with the R-Boats sweeping for mines, steamed up Drøbak Sound, on their way to capture Oslo and hopefully the Norwegian Government. They knew there were mines in the channel, and some partially manned coastal guns on Oscarsborg island, but reports from a couple of months ago suggested Norwegian coastal artillery was only half manned. Aboard Blucher, Admiral Oskar Kummetz was confident that his cruiser would triumphantly lead the German warships into Oslofjord in the next couple of hours, capturing the Norwegian government and securing a ceasefire.
At Oscarsborg Fortress, Oberst Birger Kristian Eriksen had his binoculars held to his face, scanning Drøbak Sound for ships. Reports of firing in the approaches to the fjord, as well as garbled signals from Horten that seemed to be indicating an attack had been launched against the base. The plan was to fire on any vessels that came up the fjord with the three 28cm guns at the fortress, along with three below water 50cm torpedo tubes. Across the water, three 15cm guns were sited at Kopås. Of the 6-pounders, only the battery at Husvik was manned, the others weren’t, mainly to allow the three 28cm guns to be fully operational, though each had 8 instead of 11 men to reload the gun. The 15cm guns were 90% manned, while half of the 7.6cm and 4cm AA guns were fully operational. The torpedo battery had enough crew to launch the torpedoes accurately, and enough to reload the tubes, though at a slower pace than fully manned.
Kummetz watched the searchlight on the mainland sweep the water in front of it. According to his maps, the searchlight was likely at the town of Drøbak, and the Norwegian coastal batteries were only a couple of kilometers further, probably where a second searchlight was sweeping the water. All ships were buttoned up, with their guns ready to engage targets, watertight doors sealed, and lookouts scanning for mines in the water, while others scanned for coastal batteries. It was believed that most Norwegian coastal forts were only partially manned, which mean their effectiveness was reduced, and Kummetz was confident his cruisers could withstand 15cm fire, even at these extremely close ranges, while he believed that heavy guns wouldn’t be able to traverse fast enough to target his vessels.
Eriksen’s heart skipped a beat as two shapes crawled through the Drøbak searchlight’s beam. They looked to be small vessels, and he ordered fire held. Then, looming out of the darkness, a huge ship came steaming up the fjord. That had to be a German warship, and Eriksen’s conclusion was further bolstered by her resemblance to some of the German ships in the copy of Jane’s Fighting Ships he’d purchased a few days prior to help him identify possible targets.
Another large ship emerged behind the first. Eriksen ordered the 28cm guns to be set to fire at 1,400 meters. As the lead vessel’s silhouette grew, he ordered the guns to fire at 04:21. The first shell destroyed Blucher’s command tower above the bridge, sending debris raining down. The second 28cm shell smashed into the ship just aft of the funnel, destroying the two Arado seaplanes and a 10.5cm mount while starting a large fire fueled by the aircraft. The third 28cm shell destroyed Caesar turret, while 15cm and 5.7cm shells came raining down from starboard. Blucher, with all boilers lit, went to flank speed to clear the shore batteries, her anti-aircraft batteries firing wildly and a growing fire sprouting from her midsection. Despite the damage, it was hoped she would be saved now that she was out of the firing arcs for the Norwegian guns. Kommandørkaptein Anderssen, in command of the torpedo battery, was given the order to fire, and obliged, letting two torpedoes loose at 04:29, the third left in the tube in case another vessel tried to pass. The first torpedo drilled the cruiser between the fore superstructure and the funnel, opening her hull to the sea, while the other missed the cruiser, now doing nearly 16 knots, though she was losing speed. The torpedo hit disabled the cruiser’s engines, and the ship veered slightly from her course, straight onto one of the mines Kummetz was so worried about.
The mine detonated ten meters behind the bow, lifting the ship. This caused further flooding and quickened Blucher’s fate. Despite having lost a few knots as her engines quit, Blucher was still making 11.5 knots, which did her damage control no good as the foremost bulkhead behind, though not stove in, began leaking heavily. The fire in the central area of the ship continued to grow as the ship began listing from the torpedo and mine hits. She anchored north of the fortress, her engines dead, and much of the crew was now occupied with fighting the fire, the extra soldiers aboard only hindering damage control efforts. The fire eventually made its way to a 10.5cm magazine, which exploded, igniting Blucher’s fuel oil and causing further waterline damage. At 07:13, Blucher rolled over and sank with great loss of life.
Meanwhile, with Blucher past the guns, Lutzow was the next vessel in line. The 15cm guns continued to fire on her, scoring three hits, one of which disabled Anton turret, while the 28cm weapons frantically reloaded. Kapitan Thiele, commander of the Lutzow, ordered the remaining vessels to retreat. While turning, Emden hit a mine, and was eventually run aground between Filtvet and Tofte. Oscarborg’s 28cm guns were reloaded and fired, one shell hitting Lutzow, however little damage was done because the ancient projectile failed to detonate.
The Battle of Horten
While the force that was supposed to capture Oslo was bloodied, a fierce battle raged around Horten Naval Base. The torpedo boats Mowe, Kondor, and Albatros, along with the small minesweepers R17 and R22 were tasked with capturing the base, which had at its disposal the destroyer Alesund, minelayers Olaf Tryggvason, Glommen, and Laugen, the minesweeper Rauma, submarines C1 and C2, 8 MTBs ordered in 1938, and 8 MTBs built in the original modernization bill. The sub-chasers UM-5 and UM-6 were also in Horten.
As the Germans approached Horten, four of the older MTB’s, which were on patrol, were encountered and quickly dealt with by a hail of AA fire before they even challenged the strange ships. While the Horten force approached Horten, taking up the base’s attention, the Oslo force slipped north. Alerted by the gunfire, Kontreadmiral Smith-Johanssen ordered every ship in the harbor to attack the invaders. This created a logjam of ships in Horten’s entrance, which were easy targets for the German torpedo boats. The first ship out was the minelayer Olaf Tryggvason, her four 12cm guns blazing as she engaged the enemy. The ship had a half load of mines aboard, ready to lay the minefields that hadn’t been laid yet, and not expecting to have to rush into a surface fight. The mines were the reason for the downfall of one of the most powerful vessels in Horten, as one of Kondor’s high explosive shells detonated the approximately 150 mines aboard, creating a spectacular explosion that destroyed three of the newer MTB’s passing the minelayer to engage the enemy.
UM-5 met her end as 10.5cm shells found the small sub-chaser, and only four hits were required to put her out of the fight. The destroyer Alesund engaged Albatros in a one sided duel with her much heavier main armament that left both ships damaged, Albatros sinking. Mowe fired a half salvo of torpedoes at Alesund, sending the lead ship of her class to the bottom. The two R-Boats, armed with 3.7cm and 2cm guns, massacred the remaining older MTB’s, whose gun armaments consisted of just a single 12.7mm machine gun each, though R17 was destroyed by a torpedo from one of the boats. The five larger MTB’s attacked Mowe, catching her with her guns trained on the wrecked Alesund, her torpedoes on the way to sink the destroyer, and scored many hits, breaking the ship into several pieces. With no torpedoes ready to fire and the enemy hopelessly outgunning them, the five MTB’s disengaged towards Jeløya island to reload their torpedoes.
The two submarines weren’t able to submerge before Kondor scored hits on the fragile vessels, making submerging suicide, and their crews abandoned ship. The only remaining Norwegian ships were the five MTB’s, which had questionably disengaged, the lightly armed minesweeper Rauma, subchaser UM-6, and the minelayers Glomma and Laugen. Between them, the last four vessels had three low velocity 7.6cm guns, three 4cm guns, and some smaller weapons, while Kondor, the only torpedo boat not sinking, outgunned them badly. Despite this, the final four vessels put up a valiant fight, sinking R22, before Kondor managed to overwhelm them. Under Kondor’s guns, her passengers landed in Horten, and the base surrendered soon after, persuaded in part by the Germans telling them Oslo was in German hands. One of the two squadrons of floatplanes was in Horten, and most of the aircraft were destroyed by their crews before the Germans could capture them, while the other had transferred to Horten hours before to operate behind the safety of Oscarsborg’s guns.
Soon, the remnants of the northern force returned south. The five MTB’s, their torpedoes now reloaded, made a run at Lutzow, scoring two hits with their 45cm torpedoes, and losing two of their number from fire from the two R-Boats and the cruiser before the three remaining vessels, MTB-42, MTB-44, and MTB-47, made for Oslo. Lutzow limped to Horten, where her disembarked troops were a huge help to those of Kondor, whose control over Horten was marginal at best. The minesweeper Otra, which had failed to alert Horten, was sunk by Kondor as she attempted to pass the base on her way to Oslo. Norwegian aircraft took to the air, while the Army was deployed to keep the Germans from advancing further North.
The Battle of Fornebu Airport
The Royal Norwegian Army Air Service’s 12 D.XXI and 24 Glost Gladiator fighters roared down the runway at Kjeller Airbase as reports of German aircraft approaching arrived. Clawing for altitude, the fighters met a wave of some 80 Ju 52 transports full of troops, escorted by two dozen Me 110 heavy fighters over Oslo. When the aircraft failed to drop bombs and neared Fornebu airport, the 3rd Infantry Regiment, held in Oslo as a strategic reserve while the other three regiments in the area formed a defensive line south of the city with Oscarsborg Fortress serving as the center, immediately began racing to the airport. Each regiment had a handful of trucks, mainly to transport heavier equipment, and these led the way to the airport, towing 3.7 and 7.5cm artillery, followed by the two companies of bicycle infantry included in the regiment. Three aircraft had landed in addition to paratroopers by the time the mobile elements of the 3rd Regiment reached the airport, and a firefight ensued, the vanguard of the Norwegian force trying to hold the Germans until the foot infantry could arrive. The Norwegians were successful, eventually overwhelming the Germans on the ground, while aircraft attempting to land were riddled with bullets and 3.7cm shells, their occupants, streaming out the entrances, were cut down by machine gun fire. Many Ju 52’s were shot down by the 36 RNAAS fighters, several were captured on the ground, and more were destroyed on the runway. The gory battle at Fornebu Airport secured Oslo for the time being, though German bombing raids would continue.
For Johan Nilsen, who’d been woken by a soldier pounding on his door in the early hours of the morning, the train ride to Hamar, arranged by Carl Hambro hours before German warships attacked facilities in Oslofjord, consisted of a quick nap, coffee, as well as briefing the Storting, Prime Minister and his Cabinet, and King Haakov VII on what was known of the German invasion so far, though not much had been discovered about the situation outside of Oslo. In Hamar, when news was received that a German aerial assault on the city had been repulsed was received happily by the government. News of a failed coup d’etat over radio by Viktor Quisling, a far right politician, which had ended in his arrest, strengthened the resolve of the government to continue fighting.
By 10 April, a front had been established, with the Norwegians holding the ground north of Drøbak, and the Germans to the south. The Germans began reinforcing their army in the area, while the Norwegians fully mobilized forces in the area and gave volunteers extremely rushed basic training. Tønsberg Airport was used as a base by the Luftwaffe, and losses began to mount among the Norwegian Army and Navy Air Services. Reinforcements would be needed soon to continue to hold Oslo.
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Chapter XX: Oslofjord
The patrol boat Pol III, commanded by Leif Welding-Olsen, plodded through Oslofjord. It was late, and the crew on duty was tired, but they were doing their job, being the first tripwire to alert the defenses in Oslofjord to an invading fleet. Tonight was especially tense, as news of two German ships loaded with troops and supplies being sunk near Norway had been received.
The lookouts’ eyes were strained, trying to see through the fog in the fjord that night. One of them stopped scanning, and turned back to where he may have seen nothing. But it wasn’t nothing. It was a shape, just barely visible, but moving. He called to another lookout to confirm what he saw, and the other lookout agreed, it was something. Welding-Olsen wasted no time in steering towards the approaching vessel, which towered over Pol III.
Pol III challenged the ship, and got the answer “HMS Devonshire, headed for Oslo to protect from Germans.”
A smaller vessel, about the size of a destroyer, came up the side of the large ship. Scanning her and ‘HMS Devonshire’ with the ship’s searchlight, Welding-Olsen didn’t believe their story. He ordered flares fired, fire opened, and a collision course set towards the destroyer.
The 7.6cm gun aboard Pol III flashed, and the shell missed as the ship went flank speed at the destroyer. Anti Aircraft fire raked the small vessel, killing Welding-Olsen and the crewmen launching flares. The destroyer, actually the torpedo boat Albatross, evaded Pol III, and hosed her with gunfire. The crew dove into the water, and Pol III, riddled in holes, continued drifting as the invaders proceeded up the fjord. Passing the islands of Rauoy and Bolaerne, with elements detached to capture both, the Germans were shrouded in mist, and neither fort sighted them.
Reports of gunfire and searchlights by the patrol boat Farm led to the minesweeper Otra being dispatched to investigate. Otra’s lookouts reported possible ships in the fjord, but her skipper dismissed the reports when he failed to see the ships, and continued south, depriving the ships at Horten a chance to attack the Germans at their most vulnerable time, when they were stopped so that Emden could give the R-Boats the infantry they were to land at Horten.
The Battle of Drøbak Sound
After detaching the three torpedo boats and two R-Boats to capture Horten Harbor, R18, R19, Blucher, Lutzow, and Emden, in that order, with the R-Boats sweeping for mines, steamed up Drøbak Sound, on their way to capture Oslo and hopefully the Norwegian Government. They knew there were mines in the channel, and some partially manned coastal guns on Oscarsborg island, but reports from a couple of months ago suggested Norwegian coastal artillery was only half manned. Aboard Blucher, Admiral Oskar Kummetz was confident that his cruiser would triumphantly lead the German warships into Oslofjord in the next couple of hours, capturing the Norwegian government and securing a ceasefire.
At Oscarsborg Fortress, Oberst Birger Kristian Eriksen had his binoculars held to his face, scanning Drøbak Sound for ships. Reports of firing in the approaches to the fjord, as well as garbled signals from Horten that seemed to be indicating an attack had been launched against the base. The plan was to fire on any vessels that came up the fjord with the three 28cm guns at the fortress, along with three below water 50cm torpedo tubes. Across the water, three 15cm guns were sited at Kopås. Of the 6-pounders, only the battery at Husvik was manned, the others weren’t, mainly to allow the three 28cm guns to be fully operational, though each had 8 instead of 11 men to reload the gun. The 15cm guns were 90% manned, while half of the 7.6cm and 4cm AA guns were fully operational. The torpedo battery had enough crew to launch the torpedoes accurately, and enough to reload the tubes, though at a slower pace than fully manned.
Kummetz watched the searchlight on the mainland sweep the water in front of it. According to his maps, the searchlight was likely at the town of Drøbak, and the Norwegian coastal batteries were only a couple of kilometers further, probably where a second searchlight was sweeping the water. All ships were buttoned up, with their guns ready to engage targets, watertight doors sealed, and lookouts scanning for mines in the water, while others scanned for coastal batteries. It was believed that most Norwegian coastal forts were only partially manned, which mean their effectiveness was reduced, and Kummetz was confident his cruisers could withstand 15cm fire, even at these extremely close ranges, while he believed that heavy guns wouldn’t be able to traverse fast enough to target his vessels.
Eriksen’s heart skipped a beat as two shapes crawled through the Drøbak searchlight’s beam. They looked to be small vessels, and he ordered fire held. Then, looming out of the darkness, a huge ship came steaming up the fjord. That had to be a German warship, and Eriksen’s conclusion was further bolstered by her resemblance to some of the German ships in the copy of Jane’s Fighting Ships he’d purchased a few days prior to help him identify possible targets.
Another large ship emerged behind the first. Eriksen ordered the 28cm guns to be set to fire at 1,400 meters. As the lead vessel’s silhouette grew, he ordered the guns to fire at 04:21. The first shell destroyed Blucher’s command tower above the bridge, sending debris raining down. The second 28cm shell smashed into the ship just aft of the funnel, destroying the two Arado seaplanes and a 10.5cm mount while starting a large fire fueled by the aircraft. The third 28cm shell destroyed Caesar turret, while 15cm and 5.7cm shells came raining down from starboard. Blucher, with all boilers lit, went to flank speed to clear the shore batteries, her anti-aircraft batteries firing wildly and a growing fire sprouting from her midsection. Despite the damage, it was hoped she would be saved now that she was out of the firing arcs for the Norwegian guns. Kommandørkaptein Anderssen, in command of the torpedo battery, was given the order to fire, and obliged, letting two torpedoes loose at 04:29, the third left in the tube in case another vessel tried to pass. The first torpedo drilled the cruiser between the fore superstructure and the funnel, opening her hull to the sea, while the other missed the cruiser, now doing nearly 16 knots, though she was losing speed. The torpedo hit disabled the cruiser’s engines, and the ship veered slightly from her course, straight onto one of the mines Kummetz was so worried about.
The mine detonated ten meters behind the bow, lifting the ship. This caused further flooding and quickened Blucher’s fate. Despite having lost a few knots as her engines quit, Blucher was still making 11.5 knots, which did her damage control no good as the foremost bulkhead behind, though not stove in, began leaking heavily. The fire in the central area of the ship continued to grow as the ship began listing from the torpedo and mine hits. She anchored north of the fortress, her engines dead, and much of the crew was now occupied with fighting the fire, the extra soldiers aboard only hindering damage control efforts. The fire eventually made its way to a 10.5cm magazine, which exploded, igniting Blucher’s fuel oil and causing further waterline damage. At 07:13, Blucher rolled over and sank with great loss of life.
Meanwhile, with Blucher past the guns, Lutzow was the next vessel in line. The 15cm guns continued to fire on her, scoring three hits, one of which disabled Anton turret, while the 28cm weapons frantically reloaded. Kapitan Thiele, commander of the Lutzow, ordered the remaining vessels to retreat. While turning, Emden hit a mine, and was eventually run aground between Filtvet and Tofte. Oscarborg’s 28cm guns were reloaded and fired, one shell hitting Lutzow, however little damage was done because the ancient projectile failed to detonate.
The Battle of Horten
While the force that was supposed to capture Oslo was bloodied, a fierce battle raged around Horten Naval Base. The torpedo boats Mowe, Kondor, and Albatros, along with the small minesweepers R17 and R22 were tasked with capturing the base, which had at its disposal the destroyer Alesund, minelayers Olaf Tryggvason, Glommen, and Laugen, the minesweeper Rauma, submarines C1 and C2, 8 MTBs ordered in 1938, and 8 MTBs built in the original modernization bill. The sub-chasers UM-5 and UM-6 were also in Horten.
As the Germans approached Horten, four of the older MTB’s, which were on patrol, were encountered and quickly dealt with by a hail of AA fire before they even challenged the strange ships. While the Horten force approached Horten, taking up the base’s attention, the Oslo force slipped north. Alerted by the gunfire, Kontreadmiral Smith-Johanssen ordered every ship in the harbor to attack the invaders. This created a logjam of ships in Horten’s entrance, which were easy targets for the German torpedo boats. The first ship out was the minelayer Olaf Tryggvason, her four 12cm guns blazing as she engaged the enemy. The ship had a half load of mines aboard, ready to lay the minefields that hadn’t been laid yet, and not expecting to have to rush into a surface fight. The mines were the reason for the downfall of one of the most powerful vessels in Horten, as one of Kondor’s high explosive shells detonated the approximately 150 mines aboard, creating a spectacular explosion that destroyed three of the newer MTB’s passing the minelayer to engage the enemy.
UM-5 met her end as 10.5cm shells found the small sub-chaser, and only four hits were required to put her out of the fight. The destroyer Alesund engaged Albatros in a one sided duel with her much heavier main armament that left both ships damaged, Albatros sinking. Mowe fired a half salvo of torpedoes at Alesund, sending the lead ship of her class to the bottom. The two R-Boats, armed with 3.7cm and 2cm guns, massacred the remaining older MTB’s, whose gun armaments consisted of just a single 12.7mm machine gun each, though R17 was destroyed by a torpedo from one of the boats. The five larger MTB’s attacked Mowe, catching her with her guns trained on the wrecked Alesund, her torpedoes on the way to sink the destroyer, and scored many hits, breaking the ship into several pieces. With no torpedoes ready to fire and the enemy hopelessly outgunning them, the five MTB’s disengaged towards Jeløya island to reload their torpedoes.
The two submarines weren’t able to submerge before Kondor scored hits on the fragile vessels, making submerging suicide, and their crews abandoned ship. The only remaining Norwegian ships were the five MTB’s, which had questionably disengaged, the lightly armed minesweeper Rauma, subchaser UM-6, and the minelayers Glomma and Laugen. Between them, the last four vessels had three low velocity 7.6cm guns, three 4cm guns, and some smaller weapons, while Kondor, the only torpedo boat not sinking, outgunned them badly. Despite this, the final four vessels put up a valiant fight, sinking R22, before Kondor managed to overwhelm them. Under Kondor’s guns, her passengers landed in Horten, and the base surrendered soon after, persuaded in part by the Germans telling them Oslo was in German hands. One of the two squadrons of floatplanes was in Horten, and most of the aircraft were destroyed by their crews before the Germans could capture them, while the other had transferred to Horten hours before to operate behind the safety of Oscarsborg’s guns.
Soon, the remnants of the northern force returned south. The five MTB’s, their torpedoes now reloaded, made a run at Lutzow, scoring two hits with their 45cm torpedoes, and losing two of their number from fire from the two R-Boats and the cruiser before the three remaining vessels, MTB-42, MTB-44, and MTB-47, made for Oslo. Lutzow limped to Horten, where her disembarked troops were a huge help to those of Kondor, whose control over Horten was marginal at best. The minesweeper Otra, which had failed to alert Horten, was sunk by Kondor as she attempted to pass the base on her way to Oslo. Norwegian aircraft took to the air, while the Army was deployed to keep the Germans from advancing further North.
The Battle of Fornebu Airport
The Royal Norwegian Army Air Service’s 12 D.XXI and 24 Glost Gladiator fighters roared down the runway at Kjeller Airbase as reports of German aircraft approaching arrived. Clawing for altitude, the fighters met a wave of some 80 Ju 52 transports full of troops, escorted by two dozen Me 110 heavy fighters over Oslo. When the aircraft failed to drop bombs and neared Fornebu airport, the 3rd Infantry Regiment, held in Oslo as a strategic reserve while the other three regiments in the area formed a defensive line south of the city with Oscarsborg Fortress serving as the center, immediately began racing to the airport. Each regiment had a handful of trucks, mainly to transport heavier equipment, and these led the way to the airport, towing 3.7 and 7.5cm artillery, followed by the two companies of bicycle infantry included in the regiment. Three aircraft had landed in addition to paratroopers by the time the mobile elements of the 3rd Regiment reached the airport, and a firefight ensued, the vanguard of the Norwegian force trying to hold the Germans until the foot infantry could arrive. The Norwegians were successful, eventually overwhelming the Germans on the ground, while aircraft attempting to land were riddled with bullets and 3.7cm shells, their occupants, streaming out the entrances, were cut down by machine gun fire. Many Ju 52’s were shot down by the 36 RNAAS fighters, several were captured on the ground, and more were destroyed on the runway. The gory battle at Fornebu Airport secured Oslo for the time being, though German bombing raids would continue.
For Johan Nilsen, who’d been woken by a soldier pounding on his door in the early hours of the morning, the train ride to Hamar, arranged by Carl Hambro hours before German warships attacked facilities in Oslofjord, consisted of a quick nap, coffee, as well as briefing the Storting, Prime Minister and his Cabinet, and King Haakov VII on what was known of the German invasion so far, though not much had been discovered about the situation outside of Oslo. In Hamar, when news was received that a German aerial assault on the city had been repulsed was received happily by the government. News of a failed coup d’etat over radio by Viktor Quisling, a far right politician, which had ended in his arrest, strengthened the resolve of the government to continue fighting.
By 10 April, a front had been established, with the Norwegians holding the ground north of Drøbak, and the Germans to the south. The Germans began reinforcing their army in the area, while the Norwegians fully mobilized forces in the area and gave volunteers extremely rushed basic training. Tønsberg Airport was used as a base by the Luftwaffe, and losses began to mount among the Norwegian Army and Navy Air Services. Reinforcements would be needed soon to continue to hold Oslo.
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Heavier German losses from Oscarsborg, taking Horten is more difficult, the airborne landings that allowed the Germans to flank and take the city were repulsed by infantry and aircraft much better equiped than OTL, so the Germans have to do an overland offensive to take Oslo against determined defenders who are dug in