Operation Rösselsprung (Naval)
Encyclopedia
Rösselsprung was the largest operation of its type mounted by the Kriegsmarine
during World War II
, and arguably the most successful, resulting as it did in the near destruction of arctic convoy
PQ-17. Ironically, this success was entirely indirect, as no Rösselsprung ship caught sight of the convoy, or fired a shot at it, all PQ 17s losses being due to U-boat and aircraft attacks. Also, a number of the Rösselsprung ships were damaged in the course of the operation, while only five aircraft were shot down, and no U-boats lost or damaged in the attack on PQ 17.
.
It was an attempt to intercept the arctic convoy expected in late June 1942; this would be PQ-17.
Two naval forces were assembled and held in readiness: the first, at Trondheim
, comprised the battleship
, the heavy cruiser
and six destroyers under the command of Admiral Otto Schniewind
; the second — at Narvik
— was composed of the heavy cruisers Lützow and and six destroyers under the command of Vice-Admiral Oskar Kummetz
.
A patrol line of U-boats was established in the Norwegian Sea
north-east of Jan Mayen
island; code-named Eisteufel (Ice Devil), this group comprised six boats, increasing later to eight.
An advance line of three boats was also established in the Denmark Strait
, east of Iceland
, to give early warning of the convoys departure.
The plan was that when the convoy was sighted, the two battle groups would move north, concentrating at Altenfjord; there they would re-fuel, and await the order to attack, aiming to intercept the convoy in the region of Bear Island.
However, Rösselsprung was handicapped by a complex command process, with authority to go at each stage resting with Hitler himself, and a contradictory mission statement; the forces were instructed not only to attack and destroy the convoy, but also to avoid any action that would lead to damage to the capital ships, particularly Tirpitz. This would prove fatal to the success of the mission.
on 27 June 1942 but it was not detected by the advance patrol.
No warning of PQ-17 was raised until 1 July, when it was spotted by U-456 of Eisteufel; by this time the convoy was already past Jan Mayen Island, and was closing with QP-13.
With the complex decision-making process binding Rösselsprung no move was made until 2 July; Tirpitz, Hipper and four destroyers left Trondheim at 20:00 on 2 July, while Lutzow and Scheer with their five destroyers left Narvik at 12:30 on the 3rd. These journeys were taken through the Leads, the channels between the Norwegian Islands and the main coastline.
The Leads are sheltered and hidden, but tricky to navigate, and the battle groups encountered trouble almost immediately; three of Tirpitzs escorting destroyers ran onto rocks and were forced to return to port. Tirpitz and Hipper with one remaining destroyer arrived at Vestfjord, off Narvik, on 3 July and at Altenfjord at 10 Am on 4 July.
Kummetz’s battle group also had trouble. Lutzow ran aground in Tjel Sund and was also forced to retire, Kummetz shifting his flag to Scheer ; they also arrived at Altenfjord on the 4th.
Meanwhile the movement by Tirpitz and Hipper northward had been detected by Allied Intelligence, and in response to this threat the Admiralty
took the controversial decision to scatter the convoy, which commenced at 22:15 on 4 July. Without the mutual protection provided by sailing in convoy, the ships would be easy prey to the aircraft and U-boats that would beset them; Over the next six days, 20 ships would be lost, totalling twenty four from the convoy altogether.
German Intelligence (B-Dienst) quickly realized that the convoy was scattering, and Schniewind requested permission to sortie. Again, the extended chain of command hindered movement, permission not being received until 15:00 on 5 July, and then only with the caveat to avoid any action with the Allied capital ships; the U-boats of Eisteufel were instructed to leave the attack on the convoy ships to concentrate on finding and attacking the Home Fleet, particularly the carrier .
At 15:00, the fleet — now consisting of Tirpitz, Hipper and Scheer, with seven destroyers and two torpedo boats as escort — left Altenfjord and headed northwest toward the ships of PQ-17.
Almost immediately they were sighted by Soviet submarine K-21, commanded by Cdr N A Lunin
. Lunin sent a sighting report, and attacked the fleet, claiming a hit on Tirpitz; however this is not confirmed by Western sources. An hour later, the fleet was sighted by a British Catalina
, and again after another two hours by British submarine .
Both these sighting reports were detected by B-dienst, and at 21:30, Erich Raeder
— concerned that the fleet was steaming into a trap — ordered a recall, just six hours after they had set out.
Kriegsmarine
The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and arguably the most successful, resulting as it did in the near destruction of arctic convoy
Arctic convoys of World War II
The Arctic convoys of World War II travelled from the United Kingdom and North America to the northern ports of the Soviet Union—Arkhangelsk and Murmansk. There were 78 convoys between August 1941 and May 1945...
PQ-17. Ironically, this success was entirely indirect, as no Rösselsprung ship caught sight of the convoy, or fired a shot at it, all PQ 17s losses being due to U-boat and aircraft attacks. Also, a number of the Rösselsprung ships were damaged in the course of the operation, while only five aircraft were shot down, and no U-boats lost or damaged in the attack on PQ 17.
Background
The name Rösselsprung refers to the Knight’s Move in ChessChess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
.
It was an attempt to intercept the arctic convoy expected in late June 1942; this would be PQ-17.
Two naval forces were assembled and held in readiness: the first, at Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
, comprised the battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
, the heavy cruiser
Heavy cruiser
The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range, high speed and an armament of naval guns roughly 203mm calibre . The heavy cruiser can be seen as a lineage of ship design from 1915 until 1945, although the term 'heavy cruiser' only came into formal use in 1930...
and six destroyers under the command of Admiral Otto Schniewind
Otto Schniewind
Otto Schniewind was a General Admiral with the Kriegsmarine during World War II and a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.-Career:Schniewind entered the...
; the second — at Narvik
Narvik
is the third largest city and municipality in Nordland county, Norway by population. Narvik is located on the shores of the Narvik Fjord . The municipality is part of the Ofoten traditional region of North Norway, inside the arctic circle...
— was composed of the heavy cruisers Lützow and and six destroyers under the command of Vice-Admiral Oskar Kummetz
Oskar Kummetz
Oskar Kummetz was a Generaladmiral with the Kriegsmarine during World War II. He also served in the Kaiserliche Marine during World War I. Kummetz was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his actions in the Battle of Drøbak Sound, during which his command, the was sunk by Norwegian...
.
A patrol line of U-boats was established in the Norwegian Sea
Norwegian Sea
The Norwegian Sea is a marginal sea in the North Atlantic Ocean, northwest of Norway. It is located between the North Sea and the Greenland Sea and adjoins the North Atlantic Ocean to the west and the Barents Sea to the northeast. In the southwest, it is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by a...
north-east of Jan Mayen
Jan Mayen
Jan Mayen Island is a volcanic island in the Arctic Ocean and part of the Kingdom of Norway. It is long and 373 km2 in area, partly covered by glaciers . It has two parts: larger northeast Nord-Jan and smaller Sør-Jan, linked by an isthmus wide...
island; code-named Eisteufel (Ice Devil), this group comprised six boats, increasing later to eight.
An advance line of three boats was also established in the Denmark Strait
Denmark Strait
The Denmark Strait or Greenland Strait |Sound]]) is an oceanic strait between Greenland and Iceland...
, east of Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, to give early warning of the convoys departure.
The plan was that when the convoy was sighted, the two battle groups would move north, concentrating at Altenfjord; there they would re-fuel, and await the order to attack, aiming to intercept the convoy in the region of Bear Island.
However, Rösselsprung was handicapped by a complex command process, with authority to go at each stage resting with Hitler himself, and a contradictory mission statement; the forces were instructed not only to attack and destroy the convoy, but also to avoid any action that would lead to damage to the capital ships, particularly Tirpitz. This would prove fatal to the success of the mission.
Action
PQ-17 left HvalfjörðurHvalfjörður
Hvalfjörður is situated in the west of Iceland between Mosfellsbær and Akranes. The fjord is approximately 30 km long and 5 km wide....
on 27 June 1942 but it was not detected by the advance patrol.
No warning of PQ-17 was raised until 1 July, when it was spotted by U-456 of Eisteufel; by this time the convoy was already past Jan Mayen Island, and was closing with QP-13.
With the complex decision-making process binding Rösselsprung no move was made until 2 July; Tirpitz, Hipper and four destroyers left Trondheim at 20:00 on 2 July, while Lutzow and Scheer with their five destroyers left Narvik at 12:30 on the 3rd. These journeys were taken through the Leads, the channels between the Norwegian Islands and the main coastline.
The Leads are sheltered and hidden, but tricky to navigate, and the battle groups encountered trouble almost immediately; three of Tirpitzs escorting destroyers ran onto rocks and were forced to return to port. Tirpitz and Hipper with one remaining destroyer arrived at Vestfjord, off Narvik, on 3 July and at Altenfjord at 10 Am on 4 July.
Kummetz’s battle group also had trouble. Lutzow ran aground in Tjel Sund and was also forced to retire, Kummetz shifting his flag to Scheer ; they also arrived at Altenfjord on the 4th.
Meanwhile the movement by Tirpitz and Hipper northward had been detected by Allied Intelligence, and in response to this threat the Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
took the controversial decision to scatter the convoy, which commenced at 22:15 on 4 July. Without the mutual protection provided by sailing in convoy, the ships would be easy prey to the aircraft and U-boats that would beset them; Over the next six days, 20 ships would be lost, totalling twenty four from the convoy altogether.
German Intelligence (B-Dienst) quickly realized that the convoy was scattering, and Schniewind requested permission to sortie. Again, the extended chain of command hindered movement, permission not being received until 15:00 on 5 July, and then only with the caveat to avoid any action with the Allied capital ships; the U-boats of Eisteufel were instructed to leave the attack on the convoy ships to concentrate on finding and attacking the Home Fleet, particularly the carrier .
At 15:00, the fleet — now consisting of Tirpitz, Hipper and Scheer, with seven destroyers and two torpedo boats as escort — left Altenfjord and headed northwest toward the ships of PQ-17.
Almost immediately they were sighted by Soviet submarine K-21, commanded by Cdr N A Lunin
Nikolai Lunin
Nikolai Alexandrovich Lunin was a Admiral in the Soviet Navy and a Hero of the Soviet Union.Lunin was born in Mariupol the son of a soldier. He studied at the Rostov-on-Don maritime college and joined the merchant marine serving aboard the tanker Azneft...
. Lunin sent a sighting report, and attacked the fleet, claiming a hit on Tirpitz; however this is not confirmed by Western sources. An hour later, the fleet was sighted by a British Catalina
PBY Catalina
The Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. PBYs served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other...
, and again after another two hours by British submarine .
Both these sighting reports were detected by B-dienst, and at 21:30, Erich Raeder
Erich Raeder
Erich Johann Albert Raeder was a naval leader in Germany before and during World War II. Raeder attained the highest possible naval rank—that of Großadmiral — in 1939, becoming the first person to hold that rank since Alfred von Tirpitz...
— concerned that the fleet was steaming into a trap — ordered a recall, just six hours after they had set out.