1 reply to this topic

[Dave Franklin]

The 2nd engagement in the Atlantic Campaign...

 

The Battle of Prins Christianssund on 20 September 1939 saw the "pocket battleship" Deutschland the victor over two British heavy cruisers, HMS Berwick and HMS York (see previous post).  Deutschland suffered no damage in the engagement; however, she used over 70% of her 11" ammunition, and 50% of her 5.9".  On 25 September, due to the ammunition shortage, Deutschland was recalled back to Germany.  On 6 October, the Kriegsmarine sortied Operation Anvil, battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, to the Denmark Strait to assist Deutschland in breaking through the British patrols.  British intelligence failed to recognize/detect Operation Anvil, but on 11 October, the Admiralty elected to concentrate their patrol activity in the Denmark Strait anyway.  In a surprise move, Deutschland elected to try the Iceland/Faroe passage east of Iceland, hoping Operation Anvil would draw British forces away.

 

At 1300 hours on 24 October 1939, Deutschland was slightly less than 100 miles east of Höfn, on the east coast of Iceland, heading east at her maximum speed of 26 knots, when she spotted a British patrol group made up of the light cruisers Newcastle, Sheffield, and Southampton.  The British were to the southwest, also steaming east, at a speed of 28 knots.  The visibility was 27,500 yards, and the sea state was 5.  The wind was 060^o at 20 knots, with one layer of broken (60%) clouds with a base altitude of 3,000 feet.

 

Deutschland promptly turned away and ran to the northeast, and while the British immediately worked up to their top speed of 32 knots, it was about an hour before the British cruisers cut the range to 24,000 yards, where their 6" guns could reach, at which time Deutschland started making funnel smoke.  Finally at 1412 the British had widened the angle, and Newcastle got off a few salvos from her bow turrets, which missed.  Deutschland turned slightly more to port, allowing her funnel smoke to re-mask her.  The British belatedly started expanding into a wide echelon to try to get a clear LOS from one flank or the other.  At ~1448, visibility started to worsen - dropping around 1,500 yards (per turn).  At 1454, Sheffield glimpsed Deutschland clear of the smoke, and fired a couple of salvos, which missed.  Sheffield immediately checked fire, losing sight of Deutschland in the lessening visibility.  By 1506 the two sides had lost sight of each other completely, and the "battle" ended.

 

Subsequently, Deutschland made her return to Germany.

Attached Files

•  IMG_20180820_111810046.jpg   75.77KB   2 downloads

[healey36]

At 24,000 yards the Brit 6-inch had penetration on Deutschland's 'CA' armor, presumably on plunging fire. As the range closes, the 6-inch loses its ability to penetrate Deutschland's 'CA' armor as the trajectory flattens, not to regain it until the range is less than 9,000 yards. Or am I reading the gunnery charts incorrectly? Seems a big window to take a beating in. 

 

Healey