The German heavy cruiser Blücher ¹ was the German Kriegsmarine's newest ship at the outbreak of World War II. The Blücher is most notable for being sunk on April 9, 1940, less than three years after her launch, on the first day of the invasion of Norway (Operation Weserübung). The Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland) is one of the worlds leading industrialised countries, located in the heart of Europe. ... A heavy cruiser is a type of large warship which originated with the British Hawkins class during World War I. They entered service after the war. ... The Kriegsmarine or War Navy was the name of the German Navy between 1935 and 1945, during the Nazi reign. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... April 9 is the 99th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (100th in leap years). ... 1940 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Operation Weserübung was the German codename for Nazi Germanys assault on Scandinavia during World War II. The name translates as Weser Exercise, the Weser being a German river. ...

Blücher and other smaller naval ships were sailing up the Oslo fjord to capture the Norwegian capital, Oslo, but the 47 year old (and, ironically, German) guns of Oscarsborg fortress opened fire, quickly putting Blücher out of control. She then drifted into range of a torpedo battery, which hit her with two torpedoes. Blücher sank at 07:23 German time (06:23 Norwegian time), taking 600 men with her into the deep. Norway - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... County Oslo NO-03 Landscape Viken Municipality NO-0301 Administrative centre Oslo Mayor (2004) Per Ditlev-Simonsen (H) Official language form Neutral Area  - Total  - Land  - Percentage Ranked 224 454 km² 426 km² 0. ... A modern torpedo, historically called a self propelled torpedo, is a self-propelled guided projectile that (after being launched above or below the water surface) operates underwater and is designed to detonate on contact or in proximity to a target. ...

As a result of the sinking, Oslo was not captured for some hours, allowing the Norwegian royal family, parliament and cabinet to escape: additionally, Norway's gold reserves were moved out of reach of the invaders and ultimately shipped to the Allies for Norway's use during the war. The Storting main building The Storting, or Stortinget, (the Great Assembly), is the parliament of Norway, and is located in Oslo. ... In general, allies are people or groups that have joined an alliance and are working together to achieve some common purpose. ...

Specifications

The Blücher was a Hipper class heavy cruiser: like her sister ships, Admiral Hipper ² and Prinz Eugen, she was built in the mid-1930s. Blücher was launched 8 June 1937, at a public event numbering more than ten thousand spectators, at the Deutsche Werke Kiel AG. Her main armament consisted of eight 8" (203 mm) guns, backed up with twelve 4.1" (105 mm) guns, twelve 37 mm anti-aircraft guns, eight 20 mm anti-aircraft guns and twelve 21" (533 mm) torpedo tubes. In addition, she carried three aircraft for reconnaissance. Blücher was about 650 feet long (200 m), with a beam of 70 feet (21 m) and a draught of about 26 feet (8 m). She had a standard displacement of just under 15,000 tons. The German heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper fought as part of the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. She was named after Admiral Fritz Ritter von Hipper, commander of the German reconnaissance forces during the Battle of Jutland in 1916. ... The German heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen fought as part of the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. She was named after Prince Eugene of Savoy (Prinz Eugen in German). ... Events and trends Technology Jet engine invented Science Nuclear fission discovered by Otto Hahn, Lise Meitner and Fritz Strassmann Pluto, the ninth planet from the Sun, is discovered by Clyde Tombaugh British biologist Arthur Tansley coins term ecosystem War, peace and politics Socialists proclaim The death of Capitalism Rise to... June 8 is the 159th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (160th in leap years), with 206 days remaining. ... 1937 was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... This article is about the city in Germany. ... Mid-19th century tool for converting between different standards of the inch An inch is an Imperial unit of length. ... A millimetre (American spelling: millimeter), symbol mm is an SI unit of length that is equal to one thousandth of a metre. ... American troops man an anti-aircraft gun near the Algerian coastline in 1943 Anti-aircraft, or air defense, is any method of combating military aircraft from the ground. ... Torpedo tubes of the French SNBL Le Redoutable A torpedo tube is a device for launching torpedoes in a horizontal direction. ... Reconnaissance is the military term for the active gathering information about an enemy, or other conditions, by physical observation. ... This article is about a foot as a unit of length. ... The word ton or tonne is derived from the Old English tunne, and ultimately from the Old French tonne, and referred originally to a large cask with a capacity of 252 wine gallons, which holds approximately 2100 pounds of water. ...

Blücher had three Blohm & Voß engines that provided her with no less than 132,000 horse power and a top speed of 32.5 knots (equivalent to 60 km/h). Her armour was well distributed, and a match for most foreign heavy cruisers. She had a sidebelt of 70–80 mm (about 3"), upper deck armour of 12–30 mm (about ½–1"), an armoured deck of 20–50 mm (about 1–2") while her main armament was protected by 70–140 mm (about 3–6"). Like the other ships in her class, although well-armoured, Blücher was plagued with relatively short range and unreliable machinery. This limited the class' use as commerce raiders in the North Atlantic. The title given to this article is incorrect due to technical limitations. ... The horsepower (hp) is the name of several non-metric units of power. ... A knot is a non SI unit of speed equal to one nautical mile per hour. ... Kilometre per hour (American spelling: kilometer per hour) is a unit of both speed (scalar) and velocity (vector). ... A hoplite wearing a helmet, a breastplate and greaves (and nothing else). ... Commerce raiding or guerre de course is a naval strategy of attacking an opponents commercial shipping rather than contending for control of the seas with its naval forces. ... For other uses, see Atlantic (disambiguation) The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of its surface. ...

Operational history

Blücher was the flagship of the naval detachment sent to capture Oslo in the initial stages of the German invasion of Norway. Despite some early indication that the Norwegians was going to resist the invasion, notably the interception and attack on the fleet by the Norwegian armed vessel Pol III, the heavy cruiser was at the front of the line as they reached Oscarsborg fortress in the Drøbak narrows. Since the three Krupp guns of the fortress were severely outdated, having been installed in 1893, the defenders held fire until the vessels were at point-blank range (most sources state that fire was opened at a range of 1,600–1,800 metres, or about one mile). By sheer luck, the first hit from one of the ancient 280 mm (11 inch) guns hit the forward fire control station, rendering the ship's forward guns effectively blind and unable to fire back. The second hit from the fortress's guns apparently hit the aircraft hangar, setting fire to aviation fuel: the resulting fire is thought to have been a major reason of why the ship was finally lost. A flagship is the ship used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships. ... The Krupp family is a prominent 400-year-old German family from Essen, famous for their steel production and manufacture of ammunition and armaments. ... Point-blank range is the distance between a gun and a target such that it requires minimal effort in aiming it, in particular no allowance needs to be made for the effects of gravity, target movement or wind in aiming the projectile. ... metre or meter, see meter (disambiguation) The metre is the basic unit of length in the International System of Units. ... A mile is any of several units of distance, or, in physics terminology, of length. ... Aviation Fuel is fuel used in the engines of aircraft. ...

While fire was raging aboard Blücher, the Norwegian coastal batteries pelted her with smaller calibre guns. While not causing significant damage, this suppressed the fire from her light guns as Blücher slowly moved past the fortress; also, any organized attempts at putting out the fire aboard the ship, as well as tending to the many wounded, were effectively hindered by the continuous small-calibre fire. The word caliber (American English) or calibre (British English) comes from the Italian calibro, itself from the Arabic quâlib, meaning mould. ...

The German invaders were not aware of the Norwegians' secret weapon: a torpedo battery had been built at the narrowest point of the fjord in 1901, and fitted with Austrian-built Whitehead torpedoes of the same turn-of-the-century vintage. Aiming the torpedoes was unnecessary: the only question was whether the 40-year-old weapons would work properly, which they did. Blücher received two direct hits in the engine room, leaving her drifting out of control in the narrow fjord. The rest of the fleet, believing Blücher had hit mines, reversed their way out of the narrows, thus ensuring that Oslo would not be invaded at dawn as intended. Lysefjorden in Norway A fjord (pronounced FEE-ord or fyord, SAMPA: [fi:3:d] or [faI3:d]; sometimes written fiord) is a glacially overdeepened valley, usually narrow and steep-sided, extending below sea level and filled with salt water. ... The Republic of Austria (German: Republik Österreich) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. ... A modern torpedo, historically called a self propelled torpedo, is a self-propelled guided projectile that (after being launched above or below the water surface) operates underwater and is designed to detonate on contact or in proximity to a target. ... In a ship, this is where the Main Engine(s), Generators, Compressors, Pumps, Fuel Purifiers and other major machinery are located. ...

In order to avoid hitting land, Blücher dropped anchors at Askholmen, 6 nautical miles south of Oslo. Her torpedoes were fired into the sides of the fjord to prevent them from exploding aboard the ship. The purpose of a ships or boats anchor is to attach the vessel to the ground at a specific point. ... A nautical mile is a unit of distance, or, as physical scientists like to call it, length. ...

At 06.23, Blücher capsized and sank, about an hour after she was first hit. Of the 2,202 men³ on the ship, more than 600 either went down with the ship, drowned in the freezing water or were burnt to death by the flaming oil slick surrounding the crippled ship. The survivors reached the shore on either side of the fjord. The sailors were ordered to give their life vests to the land troops being transported by the ship, saving the lives of a significant number of soldiers.

Notes

1. Blücher was the third German navy ship named after Prussian General Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher (most famous for helping the Duke of Wellington defeat Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo). The first ship named after the General was a corvette built at Kiel's Norddeutscher Schiffbau AG (later renamed the Krupp-Germaniawerft) and launched 20 March 1877. Taken off service after a boiler explosion in 1907, she ended her days as a coal freighter in the harbour of Vigo, Spain. On the 11 April 1908, the Panzerkreuzer SMS Blücher was launched from the Imperial Shipyard in Kiel. This ship was sunk the 24 January 1915, in WWI's Battle of Dogger Bank. It succumbed to an overwhelming force of British battle cruisers and other ships, under command of Vice Admiral Sir David Beatty.
2. Hipper also took part in the invasion, successfully entering the harbour of Trondheim (Norway's third largest city, roughly half way up Norway's west coast). The troops carried on board Hipper occupied the city in the early hours, flying the Nazi flag on the city's old Kristiansten fortress and other municipal buildings before most of the inhabitants had even awoken.
3. In addition to the officers and sailors of the crew, the men on board Blücher numbered 882 passengers: Generalmajor Engelbrecht and his staff of officers; soldiers to occupy Oslo; bureaucrats and officials for taking over the administration of the capital and with it most of the central institutions of the country (as well as, importantly, the print and broadcast media); and a music corps.

The Kingdom of Prussia existed from 1701 until 1918, and from 1871 was the leading kingdom of the German Empire, comprising in its last form almost two-thirds of the area of the Empire. ... General is a military rank, in most nations the highest rank, although some nations have the higher rank of Field Marshal. ... Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher ( December 16, 1742 in Rostock ( Mecklenburg) - September 12, 1819) in Krieblowitz ( Silesia), count, later elevated Prince of Wahlstatt, was a Prussian general who led his army against Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. ... The Dukedom of Wellington is a hereditary title and the senior Dukedom in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. ... For other uses, see Napoleon (disambiguation). ... Battle of Waterloo Conflict Napoleonic Wars Date June 18, 1815 Place Waterloo, Belgium Result Decisive Allied victory Map of the Waterloo campaign The Battle of Waterloo, fought on June 18, 1815, was Napoleon Bonapartes last battle. ... For the automobile, see Chevrolet Corvette. ... This article is about the city in Germany. ... The Krupp family is a prominent 400-year-old German family from Essen, famous for their steel production and manufacture of ammunition and armaments. ... 1877 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... A boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated under pressure. ... Situation of Vigo Vigo is the largest city in the Galicia region of northwestern Spain. ... 1908 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The armored cruiser was a naval cruiser protected by armor on its sides as well as on the decks and gun positions. ... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... The Battle of Dogger Bank was a naval battle in the North Sea that took place on 24 January 1915, during the First World War, involving the Royal Navy and the Kaiserliche Marine. ... HMS Invincible, one of Britains first battlecruisers Battlecruisers were large warships of the early 20th century. ... Vice Admiral is a naval rank of three star level, equivalent to Lieutenant General in seniority. ... David Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty (1871-1936), born in County Wexford, Ireland, was an admiral in the Royal Navy. ... The German heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper fought as part of the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. She was named after Admiral Fritz Ritter von Hipper, commander of the German reconnaissance forces during the Battle of Jutland in 1916. ... Trondheim (Icelandic name: Þrándheimur; Lithuanian name: Trondheimas; former German name: Drontheim) is a city and municipality in the county of Sør-Trøndelag, Norway. ... Ratio 3:5 The swastika flag came into use initially as the banner of the NSDAP after its foundation. ... Insignia of a United States Air Force Major General German Generalmajor Insignia Major General is a military rank used in many countries. ...

External links

• Blücher technical data (http://www.german-navy.de/kriegsmarine/ships/heavycruiser/blucher/index.html) – From German naval history website german-navy.de (http://www.german-navy.de)
• Blücher data, history and pictures; also some information on Oscarsborg fortress (http://privat.bluezone.no/jan.arild.aaserud/www_docs/bluchernor.htm) – From the homepage of Jan Arild Aaserud
• Timeline of the Blücher (http://www.feldgrau.com/blucher.html)

References

• Koop, Gerhard; Schmolke, Klaus-Peter (2001). Heavy Cruisers of the Admiral Hipper Class: The Admiral Hipper, Blucher, Prince Eugen, Seydlitz and Lutzow. Naval Institute Press. 240 pp. ISBN 155750332X.
• Binder, Frank; Schlünz, Hans Hermann (1990). Schwerer Kreuzer Blücher. Koehlers Verlagsgesellschaft. ISBN 378220784X (2nd ed., Jan 2001).
• Lyon, Hugh (1986). Encyclopedia of the World's Warships: A Technical Directory of Major Fighting Ships from 1900 to the Present Day. Book Sales. ISBN 0890097801 (reprint edition).