Operation Doppelschlag
Encyclopedia
Operation Doppelschlag was the planned sortie
in 1942 into the Arctic Ocean
by warship
s of the German
Navy
(Kriegsmarine
) during World War II
.
The operation followed on from Operation Rösselsprung, against PQ 17 in July 1942, and was directed at attacking the Western Allies next Arctic convoy
. This would be PQ 18.
the German Navy was keen to repeat the blow against any further Allied convoys, to choke off the supply route to the Soviet Union and assist German military operations there. To this end they planned a similar evolution in order to bring a strong force of capital ships and destroyers into contact with the next supply convoy to bring about its destruction.
The commanders of the surface forces were disappointed they had been unable to take a more active part in the attack on PQ 17, and were determined to do better next time.
Conversely, the Allies wished to avoid running another convoy in the continuous daylight of the Arctic summer
, and deferred passage of PQ 18 until later in the year. Thus the German forces spent over two months at readiness before PQ 18 sailed in early September 1942.
to give early warning of any convoys approach.
Once the convoy was detected the ships would transit north to Altenfjord
, to await the order to sortie and attack. The extreme sensitivity to the possibility of losing a capital ship in an engagement with the Allied fleet meant that only Hitler
could give permission for the second stage, the sortie into the Barents Sea
, to take place.
Once out the ships would divide into two battle groups, in order to attack the convoy from different sides. it was envisaged that the first group would engage and draw off any heavy units with the convoy, while the second would attack the convoys merchant ships without serious opposition. it was this intended "double blow" that inspired the operational name.
The forces intended to take part in the operation were the Scheer
, Hipper
, Köln
and six destroyers. Germany's other capital ships based in Norway, Tirpitz
and Lützow
were unavailable for the operation as both had ben undergoing repairs since the end of Rosselsprung.
to move north to Altenfjord. In this they were sighted by patrolling British submarines and one, Tigris mounted an attack, though without success. The ships arrived at Altenfjord early the following day.
From this point the Doppelschlag commanders, V.Adm. Kummetz
, in Scheer, and V.Adm Ciliax
, ashore, pressed for permission to sortie, but Hitler's insistence that no damage should befall the ships so restricted their freedom of action that Gr.Adm. Raeder
, the Navy's supreme commander, cancelled the operation.
Thus the attack on PQ 18 was left to the Air Force
and the U-boat
Arm.
The next opportunity for an attack by German surface ships would come in December, when Operation Regenbogen
, following a similar plan to Doppelschlag, was mounted against Convoy JW 51B. This would result in the Battle of the Barents Sea
.
Sortie
Sortie is a term for deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops from a strongpoint. The sortie, whether by one or more aircraft or vessels, usually has a specific mission....
in 1942 into the Arctic Ocean
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
by warship
Warship
A warship is a ship that is built and primarily intended for combat. Warships are usually built in a completely different way from merchant ships. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster and more maneuvrable than merchant ships...
s of the German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
Navy
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
(Kriegsmarine
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...
.
The operation followed on from Operation Rösselsprung, against PQ 17 in July 1942, and was directed at attacking the Western Allies next 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...
. This would be PQ 18.
Background
Following the disastrous passage of PQ-17Convoy PQ-17
PQ 17 was the code name for an Allied World War II convoy in the Arctic Ocean. In July 1942, the Arctic convoys suffered a significant defeat when Convoy PQ 17 lost 24 of its 35 merchant ships during a series of heavy enemy daylight attacks which lasted a week. On 27 June, the ships sailed...
the German Navy was keen to repeat the blow against any further Allied convoys, to choke off the supply route to the Soviet Union and assist German military operations there. To this end they planned a similar evolution in order to bring a strong force of capital ships and destroyers into contact with the next supply convoy to bring about its destruction.
The commanders of the surface forces were disappointed they had been unable to take a more active part in the attack on PQ 17, and were determined to do better next time.
Conversely, the Allies wished to avoid running another convoy in the continuous daylight of the Arctic summer
Midnight sun
The midnight sun is a natural phenomenon occurring in summer months at latitudes north and nearby to the south of the Arctic Circle, and south and nearby to the north of the Antarctic Circle where the sun remains visible at the local midnight. Given fair weather, the sun is visible for a continuous...
, and deferred passage of PQ 18 until later in the year. Thus the German forces spent over two months at readiness before PQ 18 sailed in early September 1942.
The plan
In its early stage Doppelschlag resembled Rosselsprung in that the forces involved would wait in readiness at their bases until a convoy was detected, whilst a patrol line of U-boats (code-named "Ice Palace") was stationed in the Norwegian SeaNorwegian 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...
to give early warning of any convoys approach.
Once the convoy was detected the ships would transit north to Altenfjord
Altafjord
Altafjord is a fjord in the municipality Alta in Finnmark county, Norway, and is about 38 kilometres long. In the inner southern part of the fjord, near the town of Alta, is the outlet of the 200 kilometre long river Altaelva...
, to await the order to sortie and attack. The extreme sensitivity to the possibility of losing a capital ship in an engagement with the Allied fleet meant that only Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
could give permission for the second stage, the sortie into the Barents Sea
Barents Sea
The Barents Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located north of Norway and Russia. Known in the Middle Ages as the Murman Sea, the sea takes its current name from the Dutch navigator Willem Barents...
, to take place.
Once out the ships would divide into two battle groups, in order to attack the convoy from different sides. it was envisaged that the first group would engage and draw off any heavy units with the convoy, while the second would attack the convoys merchant ships without serious opposition. it was this intended "double blow" that inspired the operational name.
The forces intended to take part in the operation were the Scheer
German pocket battleship Admiral Scheer
Admiral Scheer was a Deutschland-class heavy cruiser which served with the Kriegsmarine of Nazi Germany during World War II. The vessel was named after Admiral Reinhard Scheer, German commander in the Battle of Jutland. She was laid down at the Reichsmarinewerft shipyard in Wilhelmshaven in June...
, Hipper
German cruiser Admiral Hipper
Admiral Hipper, the first of five ships of her class, was the lead ship of the Admiral Hipper–class of heavy cruisers which served with the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. The ship was laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg in July 1935 and launched February 1937; Admiral Hipper...
, Köln
German cruiser Köln
Köln was a German light cruiser prior to and during World War II, one of three K-Class cruisers named after cities starting with the letter K. This ship was named after the city of Köln . The others in her class were the Königsberg and the Karlsruhe...
and six destroyers. Germany's other capital ships based in Norway, Tirpitz
German battleship Tirpitz
Tirpitz was the second of two s built for the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. Named after Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, the architect of the Imperial Navy, the ship was laid down at the Kriegsmarinewerft in Wilhelmshaven in November 1936 and launched two and a half years later in April...
and Lützow
German pocket battleship Deutschland
Deutschland was the lead ship of her class of heavy cruisers which served with the Kriegsmarine of Nazi Germany during World War II. Ordered by the Weimar government for the Reichsmarine, she was laid down at the Deutsche Werke shipyard in Kiel in February 1929 and completed by April 1933...
were unavailable for the operation as both had ben undergoing repairs since the end of Rosselsprung.
The operation
PQ 18 sailed from Iceland on 7 September 1942. It was sighted on 8 September by a long-range aircraft, and again on 10 September by an "Ice Palace" U-boat. On 10 September the ships of oeration Doppelschlag left harbour at NarvikNarvik
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...
to move north to Altenfjord. In this they were sighted by patrolling British submarines and one, Tigris mounted an attack, though without success. The ships arrived at Altenfjord early the following day.
From this point the Doppelschlag commanders, V.Adm. 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...
, in Scheer, and V.Adm Ciliax
Otto Ciliax
Otto Ciliax was an admiral in the German Navy. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross...
, ashore, pressed for permission to sortie, but Hitler's insistence that no damage should befall the ships so restricted their freedom of action that Gr.Adm. 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...
, the Navy's supreme commander, cancelled the operation.
Thus the attack on PQ 18 was left to the Air Force
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
and the U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
Arm.
Aftermath
The German surface fleet had little effect on the passage of PQ 18, though the potential threat it posed had forced a heavy commitment of Allied vessels as escort.The next opportunity for an attack by German surface ships would come in December, when Operation Regenbogen
Operation Regenbogen (Arctic)
Operation Regenbogen was the sortie in 1942 into the Arctic Ocean by warships of the German Navy during World War II...
, following a similar plan to Doppelschlag, was mounted against Convoy JW 51B. This would result in the Battle of the Barents Sea
Battle of the Barents Sea
The Battle of the Barents Sea took place on 31 December 1942 between German surface raiders and British ships escorting convoy JW 51B to Kola Inlet in the USSR. The action took place in the Barents Sea north of North Cape, Norway...
.