The '5' British Destroyers That Destroyed 10 Germans Who Had 'Every Tactical Advantage

Описание: April 10, 1940. Ofotfjord, Norway. Five British destroyers sailed into a narrow fjord to face ten German destroyers. The Germans had superior numbers, superior position, shore batteries, bigger guns, and heavier ships. Every tactical advantage belonged to the Kriegsmarine.

By dawn, 2 German destroyers were sunk. Three days later, the British returned. When the guns stopped, all 10 German destroyers were destroyed. Germany lost 50% of its entire destroyer fleet.
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THE ODDS:
5 British H-class destroyers vs 10 German Zerstörer 1936

German numerical superiority: 10 vs 5 (2:1)
German position: defensive, fortified fjord
German support: shore batteries
German firepower: 5.9-inch guns vs British 4.7-inch
German displacement: 1,830 tons vs British 1,340 tons
German speed: 38 knots vs British 36 knots

FIRST BATTLE - APRIL 10, 1940:
Captain Bernard Warburton Lee commanded HMS Hardy leading 5 destroyers into Ofotfjord at dawn. Attack at 04:30 hours. Snow reduced visibility to 1,000 yards.
12 Minutes of Combat:

04:20 - Hardy opens fire at 800 yards
Wilhelm Heidkamp sunk in 3 minutes (German commodore killed)
Anton Schmitt sunk
3 German destroyers damaged
German ammunition ship Rauenfels destroyed
British withdraw after Hardy hit, Warburton Lee killed (Victoria Cross)
British losses: Hardy sunk, Hotspur scuttled

Result: 2 German destroyers sunk, 3 damaged, German command decapitated, ammunition destroyed—all in 12 minutes.

SECOND BATTLE - APRIL 13, 1940:
HMS Warspite (33,000-ton battleship, 8× 15-inch guns) + 9 destroyers returned. This wasn't a raid. This was extermination.
Complete Destruction:

Erich Koellner obliterated by single 15-inch shell
Georg Thiele beached burning
Wolfgang Zenker grounded
Bernd von Arnim sunk
Diether von Roeder scuttled
Hermann Künne beached after magazine fires

Result: Every German destroyer at Narvik destroyed. Zero escaped.

THE STRATEGIC COST:
Germany started WWII with 22 destroyers total. Lost 10 at Narvik in 3 days. 50% of entire destroyer fleet destroyed. The strategic impact crippled German surface operations for the rest of 1940.

SPECS COMPARISON:
British H-class:

1,340 tons displacement
4× 4.7-inch guns
8× torpedo tubes
36 knots speed
Built for numbers, flexibility, aggressive tactics

German Zerstörer 1936:

1,830 tons displacement (36% heavier)
5× 5.9-inch guns (longer range)
8× torpedo tubes
38 knots speed
Built as "small cruisers" for long-range gunnery

WHY BRITISH WON:
The specifications suggested German advantage. The combat record proved British superiority.
British Doctrine:

Aggressive action vs defensive position
Close-range fighting (negated German gun range advantage)
Night fighting and confined waters training
Torpedo attacks at point-blank range
Better damage control and compartmentalization

German Doctrine:

Long-range gunnery (couldn't depress guns at point-blank)
Open ocean fighting (trapped in fjord)
Built to fight cruisers, not destroyers
No training for confined waters combat

THE IRONY:
The confined waters that should have trapped the Royal Navy became a killing ground for German surface forces.
German advantages all negated:

Superior numbers? Negated by British aggressive close-range attack
Bigger guns? Couldn't depress low enough at 400-800 yards
Defensive position? Became trap when British closed range
Shore batteries? Hit Hardy but couldn't save fleet
Heavier ships? Caught fire easier, worse damage control

THE LESSON:
British destroyers, smaller and less powerful on paper, destroyed German destroyers with superior gunnery, better damage control, and more aggressive leadership.
Specifications mean less than Doctrine + Training + Tactics.
Captain Warburton Lee (Victoria Cross posthumously): attacked immediately without waiting for support, destroyed German command and logistics in 12 minutes. Aggressive action at the moment of contact, the core British destroyer doctrine, delivered results no cautious approach could match.

April 10, 1940. Five British destroyers sailed into a trap. Twelve minutes later, German command was dead, 2 destroyers sunk, 3 damaged. April 13, 1940. British returned. Every German destroyer destroyed. 50% of Germany's destroyer fleet gone in 3 days.
That is why Britannia ruled the waves.

Sources: Battle of Narvik records, Royal Navy reports, German Kriegsmarine analysis

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How 5 British destroyers destroyed 10 German destroyers and 50% of Germany's fleet in 3 days.