Chapter 15: Week 1 - Second Battle of Jutland and the Surrender of Denmark
(Author's note: Now the real fun starts!)
After months of negotiations, both Denmark and Poland, emboldened by the UK's territorial guarantees, refused to return land previously owned by the German Empire. As negotiations stalled, Hitler decided to finally put his plan in motion. At noon on June 23, 1940, Germany attacked Poland and Denmark.
The Reich declares war on Poland then Denmark
The marines of I. Marinekorps landed in Copenhagen and the surrounding provinces, and immediately attacked the city. The Luftwaffe's paratroopers were dropped on Aalborg, Fredrikshavn, and Soenderborg, while the four garrison divisions guarding the BeNeLux border were moved to occupy their future posts. After a day of fighting, Denmark surrendered and the government fled to London. However, the Danish armed forces continued to defend their nation, and resistance to the Reich's invasion would continue for the next two weeks.
Denmark surrenders, but local resistance remains
On June 25, the United States takes control of Iceland and Greenland, despite protests from the Reich and the Danish collaboration government. This hostile takeover deprived the Reich of naval bases from which it could operate commerce raiders from.
The not-so-neutral USA occupies Greenland and Iceland
The final diplomatic action during the opening week of the war was the Soviet Union honoring the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and declaring war on Poland. The UK, unable to fight both nations, declined to declare war on the USSR. This was an odd turn of events, and sent the Reich's military planners scrambling to find the meaning behind it. At the time, there were fears of a Soviet betrayal, which later proved false. The UK simply did not have the resources to fight both nations and chose to not declare war in order to gain concessions later.
The Soviet Union honors the M-R Pact and attacks Poland.
Along with the progress being made in Poland and Denmark, the Kriegsmarine scored a major naval victory during the week-long Second Battle of Jutland. The battle was composed of a series of 6 engagements near the Jutland Peninsula. The opening battle involved a short engagement by Raeder's Flotte 1 against an anti-submarine fleet led by the HMS Calypso, accompanied by the 30th Destroyer Flotilla, The result of the battle was a complete victory for the Kriegsmarine, in which the KMS Jade was given credit for sinking the HMS Calypso and most of the destroyers.
Flotte 1 scores an easy victory against the RN's anti-submarine fleet
The remaining engagements involved Flotte 1 and a battlefleet consisting of the Battleship HMS Ramilles, the Battlecruisers HMS Hood, HMS Renown, HMS Repulse, and four destroyer flotillas led by Admiral Chatfield. The first skirmish took place in the Eastern Norwegian Trench, and the RN lost 2 destroyer flotillas while KMS Deutschland and KMS Admiral Scheer received minor damage. The RN fleet retreated east, and Flotte 1 pursued.
The first engagement
Results of the first engagement
The second engagement occurred at 2am on June 26 in Skagerrack, and the surviving RN ships were joined by Denmark's HDMS Niels Jeul and HDMS Peder Skram. No ships were lost on either side, and the Allied fleet escaped south. Admiral Raeder pursued the fleeing fleet.
The second engagement
Results of the second engagement
The third engagement occurred in Kattegat and the Allied fleet lost the HDMS Peder Skram and another destroyer flotilla, while the KMS Nuernburg received hits from the Repulse but was not sunk. The Allied fleet fled further south toward Copenhagen and Boehm's Baltic Fleet. Raeder decided to maintain positions, as the Allied fleet was heavily damaged and knew the Baltic Fleet, as aged as it was, could easily destroy the Allied fleet. Any Allied survivors would be forced to head north in order to escape, and Raeder would be waiting for them.
The third engagement
Results of the third engagement
Unfortunately for Raeder, Boehm was focused on shelling Copenhagen and did not engage the RN's crippled fleet, which turn north in an attempt to escape. Raeder's screens found them and and the fourth engagement resulted in the sinking of the HMS Hood and the fleet's last destroyers. Chatfield again fled south to regroup, and Boehm again, due to poor weather, failed to contact the enemy. Chatfield, now desperate, attempted one final flight north, resulting in the fifth and final engagement.
The fourth engagement
Results of the fourth engagement
On June 27 at 22:00, Raeder again made contact with Chatfield's crippled fleet. Using the cover of darkness, Chatfield managed to escape north, but lost the HMS Repulse in the process. Raeder attempted to follow, but was unable to find Chatfield in the dark and poor weather. The Second Battle of Jutland was over, and Raeder ordered Flotte 1 to head to Kiel for repairs and rest. The reserve fleet was to meet Flotte 1 at Kiel, and damaged ships would be rotated with fresh ships from the reserve fleet. Some sources claim that Raeder received praise from Hitler due to his success; others claim that Hitler was furious over Raeder's failure to sink the remaining two crippled capital ships.
The fifth engagement
Results of the fifth engagement
Flotte 1 heads to Kiel for repairs
Now that the Baltic was secure, and no known Allied fleets were operating in the area, the Kriegsmarine's convoy raiders were sent out in pairs or independently to their assigned hunting grounds.
The KMS Scharnhorst heads to its hunting grounds near the Portuguese Azores Islands
The 2nd Battle of Jutland was an important experience for Raeder. The Reich's surface ships only sunk destroyers and Denmark's outdated heavy cruiser, while the carriers sunk both RN Battlecruisers. Due to the poor weather conditions and visibility, the Reich's surface fleet couldn't match the cheap, small aircraft carriers sunk tonnage. This battle convinced Raeder that his Plan Z should be altered to focus on carriers instead of battleships. Unfortunately, Hitler refused to believe this deduction and claimed the carriers' success was due to poor visibility and inadequate training of the Kriegsmarine's surface ships; Hitler believed that out in the open sea the surface ships would perform better than the carriers.
Finally, the Kriegsmarine managed to sink 2 Allied merchant ships during the opening week of hostilities.