Chapter 5
The Northern Flank
Sweden complains a little too loud and a little too long about Germnany's heavy-handed actions in the Baltic region. A declaration of war is quickly passed through the Reichstag.
Any attempt to get troops transported across the Skagerrak or the Kattegat will be extremely vulnerable to interception by naval and air forces. The first task is to clear a path through any hostile forces. Mj. Gen. Felmy intercepts some Lockheed Hudsons of RAF coastal command over Heligoland Bight.
The first assault on Sweden will go in just before dawn. Major General Mico's 7th Flieger Division boards their transport planes in Rostock.
Simultaneous to the airborne operation, XXX. Gebirgskorps will hit the hit the beaches on the east coast. The mountaineers, Mj. Gen. Eglseer's 2nd, Mj. Gen. von Sternreiter's 4th, and Lt. Gen. von Kluge's 6th Gebirgsjaeger Divisions are primed and ready.
1. Panzer Armee has concentrated around Copenhagen, and will be ferried across the Kattegat to Malmo once the amphibious and airborne assaults go in.
The
Kriegsmarine has concentrated most of the surface fleet, including the irreplaceable
KMS Bismarck, in support of the landings. Vice Admiral Saalwachter will command the navy and carries his flag aboard the
Deutschland.
Three air armadas are also deployed to nearby airfields. Mj. Gen. Oracle's Luftflotte I at Aalborg, Mj. Gen. Sperrle's Luftflotte V at Copenhagen, and Mj. Gen. von Richtofen's Luftflotte II at Rostock will bomb command posts, communications centers, power plants, and road junctions in an effort to impede the Swedish defence. Close range aircraft would be deployed, but the airfield at Copenhagen has been rendered almost unusable by the Danes.
The Swedish defense of Malmo is initially very stiff, but eventually buckles before an unrelenting German assault from land, sea, and air.
7th Flieger Division is battling hard for control of bridges, rail yards, and crossroads behind enemy lines. In such circumstances, with the confusion of a large invasion, Mico's leadership is proving invaluable.
Swedish troops are also fighting hard, under the command of Generals who know a thing or two about defensible positions.
By dusk on the 27th, some of the defending forces have retreated, and the remainder have been encircled. It is now a matter of time before they capitulate.
German air forces are holding up their end of the bargain, bombing anything that moves in southern Sweden.
Swedish forces in Malmo evacuate towards the north, and the victory is complete by 1100 hrs on the 28th. Some 2000 Germans and Swedes lie dead. 7th Flieger has been baptized in blood, taking over 200 casualties in its first battle.
Rear Admiral Carls prepares to deposit von Kluge's XXX Gebirgskorps onto the lightly defended shores of Stockholm. Most of the Swedish defense force is hurrying south to prevent a breakout by the German armor.
The Swedish high command anticipates the move, and a naval force consisting of the 3 ships of the
Sverige-class attempts to intercept the transport fleet. The operation goes badly for the Swedes, with
HMS Sverige in particular suffering from poor gunnery control. Soon, 11-inch shells from Rear Admiral Boehm and
KMS Graf Spee are falling all around
Sverige.
Rear Admiral Swebeck opens fire from aboard
KMS Bismarck. Unable to deal with this naval Goliath, the Swedes are forced to withdraw, and the amphibious assault goes in as planned.
KMS Bismarck firing on an unseen enemy, March 29, 1940.
Having seized the advantage by driving the Swedes out of Malmo, General von Rundstedt and 1st Panzer Army are unwilling to relinquish the initiative. Orders for a breakout pass quickly down the chain of command to X and XI Panzer Korps, and IX Armee Korps (Motorised).
Soon, German tanks are skirmishing with what remains of the Swedish army. The Swedish airforce, meanwhile, elects to help its own cause by bombing an entrenched militia division on the German border with the Netherlands.
The skirmishes with the Swedes never develop into full-scale battles, and casualties are light.
The amphibious assault, delayed for a couple of days by the interference of the
Sverige and her sisters, goes in on March 30.
Lt. Gen. von Kluge and the rest of XXX. Gebirgskorps get ashore just in time, as the Swedish navy returns to try and drive off the Germans.
HMS Dottning Victoria, Gustav V, and
Sverige attempt once again on April 1 to force their way through to the landing area.
By nightfall, the Germans are fully engaged.
Struck below the waterline by a 15-inch shell, and with 1500 tons of seawater aboard,
HMS Drottning Victoria capsizes and then explodes at midnight.
The light cruiser
Gotland staggers out of the line and also sinks. The remainder of the Swedish force, trailing gouts of smoke and fire, retires towards the north.
Two days later, having patches up the worst of their battle damage, the Swedes return, this time reinforced by 4 more
coastal defense cruisers.
By midnight, the helpless
Sverige has been put out of her misery.
Unwilling to suffer heavy shellfire during daylight, the Swedes once again withdraw.
3 days later, the brave Swedes immolate themselves for a third time on the guns of the German fleet.
During daylight hours, the old ships of the Swedish navy are sitting ducks.
In contrast to the heroic actions of her navy, the Swedish army mounts only 1 rear-guard action in their flight north. Mj. Gen. von Dutchie encourages them to continue their retreat.
With their navy shattered, and their land forces in disarray, Sweden is forced to capitulate on April 11th.
