Operationsbefehl Hartmut (literally "Operation Order Hartmut") was the
code word
In communication, a code word is an element of a standardized code or protocol. Each code word is assembled in accordance with the specific rules of the code and assigned a unique meaning. Code words are typically used for reasons of reliability, ...
to begin German
submarine operations during
Operation Weserübung
Operation Weserübung (german: Unternehmen Weserübung , , 9 April – 10 June 1940) was Germany's assault on Denmark and Norway during the Second World War and the opening operation of the Norwegian Campaign.
In the early morning of 9 Ap ...
-
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
's invasion of
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...
and
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
. Occasionally these operations are termed Operation Hartmut. The orders involved submarine screening actions for the German invasion fleet and
reconnaissance
In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities.
Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...
- particularly off
Narvik and
Trondheim
Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...
. The orders also resulted in a number of attacks on
Allied forces - particularly in or near the
fjords
In physical geography, a fjord or fiord () is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Alaska, Antarctica, British Columbia, Chile, Denmark, Germany, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Icela ...
of the Norwegian coast.
The operation's reconnaissance and screening objectives succeeded for the most part, however Hartmut is notable for the large number of faulty
torpedo
A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, s ...
es fired and four U-boats sunk. These problems came at a time when the
war in the Atlantic
The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, ran from 1939 to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, covering a major part of the naval history of World War II. At its core was the Allied naval blockad ...
was still going exceptionally well against
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
. The deployment of U-boats during Operation Weserübung is occasionally criticized as a waste of manpower and
materiel
Materiel (; ) refers to supplies, equipment, and weapons in military supply-chain management, and typically supplies and equipment in a commercial supply chain context.
In a military context, the term ''materiel'' refers either to the specif ...
for this reason. The use of
magnetic pistol
Magnetic pistol is the term for the device on a torpedo or naval mine that detects its target by its magnetic field, and triggers the fuse for detonation. A device to detonate a torpedo or mine on ''contact'' with a ship or submarine is known as a ...
s and operations in cold weather rendered the
G7e torpedo
The G7e torpedo was the standard electric torpedo used by the German ''Kriegsmarine'' submarines in World War II. It came in 20 different versions, with the initial model G7e(TII) in service at the outbreak of the war. Due to several problems, le ...
less effective. Coastal operations may have also hampered commanders used to the open sea. Speculation persists that massive torpedo failure during this campaign provoked German
naval high command into improving the weapon's performance. U-boat commanders like
Prien,
Schultze and
Schütze
''Schütze'' in German means "rifleman" or "shooter", or in older terms originally connoted "archer" before the advent of the rifle. It also occasionally occurs as a surname, or as Schütz, as in the opera ''Der Freischütz''. The word itself is ...
had the only patrols of their careers without any
tonnage
Tonnage is a measure of the cargo-carrying capacity of a ship, and is commonly used to assess fees on commercial shipping. The term derives from the taxation paid on ''tuns'' or casks of wine. In modern maritime usage, "tonnage" specifically r ...
sunk.
Hartmut's execution
First hints of an impending invasion of Norway and Denmark came in March 1940. By early April, most of the U-boats to be used for Operation Hartmut as part of Operation Weserübung were ready.
BdU
The ''Befehlshaber der Unterseeboote'' or BdU (Eng: "Commander of the U-boats") was the supreme commander of the German Navy's U-boat Arm (''Ubootwaffe'') during the First World War, First and Second World Wars. The term also referred to the Comma ...
Karl Dönitz intermittently sent ships to reconnoitre areas of the Norwegian coast and to try to locate portions of the
British fleet
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
.
Due to
submarines' generally slow surface speed compared to surface vessels, many of the U-boats specifically assigned to perform in Operation Weserübung departed before the main surface fleet left from the mouth of the
Weser river
The Weser () is a river of Lower Saxony in north-west Germany. It begins at Hannoversch Münden through the confluence of the Werra and Fulda. It passes through the Hanseatic city of Bremen. Its mouth is further north against the ports of Br ...
on the morning of 7 April. Twenty U-boats went out on 3, 4 and 5 April.
Hartmut preparations
Preparations in the German submarine forces (U-bootwaffe) began in early March. On 4 March 1940
Karl Dönitz received orders from his superiors in Berlin:
# Further U-boat sailings are to be stopped. U-boats which have already sailed are not to operate off the Norwegian coast.
# All Naval forces to be ready for operations as quickly as possible. No special degree of readiness.
Dönitz
mobilized
Mobilization is the act of assembling and readying military troops and supplies for war. The word ''mobilization'' was first used in a military context in the 1850s to describe the preparation of the Prussian Army. Mobilization theories and ...
any vessel that could dive. Only 12 larger
Type VII and
Type IX submarines capable of operating in the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
were fit for the operation. One older ocean-going
Type IA
A Type Ia supernova (read: "type one-A") is a type of supernova that occurs in binary systems (two stars orbiting one another) in which one of the stars is a white dwarf. The other star can be anything from a giant star to an even smaller whi ...
was also included. 12 smaller
Type II U-boats were called up, despite that the Norwegian coast limited their operating time. The operation subsequently disrupted training exercises in the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and ...
as six outdated Type IIA training submarines were brought into the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the ...
.
At this point, commanders and crews were simply ordered into the North Sea. A sealed envelope aboard each of the U-boats held their official orders. The envelope was to be opened upon receiving the radio code word "Hartmut" (hence the attributed name Operation Hartmut).
Dönitz predicted spectacular results for his submarines. In his memoirs he wrote, "Undoubtedly the enemy would react sharply to the landing of German troops in Norway. Their operations could be directed at our occupied ports or their own facilities - that is, strategically important sites for the English... The enemy was also bound to the narrow waterways of the fjords; their ships would have to pass near the U-boats. They could only go unseen in very turbulent weather. The deployment of multiple U-boats in staggered formation would likely yield more shooting opportunities."
By the beginning of April 1940, 31 U-boats were ready for operations between England and Norway. On 6 April, the codeword "Hartmut" was transmitted and German submarines began their designated operations.
Attacks on allied vessels
German submarines operating near the Norwegian coast made numerous attacks on British ships, although many proved unsuccessful due to faulty torpedoes.
''U-4''
''U-4'' sank the
British T-class submarine
The Royal Navy's T class (or ''Triton'' class) of diesel-electric submarines was designed in the 1930s to replace the O, P, and R classes. Fifty-three members of the class were built just before and during the Second World War, where they pl ...
HMS ''Thistle''.
''U-13''
''U-13'' sank the British steam merchant ''Swainby'' off the Shetland islands with one torpedo on 17 April.
After docking in
Bergen
Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula o ...
for a short time, ''U-13'' then sank the Danish vessel ''Lily'' that had been taken as a
prize
A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements. by the British after the German
occupation of Denmark
At the outset of World War II in September 1939, Denmark declared itself neutral. For most of the war, the country was a protectorate and then an occupied territory of Germany. The decision to occupy Denmark was taken in Berlin on 17 December ...
. The first torpedo failed to arm, but the second broke the ship in half. A few days later ''U-13'' damaged another British ship before returning to port.
''U-37''
''U-37'' sank one Swedish tanker, one Norwegian freighter and one British freighter equalling 18,715 tons of shipping between 10 and 12 April.
''U-38''
There were two naval
battles of Narvik
The Battles of Narvik were fought from 9 April to 8 June 1940, as a naval battle in the Ofotfjord and as a land battle in the mountains surrounding the north Norwegian town of Narvik, as part of the Norwegian Campaign of the Second World War.
...
on 10 April 1940 and 13 April 1940. and were positioned at the entrance of the fjord. When the Royal Navy arrived, ''U-38'' fired at and at missing both. In the second battle, U-38 fired at but the torpedoes detonated prematurely.
''U-47''
''U-47'' under
Günther Prien
Günther Prien (16 January 1908 – presumed 8 March 1941) was a German U-boat commander during World War II. He was the first U-boat commander to receive the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and the first member of the ''Kriegsmarine'' to r ...
encountered "a wall of ships" on 15 April. A British
fleet
Fleet may refer to:
Vehicles
*Fishing fleet
*Naval fleet
*Fleet vehicles, a pool of motor vehicles
*Fleet Aircraft, the aircraft manufacturing company
Places
Canada
* Fleet, Alberta, Canada, a hamlet
England
* The Fleet Lagoon, at Chesil Beach ...
of
cruisers and
transport ships were anchored near
Narvik offloading troops and war materials. Prien targeted two cruisers and two transports with the four forward torpedoes but none detonated. An hour and a half later after a thorough inspection of the tubes and torpedoes, Prien tried again. Again, with a textbook surfaced attack from 750m away using four torpedoes ''U-47'' had no success. One detonated underwater after hitting a rock, well off course.
After leaving
Ofotfjord
Ofotfjord ( or ) is a fjord in Nordland county, Norway. It is an inlet of the Norwegian Sea, located about north of the Arctic Circle. The long Ofotfjord is Norway's 12th longest fjord and it is also the 18th deepest, with a maximum depth of . ...
, ''U-47'' spotted and attacked
HMS ''Warspite''. One torpedo detonated ahead of the battleship, while another detonated far behind. ''U-47'' spent the next hours submerged under persistent
depth charge attack.
''U-48''
''U-48'' under
Herbert Schultze
Herbert Emil Schultze (24 July 1909 – 3 June 1987), was a German submarine commander during World War II. He commanded the for eight patrols during the early part of the war, sinking of shipping. Schultze was a recipient of the Knight's Cross ...
made multiple attacks on a fleet of three cruisers on 10 April, but the torpedoes failed to arm or detonated prematurely. Later on 14 April, ''U-48'' attacked HMS ''Warspite'' but both torpedoes failed to detonate. ''Warspite''s destroyer screen fired on the vessel and ''U-48'' was depth charged, but escaped destruction.
''U-51''
''U-51'' attacked a destroyer, but the torpedoes detonated prematurely. On 19 April, commander
Dietrich Knorr attacked the French cruiser
''Émile Bertin'', but both torpedoes missed.
''U-65''
Hans-Gerrit von Stockhausen commanding ''U-65'' attacked a group of British destroyers, but the torpedoes missed or failed to arm. The U-boat subsequently suffered moderate damage when the same destroyers depth charged her.
Operation Results
U-boats succeeded in reporting some Allied fleet movements, but Dönitz' greatest interest was sinking ships - a portion of Hartmut where the U-boats performed underwhelmingly. In general, submarine attacks in the Norwegian waters proved ineffective. Nearly two-thirds of the
magnetic pistol
Magnetic pistol is the term for the device on a torpedo or naval mine that detects its target by its magnetic field, and triggers the fuse for detonation. A device to detonate a torpedo or mine on ''contact'' with a ship or submarine is known as a ...
s failed by either detonating too early, not arming, or running too deep.
Despite orders to cease using magnetic pistols in late 1939, Dönitz had authorized commanders to use either magnetic or impact pistols on their torpedoes during Operation Weserübung. Cold water in the North Sea and Norwegian fjords hampered the use of electric torpedoes used at the time, which required heating to reach suitable
operating temperature.
Other speculation has pointed to the unfamiliar conditions of the campaign for the abnormally large number of torpedo failures. Most commanders were used to operating at sea where the effect of tides and currents over short distances is negligible between a boat and its target. Underwater movement may have significantly affected torpedoes, by throwing them off course or making them run too deep - potentially explaining at least part of the missed shots and torpedo failures.
Four submarines were also lost - three ocean-going submarines consisting of two VIIBs and one IXB along with one older IIA.
Submarine order of battle
Operation Hartmut engaged nearly every submarine in Germany's navy - most notably, both older Type IA submarines and all six of Germany's IIA coastal submarines, which were operating as training boats in the Baltic. Boats which were initially unavailable for action at the beginning of the operation took part in ferrying supplies or patrolling later on.
When Hartmut was issued on 6 April 1940 the German plan designated the U-bootwaffe into eight groups (along with a further Group Seven, which was cancelled).
U-Boat Group One
Patrol Area: Narvik, Harstad, Westfjord, Vagsfjord
*
''U-25'' - one of only two
Type IA
A Type Ia supernova (read: "type one-A") is a type of supernova that occurs in binary systems (two stars orbiting one another) in which one of the stars is a white dwarf. The other star can be anything from a giant star to an even smaller whi ...
submarines in the
Kriegsmarine. Under the command of
Viktor Schütze, ''U-25'' had no success during Hartmut.
*
''U-46'' - a
Type VIIB under
Herbert Sohler with IWO
Erich Topp
Erich Topp (2 July 1914 – 26 December 2005) was a German U-boat commander of World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords of Nazi Germany. He sank 35 ships for a total of . After the war, h ...
. ''U-46'' had no success during Hartmut.
*
''U-51'' - a Type VIIB under
Dietrich Knorr, who failed to sink any vessels during Hartmut.
* - a
Type IXB under
Georg-Wilhelm Schulz. ''U-64'' was the first U-boat sunk by aircraft in the war. While anchored near
Bjerkvik
Bjerkvik is a village in Narvik Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The village is located at the end of Herjangsfjorden, an arm of Ofotfjorden. Bjerkvik sits less than south of the border of Troms county and about across the fjord from ...
, British forces including a
Fairey Swordfish
The Fairey Swordfish is a biplane torpedo bomber, designed by the Fairey Aviation Company. Originating in the early 1930s, the Swordfish, nicknamed "Stringbag", was principally operated by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy. It was also us ...
launched from sank the boat on 13 April. Schulz and other surviving crew were rescued from the water by German troops in Norway.
* - a
Type IXB, which patrolled in the North Sea for 36 days without sinking any ships.
U-Boat Group Two
Patrol Area: Trondheim, Namsos, Romsdalsfjord
*
''U-30'' - a Type VIIA under
Fritz-Julius Lemp
Fritz-Julius Lemp (19 February 1913 – 9 May 1941) was a captain in the Kriegsmarine during World War II and commander of , and .
He sank the British passenger liner in September 1939, in violation of the Hague conventions. Germany's respon ...
, who was responsible for sinking the , the first ship sunk during the war. His patrol along the coast of Norway during Hartmut was uneventful.
*
''U-34'' - a Type VIIA, which torpedoed the scuttled Norwegian minelayer
HNoMS ''Frøya'' on 13 April.
U-Boat Group Three
Patrol Area: Bergen, Aalesund, Shetland Islands
*
''U-9'' - a
Type IIB commanded by
Wolfgang Lüth
Wolfgang Lüth (15 October 1913 – 14 May 1945) was a German U-boat captain of World War II who was credited with the sinking of 46 merchant ships plus the sunk during 15 war patrols, for a total tonnage of .
Lüth joined the ''Reichsmarine' ...
. While ''U-9'' had a relatively successful career, she sank no ships during Hartmut.
*
''U-15'' - a Type IIB successfully commanded by
Herbert Wohlfarth, but which failed to sink any ships during Hartmut.
*
''U-56'' - a Type IIC with an uneventful patrol.
*
''U-60'' - a Type IIC with an uneventful patrol.
*
''U-62'' - a Type IIC with an uneventful patrol.
U-Boat Group Four
Patrol Area: Stavanger
*
''U-1'' - a Type IIA brought into frontline service. The submarine was sunk by mines, probably on 6 April.
*
''U-4'' - a Type IIA brought into frontline status before returning to her role as a training boat. Sank the
British T-class submarine
The Royal Navy's T class (or ''Triton'' class) of diesel-electric submarines was designed in the 1930s to replace the O, P, and R classes. Fifty-three members of the class were built just before and during the Second World War, where they pl ...
HMS ''Thistle''.
U-Boat Group Five
Patrol Area: East of the Shetland Islands, Vagsfjord, Trondheim
*
''U-37'' - a Type IXA, one of the few boats to survive to be scuttled near the war's end. During Hartmut, ''
K.Kapt.''
Werner Hartmann
Werner Hartmann (11 December 1902 – 26 April 1963) was a German U-boat commander in World War II. He was credited with sinking 26 ships, amounting to over sunk. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves of Nazi ...
sank three freighters.
*
''U-38'' - a Type IXA under
Heinrich Liebe. ''U-38'' engaged multiple ships, but was plagued with premature torpedo detonations and misses.
*
''U-47'' - a Type VIIB under
Günther Prien
Günther Prien (16 January 1908 – presumed 8 March 1941) was a German U-boat commander during World War II. He was the first U-boat commander to receive the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and the first member of the ''Kriegsmarine'' to r ...
and IWO
Hans-Werner Kraus
Hans-Werner Kraus (1 July 1915 – 25 May 1990) was a German U-boat commander in the Kriegsmarine of Nazi Germany. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
Kraus served as 1st watch officer on from January 1940 until Novemb ...
.
*
''U-48'' - a Type VIIB under
Herbert Schultze
Herbert Emil Schultze (24 July 1909 – 3 June 1987), was a German submarine commander during World War II. He commanded the for eight patrols during the early part of the war, sinking of shipping. Schultze was a recipient of the Knight's Cross ...
and IWO
Reinhard Suhren
Reinhard Johann Heinz Paul Anton Suhren (16 April 1916 – 25 August 1984) was a German U-boat commander in World War II and younger brother of '' Korvettenkapitän (Ing.)'' and Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross recipient Gerd Suhren.
Suhren was ...
- both who ended the war as successful
U-Boat aces, but had no success on this patrol.
*
''U-49'' - a Type VIIB under
Kurt von Gossler was sunk on 15 April by
depth charges from the British
destroyers and with one dead and 41 survivors.
*
''U-50'' - a Type VIIB was sunk by mines on 6 April en route to her patrol area.
U-Boat Group Six
Patrol Area: Pentland, Orkney islands, Shetland Islands
*
''U-13'' - a Type IIB commanded by
Max-Martin Schulte. She sank two ships and damaged another during the operational time period. During this patrol, ''U-13'' docked in recently occupied
Bergen
Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula o ...
for a short time on 19 to 21 April.
*
''U-57'' - a Type IIC under
Claus Korth. ''U-57'' sank a British tanker in late March, but had no success during Weserübung.
*
''U-58'' - a Type IIC under
Herbert Kuppisch had one long patrol during the entire operation, but no ships sunk.
*
''U-59'' - a Type IIC commanded by
Harald Jürst, which sank one Norwegian vessel on 6 April.
U-Boat Group Seven
Never assembled. Group Seven was designated to patrol the Eastern entrance to the
English Channel
The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
, but was cancelled.
U-Boat Group Eight
Patrol Area: Lindesnes, Egernsund
*
''U-2'' - a Type IIA brought to frontline status for two patrols during the operation before returning to her role as a training boat.
*
''U-3'' - a Type IIA also brought into frontline service for the operation.
*
''U-5'' - a Type IIA brought into frontline service for one patrol.
*
''U-6'' - a Type IIA brought into frontline service for one patrol.
U-Boat Group Nine
Patrol Area: Bergen, Shetland Islands; SW of the Norwegian Coast.
*
''U-7'' - a Type IIB, which was on patrol west of the Norwegian Coast when Dönitz first received orders to prepare for Hartmut. ''U-7'' conducted three patrols during March/April 1940.
*
''U-10'' - a Type IIB that sank a Norwegian vessel in February, but nothing on patrol during Hartmut.
*
''U-19'' - a Type IIB that sank four Danish merchants on 19 and 20 March.
Unassigned
These U-boats began patrols during the timeframe of Operation Weserübung, but were not fit for service (either due to damage, command changes or other reasons) during the beginning of Hartmut. These submarines generally operated in the area of the Orkney islands, Shetland Islands, and near Bergen.
*
''U-17'' - a Type IIB for frontline training; until late April ''U-17'' was not on war patrol.
*
''U-23'' -
Otto Kretschmer
Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 – 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War.
From September 1939 until his capture in March 1941 he sank 44 ships, including one warship, a total of 274,333 tons. For ...
's former Type IIB. The submarine had no success during Hartmut.
*
''U-24'' - a Type IIB that began operations in late April without success.
*
''U-61'' - a Type IIC under the command of
Jürgen Oesten
Jürgen Oesten (24 October 1913 – 5 August 2010) was a ''Korvettenkapitän'' in the ''Kriegsmarine'' during World War II. He commanded the U-boats and , and then served as a staff officer before returning to command . He sank nineteen ships for ...
went on patrol in mid-April, but did not have any success.
Other submarine actions
*
''U-26'' - a Type IA - one of only two in the Kriegsmarine (the other being ''U-25'' from Group One). ''U-26'' delivered supplies to German troops in Trondheim, before going on patrol and sinking one British supply ship on 21 April.
*
''U-29'' - a Type VIIA also tasked with delivering supplies to Trondheim, but with an uneventful subsequent patrol.
*
''U-32'' - a Type VIIA that delivered supplies to Trondheim in early May.
*
''U-43'' - a Type IXA, which also delivered supplies to Trondheim. On her return journey she was bombed by two British
Hudson aircraft on 22 April, suffering light damage on the return journey to Wilhelmshaven.
See also
*
Operation Weserübung
Operation Weserübung (german: Unternehmen Weserübung , , 9 April – 10 June 1940) was Germany's assault on Denmark and Norway during the Second World War and the opening operation of the Norwegian Campaign.
In the early morning of 9 Ap ...
*
Battles of Narvik
The Battles of Narvik were fought from 9 April to 8 June 1940, as a naval battle in the Ofotfjord and as a land battle in the mountains surrounding the north Norwegian town of Narvik, as part of the Norwegian Campaign of the Second World War.
...
*
Battle of the Atlantic
References
External links
U-Boats during Operation Weserübung n Germanbr>
U-boat Archive - BDU's KTB
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hartmut, Operation
Naval battles of World War II involving France
Naval battles of World War II involving Germany
Naval battles of World War II involving Norway
Naval battles and operations of the European theatre of World War II
Code names
U-boats