Operation Wunderland ("Wonderland") comprised a large-scale operation undertaken in summer 1942 by the German ''
Kriegsmarine
The (, ) was the navy of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official branches, along with the a ...
'' in the waters of the
Northern Sea Route
The Northern Sea Route (NSR) (russian: Се́верный морско́й путь, ''Severnyy morskoy put'', shortened to Севморпуть, ''Sevmorput'') is a shipping route officially defined by Russian legislation as lying east of Nov ...
close to the
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceans. It spans an area of approximately and is known as the coldest of all the oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, a ...
. The Germans knew that many ships of the
Soviet Navy had sought refuge in the
Kara Sea
The Kara Sea (russian: Ка́рское мо́ре, ''Karskoye more'') is a marginal sea, separated from the Barents Sea to the west by the Kara Strait and Novaya Zemlya, and from the Laptev Sea to the east by the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago. ...
because of the protection that its ice pack provided during 10 months of the year.
History
On 16 August 1942, —under
Kommodore
(pronounced ''kom-o-'dor-eh'') was the highest senior officer rank () in the German ''Kriegsmarine'', comparable to commodore in anglophone naval forces. There was no counterpart in the German '' Heer'' and'' Luftwaffe'', but ''Kommodore'' wou ...
Wilhelm Meendsen-Bohlken—left
Narvik
( se, Áhkanjárga) is the third-largest municipality in Nordland county, Norway, by population. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Narvik. Some of the notable villages in the municipality include Ankenesstranda, Ball ...
and entered the
Barents Sea
The Barents Sea ( , also ; no, Barentshavet, ; russian: Баренцево море, Barentsevo More) is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located off the northern coasts of Norway and Russia and divided between Norwegian and Russian territo ...
. Along with it went
U-boat
U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...
s and , as well as destroyers , and .
Kara Sea
By 19 August, the German fleet rounded
Cape Zhelaniya
Cape Zhelaniya (russian: Мыс Желания, ; being Russian for 'wish/desire') is a headland in the Russian Federation. It is an important geographical landmark. The area in the vicinity of the cape is a desolate place, exposed to bitter Arc ...
and entered the Kara Sea which was fairly free from ice during the short summer. The next day, the
Arado Ar 196
The Arado Ar 196 was a shipboard reconnaissance low-wing monoplane aircraft built by the German firm of Arado starting in 1936. The next year it was selected as the winner of a design contest and became the standard aircraft of the ''Kriegsmarin ...
seaplane on board ''Admiral Scheer'' flew to Kravkova Island in the
Mona Islands
The Mona Islands or Mohn Islands (russian: Острова Мона) is a group of a few scattered small islands covered with tundra vegetation. They are located in the Kara Sea, about 30 km north of the western coast of the Taymyr Peninsula i ...
and spotted three groups of Soviet ships, including
icebreaker
An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller ...
s and . Fog and ice floes prevented the German warships from approaching. When they arrived at the Mona Islands, the Russian ships were gone. ''Admiral Scheer'' then turned northeast and sped towards the
Nordenskiöld Archipelago
The Nordenskiöld Archipelago or Nordenskjold Archipelago (russian: Архипелаг Норденшельда, Arkhipelag Nordenshel'da) is a large and complex cluster of islands in the eastern region of the Kara Sea. Its eastern limit lies ...
.
On 24 August, ''U-601'' sank the Soviet steamer ''Kuybyshev'' (2,332 BRT). On 25 August, ''Admiral Scheer'' fell upon the Russian icebreaker right off the northwest coast of
Russky Island
Russky Island (russian: Ру́сский о́стров, lit. ''Russian Island'') is an island in Peter the Great Gulf in the Sea of Japan, in Primorsky Krai, Russia. It is the largest island in the Eugénie Archipelago, separated from the M ...
at the northern end of the Nordenskiöld Archipelago. After putting up resistance, ''Sibiryakov'' was sunk in an unequal battle.
''Admiral Scheer'' headed back to the Mona Islands, but not finding any ships, sailed again to the Nordenskiöld Archipelago, trying to straddle the two convoy routes from the
Vilkitsky Strait
:
Vilkitsky Strait (russian: link=no, пролив Вилькицкого) is a strait between the Taimyr Peninsula and Bolshevik Island in the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago. The strait connects the Kara and Laptev Seas. The length of the Vilkits ...
. Since it was unable to find any Soviet ships, ''Admiral Scheer'' headed southeast towards
Dikson Island
Dikson Island (russian: Ди́ксон), initially Dickson, is the name of an island in Taymyrsky Dolgano-Nenetsky District (russian: Таймы́рский Долга́но-Не́нецкий райо́н), Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, situated in ...
in order to attack its military installations. Its powerful guns caused random destruction ashore at
Dikson and badly damaged the ships and ''Revolutsioner'' anchored in the harbour. On 30 August, ''Admiral Scheer'' returned to Narvik.
On 8 September, ''U-251'' surfaced close to
Uyedineniya Island
Uyedineniya Island (also Uedinenia, russian: Остров Уединения; no, Ensomheden) is an island located in the central part of the Kara Sea, roughly midway between Novaya Zemlya and Severnaya Zemlya. Its latitude is 77° 29' N a ...
and destroyed a Soviet weather station with gunfire.
Barents Sea
During the operation, sank, on 17 August, a transport convoy of the
Soviet Secret Service (NKVD) composed of cargo ships ''Nord'' and ''Komsomolets'' and light vessels ''Sh-III'' and ''P-IV'' west of the
Yugorsky Strait
The Yugorsky Strait or Yugor Strait (russian: Югорский Шар, or Yugorsky Shar) is a narrow sound between the Kara Sea and the Pechora Sea. Its maximum width is 10 km and its minimum width only 3 km.
Ostrov Storozhevoy, an is ...
. Apparently there were 328 political prisoners on board, of which 305 men were killed through artillery fire or drowning. Meanwhile, on 20 August, tried to sink the Soviet icebreaker off
Belushya Guba
Belushya Guba (russian: Белу́шья Губа́, lit. ''beluga whale'' ''bay''), also Belushye (), is a work settlement and the administrative center of Novaya Zemlya District of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Gusinaya Zemlya p ...
with torpedoes but was unsuccessful. and ''U-209'' emerged and bombarded Soviet targets in
Cape Zhelaniya
Cape Zhelaniya (russian: Мыс Желания, ; being Russian for 'wish/desire') is a headland in the Russian Federation. It is an important geographical landmark. The area in the vicinity of the cape is a desolate place, exposed to bitter Arc ...
and
Khodovarikha
Khodovarikha (russian: Ходовариха) is a point in the coast of the Pechora Sea located on a landspit projecting eastwards over the bay. Latitude: 68° 57' Longitude: 53° 45'
Khodovarikha belongs to the Nenets Autonomous Okrug administrat ...
on 25 and 28 August respectively.
Conclusion
Operation Wunderland was only moderately successful. Owing to adverse weather conditions and the abundance of ice floes, the vessels taking part in Operation Wunderland did not venture beyond the Vilkitsky Strait. Therefore, the ''Kriegsmarine'' campaign only affected the Barents Sea and the Kara Sea. By mid-September it had to be stopped because of the freezing of the sea surface with thick pack-ice, especially in the Kara Sea, which not being affected by the warmer Atlantic currents freezes much earlier.
German Naval Warfare in 1942
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Footnotes
References
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External links
(in Russian)
(in Russian)
History of the Northern Sea Route
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wunderland, Operation
Arctic convoys of World War II
Arctic naval operations of World War II
August 1942 events
Barents Sea
Conflicts in 1942
Kara Sea
Military operations of World War II
Naval battles of World War II involving Germany
Naval battles of World War II involving the Soviet Union
October 1942 events
September 1942 events