Baltic Sea campaigns (1939-1945)

The Baltic Sea Campaigns were a series of naval battles carried out in the Baltic Sea, its coastal regions and the Gulf of Finland during World War II (1939-1945). Most of the war actions were carried out by forces of Nazi Germany and Finland against the Soviet Union, although the Swedish navy and merchant fleet and the United Kingdom navy also participated. Although there was surface, submarine, aerial combat and amphibious landings, the most significant feature of the Baltic Sea operations was the extension of mining warfare, particularly in the Gulf of Finland. During the conflict, the two sides laid some 60,000 underwater mines and anti-sweep obstacles, making the Gulf of Finland one of the most densely mined waters in the world.

The "Prinz Eugen" in the Baltic

Late into the night of August 19 to 20, 1944, the heavy cruiser “Prinz Eugen” crossed the Irbe Strait, between Courland and the island of Oesel. Its purpose was to support the German army on the Eastern Front with its artillery. Some time ago, the Soviets had advanced to the coast with their armored units, occupying a strip of 30 to 40 km and isolating the Riga garrison from the Courland front. The German tanks tried unsuccessfully to reestablish communication with the port, but their artillery did not have enough power to achieve this. For this reason it was necessary to resort to the Navy.

The “Prinz Eugen” moved silently, with its lights off, heading east. Navigation was not easy: at any moment the ship could hit a mine, anchored by Soviet planes, or could be attacked by a submarine (although that possibility was remote, since since 1942 not a single Soviet submarine had been seen outside the Gulf of Finland, whose exit was obstructed by mines). The immediate danger was that Soviet fighters and bombers would suddenly emerge. Four destroyers and five torpedo boats escorted the “Prinz Eugen”. Since 3:00, the cruiser was sailing in battle order, since she could go into action at any moment.

Shortly after, the “Prinz Eugen” entered the Gulf of Riga. On August 20 at 7:00, the cruiser's guns launched the first projectiles. The artillery officer was in constant telephone communication, via short wave, with the plane on board in charge of observing the shooting, the army's advanced observers and the vanguard of the assault units. The objective was the town of Tukums, a communications hub located 25 km from the coast, around which Soviet resistance had increased. Meanwhile, the destroyers used their medium artillery, which provided support to the Riga garrison, which had been facing the Soviet armored cars. The action of the ships surprised the Soviets, who did not even carry out an air counterattack. By evening, the center of resistance had been crushed. Having achieved the objective, the presence of the “Prinz Eugen” was no longer necessary and she proceeded to withdraw because she represented a vulnerable target, setting sail for Gotenhafen (currently in Polish Gdynia i>).

This success comes after two years of inaction, since the “Prinz Eugen” had not actively intervened in the war, except for an air attack. German ships in the Baltic were used for training officers and crews, especially submarines, whose numbers were constantly increasing. The “training fleet” had grown significantly since Hitler decided to put the large ships of the German fleet out of service. The High Command managed to save several of these ships from destruction under the pretext of transforming them into training ships.

The German training fleet

The German training fleet consisted of several ships: the old battleships “Schlesien” and “Schleswig Holstein”, the heavy cruisers “Admiral Scheer i>”, “Lützow” and “Prinz Eugen”, the light cruisers “Nürnberg”, “Leipzig ”, “Köln” and “Emden”, as well as other ships of various types, among which were three sailing training ships. The ships of this squadron only left to carry out some rare operations in Norway.

The officers and crews of these ships, who together represented an appreciable force, were bitter at this “degradation”. Life in their anchorages was almost like that of peacetime, while the war continued in almost all of Europe. But the High Command also appreciated the importance of training and did not change the tasks of the Baltic Fleet throughout 1943 and 1944. But in 1944, the Germans realized how dangerous the Soviets already were in the Baltic. The success achieved by the “Prinz Eugen” in Riga allowed the German armies to fight with their backs to the sea and protected by the artillery of their ships. Then, the Naval High Command formed a combat group with the most powerful ships of the training fleet, which were assigned a new mission: supporting the German army. This mission was to serve to contain and, if possible, stop the constant advance of Soviet troops. They would later serve as transport for thousands of men, women and children fleeing the Red Army.

The intervention of the large guns of the German fleet prevented, between October 10 and 23, Memel (Klaipeda) from being inundated with its defenders, inhabitants and refugees. The large ships were relieved for this purpose. However, on October 15, while returning to Gotenhafen (Gdynia) to resupply with ammunition, an unforeseen incident damaged the “Prinz Eugen”.

Boarding of "Leipzig" by "Prinz Eugen"

The cruise ship “Leipzig” left the port on October 15 at nightfall. After more than six months, she was assigned the mission to ship 200 mines at Swinemünde. The “Leipzig” rounded the Hela peninsula to head out to sea. At 7:50 p.m., the engine room received the order to attach turbines to the propellers, replacing the diesel engines; The cruiser had to stop for this maneuver. Visibility did not exceed 50 m. In anticipation of air attacks, the “Leipzig” turned off its lights, drifting slowly. At 20:04, suddenly, a formidable blow shook the ship. The “Prinz Eugen ”, which was also sailing without lights, had accidentally boarded the “Leipzig ” with its bow on her port side. The “Prinz Eugen” became aware of the presence of a boat too close to her and, although she reversed, she was too close for the maneuver to work.

In the collision, the “Prinz Eugen” introduced its slender bow to the keel of the “Leipzig” on the port side, between the bridge and the funnel. The armor of the D.C.A. pieces. They were destroyed. Chamber 2 was filled with steam escaping from the boilers, completely flooding in 20 s; Minutes earlier, one hundred cadets had left Chamber 2 for the 8:00 p.m. relay.

For its part, the bow of the “Prinz Eugen” was completely destroyed and hooked to the port side of the “Leipzig”. Thus linked, they drifted for fourteen hours in a dangerous area where Soviet planes and submarines operate. At the radio call of the damaged ships, tugboats and auxiliary vessels go to the area. Two of them began to continuously pump, using 16 hoses, the water that was rising over the bow of the “Prinz Eugen”. The auxiliary vessels embarked the crew of the “Leipzig”, leaving only the essential equipment to try to separate the ships.

At 10:00, fourteen hours after boarding, the engines of the “Prinz Eugen” reversed with all the power of their 133,000 HP, while the tugboats held the “ Leipzig”. Finally the roda of the “Prinz Eugen” slowly withdrew from the open gap. The ships separated and both floated.

The “Prinz Eugen” arrived in Gotenhafen (Gdynia) under its own power; The “Leipzig” had to be towed. Fifteen days after the boarding, the “Prinz Eugen” was available again. For its part, the “Leipzig” received provisional repairs that would allow it to carry out missions against the enemy. After the end of the war, she was sunk by the British in the North Sea, carrying a cargo of gas shells on board.

The destruction of the large German ships

On November 18, 1944, after an artillery preparation that had lasted hours, the Soviets launched an assault on the Sworbe peninsula, which was advancing into the sea at the southern tip of Oesel. The German troops were surrounded and it was impossible to send reinforcements. The peninsula was doomed, but it was desirable, at least, to remove the troops and their most valuable material from there. To do this, it was necessary to contain the Soviet assault. Admiral Thiele came with the “Prinz Eugen” and the “Lützow”. Upon arrival, his artillery acted with precision. The ships ran out of ammunition after 36 hours, being relieved by the “Admiral Scheer” and the “Admiral Hipper”. Given the amount of damage, the Soviets decide to destroy the German ships.

To do this, they deployed entire squadrons of torpedo planes against the German ships, which managed to evade them without damage. However, the Soviets made efforts to prevent the Germans from evacuating the peninsula, using gunboats and light ships. The Soviet naval attack was unsuccessful, as the vessels of the German 9th Protection Division offered bitter resistance, while the soldiers and most of their materiel were loaded onto barges and transported to Courland. The Soviet divisions broke into the southern part of the peninsula on the morning of November 25, finding only two wrecked and destroyed ships.

In December 1944, the German Baltic Fleet suffered the loss of the old battleship “Schleswig Holstein”, sunk by a bomb near Gotenhafen (Gdynia). Starting in 1945, heavy cruisers actively participated in the land war. The first major mission would be to try to save the garrison of Memel (Klaipeda), which was trying to reach Samland through Kurische Nehrung, while the Soviets tried to close their retreat by reaching the sea through Cranz. The ships' artillery managed to contain the Soviets and keep the Cranz corridor open. Thousands of fugitives and soldiers were thus able to cross this corridor every day to reach Samland, still in the hands of the Germans. The small port of Pillau was suddenly packed with refugees. Meanwhile, the Red Army completed the siege of the city, advancing to Frisches Haff and thus cutting off all communication with Königsberg.

The heavy cruisers “Lützow” and “Admiral Scheer” attacked the Soviet lines, helping German ground troops to reestablish communications with Königsberg for a few days.. New waves of fugitives filled the port of Pillau. Through the rangefinder of the “Admiral Scheer” the long columns could be seen, advancing through the frozen Haff, while the Soviets used artillery against them. Ammunition and fuel were in short supply on the German side. Ships could only intervene in desperate cases. At the beginning of February, the ships' guns continued to support the army, which was slowly being pushed back against Elbing, Tolkemit and Brauenburg. The 280 mm guns of the “Admiral Scheer” reach up to 35 km. However, due to the state of her artillery he is forced to go to Kiel to change the guns. She sailed from Gotenhafen (Gdynia) in early March carrying 800 refugees and 200 wounded, in addition to the garrison of that port.

However, the British had established a close watch on Kiel, which immediately observed the arrival of the pocket battleship, which was immediately subjected to British bombardment day and night. At 22:00 on April 9, a new British bombardment began on the “Admiral Scheer”. The bombs did not hit the cruiser for twenty minutes, until a cluster of bombs fell so close to her hull that her gunwale was torn off. The cruise ship began to lean on that side and within a few minutes she sank. Most of her crew were on the ground, in shelters, and the few who were on board—including her commander—managed to save themselves. 32 casualties were recorded. The Admiral Scheer, until then the largest ship in the German navy, disappeared. In the post-war period, the dock where the remains of the “Admiral Scheer” were located was filled with rubble. It is currently open to circulation.

The “Admiral Hipper”, anchored in Kiel, was also seriously damaged, so the fleet at Admiral Thiele's disposal was reduced to the “Lützow” and the “Prinz Eugen”. Beginning on March 23 of that year, the fleet concentrated on the defense of Danzig and the nearby naval base of Gdynia (renamed by the Germans Gotenhafen), under increasingly close encirclement by Soviet troops. The enclave still held by the Germans was packed with a crowd of refugees, soldiers and wounded. In addition to using its artillery against the besiegers, the German fleet, under constant attacks by Soviet aviation, was dedicated to transporting refugees to the territory of the Reich. On the night of April 7-8, a total of 30,000 people were removed from Gdynia. Finally, the “Lützow” set out west and anchored in the Kaiserfahrt canal before Swinemünde (present-day Świnoujście).

Attack and destruction of the "Lützow"

Shortly after 17:00 on April 16, the “Lützow” suffered a British air attack. The British squadron was made up of Lancaster planes, which used 6 t bombs, similar to those that had sunk the “Tirpitz” in November 1944. The “ Lützow” was hit, and the ship began to list sharply on its port side. In a few more minutes, the inclination became very strong and the bow protruded from the water, while the stern was noticeably sunken and even covered with water in some parts of it. After the first wave there was a second, which caused the “Lützow” to become stranded on the seabed in the shallow waters of the Kaiserfahrt, lying on the port side. The result of the attack, apart from the sinking of the “Lützow”, was 20 dead and 20 wounded.

Despite being stranded, the Germans did not consider the ship lost. After eleven days of work, a bomb ship had managed to level the ship, allowing the dynamos to be saved. It also ensures that a 280 mm bow turret and secondary artillery are ready to fire again. At dawn on April 28, the batteries of the half-sunken “Lützow” began firing on the Soviets, whose troops had overtaken Pasewalk at 4:00 that day. On May 3, the Germans discovered 3,000 150mm shells in a nearby ammunition park, which they rushed to fire on the Soviets.

However, the Soviet attack was unstoppable, and the decision was made to destroy what remained of the ship, using the remaining projectiles. One crew member described it like this:

“At night when we heard the gunshots shot east of Caseburg, we understood that the Soviets would arrive before the dawn of the next day. We picked up the pavilion. We were present the second, a countermaster and me. That was the last homage to the flag on board the Lützow. At twenty-two hours and fifteen minutes the order was given to place the loads to destroy the ship.

In each piece a bus is hosted. The Bruno tower is filled with 150 shells and cartridges, as well as other important material. The cables of all detonator mechanisms converge to starboard. Around midnight the rest of the crew embarked on a small ship, whose machines are immediately launched.

Is everything ready, ask the second. Then head to the high seas: turning.

Jump aboard and move away. Our looks do not depart from the stern, where the silhouette of our cruise has disappeared absorbed at night. We've barely sailed a mile. It is exactly 0.12 of May 4, 1945, when from the port and starboard of the Lützow ascend several pillars of flames dissipating the darkness in a great distance. But what about the Bruno Tower? We imagined that there had been some failure, when a giant flame appeared in a straight line to heaven. Almost immediately we were saddened by a dreadful explosion and we felt clearly passing the expansive wave. Our mission was accomplished: those cannons would never throw again."

Testimony of a crew member of theLutzow"#GGC11C