The '5' British Destroyers That Destroyed 10 Germans Who Had 'Every Tactical Advantage скачать в хорошем качестве

The '5' British Destroyers That Destroyed 10 Germans Who Had 'Every Tactical Advantage

April 10, 1940. Ofotfjord, Norway. Five British destroyers sailed into a narrow fjord to face ten German destroyers. The Germans had superior numbers, superior position, shore batteries, bigger guns, and heavier ships. Every tactical advantage belonged to the Kriegsmarine. By dawn, 2 German destroyers were sunk. Three days later, the British returned. When the guns stopped, all 10 German destroyers were destroyed. Germany lost 50% of its entire destroyer fleet. SUBSCRIBE for more British naval tactics. THE ODDS: 5 British H-class destroyers vs 10 German Zerstörer 1936 German numerical superiority: 10 vs 5 (2:1) German position: defensive, fortified fjord German support: shore batteries German firepower: 5.9-inch guns vs British 4.7-inch German displacement: 1,830 tons vs British 1,340 tons German speed: 38 knots vs British 36 knots FIRST BATTLE - APRIL 10, 1940: Captain Bernard Warburton Lee commanded HMS Hardy leading 5 destroyers into Ofotfjord at dawn. Attack at 04:30 hours. Snow reduced visibility to 1,000 yards. 12 Minutes of Combat: 04:20 - Hardy opens fire at 800 yards Wilhelm Heidkamp sunk in 3 minutes (German commodore killed) Anton Schmitt sunk 3 German destroyers damaged German ammunition ship Rauenfels destroyed British withdraw after Hardy hit, Warburton Lee killed (Victoria Cross) British losses: Hardy sunk, Hotspur scuttled Result: 2 German destroyers sunk, 3 damaged, German command decapitated, ammunition destroyed—all in 12 minutes. SECOND BATTLE - APRIL 13, 1940: HMS Warspite (33,000-ton battleship, 8× 15-inch guns) + 9 destroyers returned. This wasn't a raid. This was extermination. Complete Destruction: Erich Koellner obliterated by single 15-inch shell Georg Thiele beached burning Wolfgang Zenker grounded Bernd von Arnim sunk Diether von Roeder scuttled Hermann Künne beached after magazine fires Result: Every German destroyer at Narvik destroyed. Zero escaped. THE STRATEGIC COST: Germany started WWII with 22 destroyers total. Lost 10 at Narvik in 3 days. 50% of entire destroyer fleet destroyed. The strategic impact crippled German surface operations for the rest of 1940. SPECS COMPARISON: British H-class: 1,340 tons displacement 4× 4.7-inch guns 8× torpedo tubes 36 knots speed Built for numbers, flexibility, aggressive tactics German Zerstörer 1936: 1,830 tons displacement (36% heavier) 5× 5.9-inch guns (longer range) 8× torpedo tubes 38 knots speed Built as "small cruisers" for long-range gunnery WHY BRITISH WON: The specifications suggested German advantage. The combat record proved British superiority. British Doctrine: Aggressive action vs defensive position Close-range fighting (negated German gun range advantage) Night fighting and confined waters training Torpedo attacks at point-blank range Better damage control and compartmentalization German Doctrine: Long-range gunnery (couldn't depress guns at point-blank) Open ocean fighting (trapped in fjord) Built to fight cruisers, not destroyers No training for confined waters combat THE IRONY: The confined waters that should have trapped the Royal Navy became a killing ground for German surface forces. German advantages all negated: Superior numbers? Negated by British aggressive close-range attack Bigger guns? Couldn't depress low enough at 400-800 yards Defensive position? Became trap when British closed range Shore batteries? Hit Hardy but couldn't save fleet Heavier ships? Caught fire easier, worse damage control THE LESSON: British destroyers, smaller and less powerful on paper, destroyed German destroyers with superior gunnery, better damage control, and more aggressive leadership. Specifications mean less than Doctrine + Training + Tactics. Captain Warburton Lee (Victoria Cross posthumously): attacked immediately without waiting for support, destroyed German command and logistics in 12 minutes. Aggressive action at the moment of contact, the core British destroyer doctrine, delivered results no cautious approach could match. April 10, 1940. Five British destroyers sailed into a trap. Twelve minutes later, German command was dead, 2 destroyers sunk, 3 damaged. April 13, 1940. British returned. Every German destroyer destroyed. 50% of Germany's destroyer fleet gone in 3 days. That is why Britannia ruled the waves. Sources: Battle of Narvik records, Royal Navy reports, German Kriegsmarine analysis #BattleOfNarvik #FirstBattleOfNarvik #SecondBattleOfNarvik #BritishDestroyers #GermanDestroyers #HClassDestroyers #HMSWarspite #WWII #RoyalNavy #Kriegsmarine #DestroyerWarfare #WWIINavy #NavalWarfare #WorldWarII #Norway1940 #NavalHistory #militaryhistory How 5 British destroyers destroyed 10 German destroyers and 50% of Germany's fleet in 3 days.