Operation Doppelschlag
| Operation Doppelschlag | |
|---|---|
 Admiral Scheer, photographed in early 1942 | |
| Type | Sortie |
| Location | |
| Planned | 1942 |
| Planned by | Kriegsmarine |
| Commanded by | |
| Target | Convoy PQ 18 |
| Outcome | Cancelled |
Operation Doppelschlag (Operation Double Blow/Unternehmen Doppelschlag) was a German plan for a sortie in 1942 during the
Background
Following the victory over
Plan
At first Doppelschlag resembled Rösselsprung in that the forces involved would wait in readiness at their bases until a convoy was detected, whilst a patrol line of U-boats (Wolfpack Ice Palace) was stationed in the Norwegian Sea to give early warning of a convoy. Once the convoy was detected the ships would sail north to Altafjord, to await the order to attack. The extreme sensitivity to the possibility of losing a capital ship in an engagement with the Allied fleet meant that only Hitler could give permission for the second stage, the sortie into the Barents Sea. Once out the ships would divide into two battle groups, to attack the convoy from different sides.[1]
It was envisaged that the first group would engage and draw off any heavy units with the convoy, while the second would attack the merchant ships without serious opposition. It was this intended double blow that inspired the operational name. The forces intended to take part in the operation were the Admiral Scheer, Admiral Hipper, Köln and six destroyers. Other German capital ships based in Norway, Tirpitz and Lützow were not available for the operation as both had been under repair since the end of Rosselsprung.[1]
Operation
PQ 18 sailed from Iceland on 7 September 1942. It was sighted on 8 September by a long-range aircraft and again on 10 September by an Ice Palace U-boat. On 10 September, the ships of operation Doppelschlag left harbour at
Aftermath
The German surface fleet had little effect on the passage of Convoy PQ 18, though the potential threat it posed had forced the commitment of many Allied vessels as escort. The next opportunity for an attack by German surface ships came in December, when Unternehmen Regenbogen (Operation Rainbow), following a similar plan to Doppelschlag, was mounted against Convoy JW 51B, leading to the Battle of the Barents Sea.[6]
Footnotes
- ^ a b Smith 1975, p. 126; Schofield 1964, p. 114; Kemp 1993, p. 102.
- ^ Kemp 1993, pp. 102–103.
- ^ Smith 1975, pp. 126–128.
- ^ Schofield 1964, p. 118.
- ^ Kemp 1993, p. 110.
- ^ Smith 1975, p. 128.
Bibliography
- Kemp, Paul (1993). Convoy! Drama in Arctic Waters. London: Arms and Armour Press. ISBN 978-1-85409-130-7.
- Schofield, Bernard (1964). The Russian Convoys. London: BT Batsford. OCLC 862623.
- Smith, Peter (1975). Arctic Victory: The Story of Convoy PQ 18. London: William Kimber. ISBN 0-7183-0074-2.
Further reading
- Blair, Clay (1996). Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunters, 1939–1942. Vol. I. New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-394-58839-1.
- ISBN 1-59114-119-2.