Battle of Horten Harbour

Part of the Norwegian Campaign in World War II

Date	9 April 1940
Location	Oslofjord, Norway
Result	German victory

Belligerents

Norway

Germany

Commanders and leaders

Smith Johansen (POW)

Siegfried Strelow
H. Wilcke

Strength

1 minelayer
1 minesweeper

50+ soldiers
1 light cruiser
2 torpedo boats
2 minesweepers

Casualties and losses

2 killed
Unknown wounded
1 minelayer damaged
1 minesweeper heavily damaged

Unknown human losses
1 minesweeper sunk
1 minesweeper damaged
1 torpedo boat damaged

Notes:
All Norwegian forces were captured following capitulation.

The Battle of Horten Harbour was an engagement early on in Operation Weserübung when the Germans launched an amphibious assault on Karljohansvern, the Norwegian naval base at Horten. After being initially repulsed by Norwegian naval units, German troops headed overland to outflank the base, forcing it to capitulate.

Karljohansvern, 25 miles up the Oslofjord, had been Norway's main naval base since 1819. On the morning of 9 April two operational ships were in the harbour: the minelayer Olav Tryggvason and the minesweeper Rauma. Approximately 40% of their crews were on shore leave at the time. Also present were the dilapidated coastal defence ships Tordenskjold and Harald Haarfagre, as well as the incomplete torpedo boat Balder, which took no part in the fighting. The commanding officer at the base was Admiral Smith Johansen.

Shortly after midnight Admiral Johansen informed the captain of the Tryggvason, T. Briseid, that there had been a battle at the mouth of the Oslofjord, and it was likely that the enemy ships had breached the outer fortifications. Briseid was given orders to open fire on any hostile ships. Johansen shared his intentions to send the Rauma and the Otra out to sweep the fjord. Briseid dispatched one of his ship's motor boats to Langgrunn where it told the merchant ships at anchor to extinguish their lights.

The German forces allotted to attack Horten were from Kampfgruppe 5. This consisted of the torpedo boats Albatros and Kondor under the command of Siegfried Strelow and H. Wilcke respectively. They were accompanied by the motor minesweepers R17 and R21, heavily laden with troops from the light cruiser Emden. Admiral Oskar Kummetz ordered the ships at 03:30 to detach from the main force and secure Horten.

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Wikipedia