Operation Rösselsprung (1942)

Rösselsprung was a plan by the German Kriegsmarine to intercept an arctic convoy in mid-1942. It was the German navy's largest operation of its type, and arguably the most successful, resulting as it did in the near destruction of Convoy PQ 17. Ironically, this success was entirely indirect, as no Rösselsprung ship caught sight of the convoy or fired a shot at it. PQ 17's losses were instead due to U-boat and aircraft attacks. Despite not making contact with the convoy a number of the Rösselsprung ships were damaged in the course of the operation, notably the heavy cruiser Lützow, which ran aground in thick fog, necessitating three months of repairs.

The name Rösselsprung refers to the Knight’s Move in Chess. It was an attempt to intercept the arctic convoy expected in late June 1942; this would be PQ-17. Two naval forces were assembled and held in readiness: the first, at Trondheim, comprised the battleship Tirpitz, the heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper and six destroyers under the command of Admiral Otto Schniewind; the second — at Narvik — was composed of the heavy cruisers Lützow and Admiral Scheer and six destroyers under the command of Vice-Admiral Oskar Kummetz.

A patrol line of U-boats was established in the Norwegian Sea north-east of Jan Mayen island; code-named Eisteufel (Ice Devil), this group comprised six boats, increasing later to eight.

An advance line of three boats was also established in the Denmark Strait, east of Iceland, to give early warning of the convoys departure.

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