Blucher sinking

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Oscar Luque
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Blucher sinking

#1

Post by Oscar Luque » 06 Apr 2003, 02:33

Hi
I see this picture at website "Norsk Krigsleksikon 1940-45". The caption say "Blucher sinking". Can anybody tell me if this ship is really the "Blucher"?

Source pic: Norsk Krigsleksikon 1940-45
url: http://www.norgeslexi.com/krigslex/register.html

Regards
Oscar Luque
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Xavier
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#2

Post by Xavier » 06 Apr 2003, 03:16

Yes oscar, almost 90% sure
(short of reading the name on the tail of the ship) that is the Blucher.

Ship was hit as it was entering the fjord by torpedos fired from a coastal fort, and almost inmediately heeled and sank.

I will look later for a story over feldgrau.com about some locals that had been diving on the ship for several years and rescued some secret documents about the invasion, diving was forbidden (is still) and went to jail.

Tthe documents were (are) are kept secret by the police because it was mentioned contained the names of some german-collaborators that are still alive and reprisals were feared.

regards

Xavier


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Xavier
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#3

Post by Xavier » 06 Apr 2003, 03:30

not specifically form blucher, but interesting anyway...

from http://www.feldgrau.com/news.php

"Narvik, Norway - 2002-09-20 News is just now being released that in June of 1999 Norwegian authorities raided the home of a local sport diver. He was found to have 180 relics stolen from the wrecks of numerous German ships sunk near Narvik in the far north of Norway during April of 1940. Included in these relics are 28 boxes of documents including large amounts of charts, maps and papers. Norwegian policeman Ulf Elstad has gone on record stating that the complete and untouched invasion plan for operation Weserübung (the invasion of Norway) is included in the materials taken from the divers home. Apparently the plan had been stored inside a safe aboard the sunken destroyer "Anton Schmitt" for more than 60 years. It is assumed that the documents hadn't been moved since the 6-7 April 1940 when they would likely have been locked away shortly before the German invasion fleet set sail for Norwegian waters. The director of the Norwegian Defense Museum states that it was never the intention to keep this finding a secret though some of the documents found apparently contained names of norwegian contacts which is likely the reason the story was not initially released to the public and was treated as sensitive. Until now the documents have been in the custody of the Defense Museum, but on notice from the police the 60 year old attack plan is to be shipped to the Norwegian National Archives for conservation and transcription."

(date is wrong, it should be 02-09-2001, all dates on page mentioned are in wrong format.)

regards

Xavier

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#4

Post by varjag » 06 Apr 2003, 12:20

Oscar - I think you can be 100% certain that the picture is of the demise of BLÜCHER. She wasn't only hit by torpedoes from the Oskarsborg/Dröbak (?) torpedo-station but also by heavy artillery and didn't sink at once - but lingered on for a while with devastating fires on board. She tried when sinking appeared inevitable to approach as close to land as possible to give crew and embarked troops a chance of survival.Nonetheless there was heavy loss of life in her sinking.

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Takao
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#5

Post by Takao » 06 Apr 2003, 18:34

No doubt about it. I can say with 100% certainty that the ship is the Blucher. I have a old copy of the Squadron/Signal book "Kriegsmarine" that has a picture of the ship with a 70-80 degree list. The snow formations on the hill behind match exactly. I have to got to work right now, but I'll try and scan it in when I get home.

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Erik E
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#6

Post by Erik E » 06 Apr 2003, 18:53

Hallo!

This is 101% sure from the Blücher.

The photo is one of 4-5 photos taken from the sinking.

Here is a very good link (in German) about the Blücher

http://members.aol.com/rkolmorgen/index.html

And 2 photos scanned from "Norge i krig"
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Eightball
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#7

Post by Eightball » 07 Apr 2003, 00:09

Apparently, the Blücher had specially trained troops onboard, wich were tasked to capture the royal family and the government.

So her sinking enabled them to escape.

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Takao
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#8

Post by Takao » 07 Apr 2003, 07:01

Thanks Erik E,

The top one was the one I have, but yours is of better quality and not cropped as mine is.

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Harri
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#9

Post by Harri » 07 Apr 2003, 11:41

Eightball wrote:Apparently, the Blücher had specially trained troops onboard
As far as I know there were troops of 163. I.D. including its staff.

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Zeydlitz
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#10

Post by Zeydlitz » 08 Apr 2003, 10:46

Eightball wrote:Apparently, the Blücher had specially trained troops onboard, wich were tasked to capture the royal family and the government.

So her sinking enabled them to escape.
Yep. Oslo was captured later that day by airborn troops landed at Fornebu airfield just outside Oslo. Most of the aircaft were ordered to land in Denmark when the Blücher came under fire. 8 Bf 110s and some Ju 52's didn't get these orders, and landed at Fornebu after scaring away the AA crews, but only after loosing two 110's to norwegian fighters and many killed on board the Ju 52's by AA fire.

The first pilot to land at Fornebu was Helmuth Lent, who was to become one of Germanys top scoring night fighter aces later during the war. He landed with the wind, and the aircraft came to rest in the garden of a nearby house. :lol:

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Xavier
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#11

Post by Xavier » 18 May 2003, 01:07

another of the destroyers sunk there:
(present day picture) kriegsmarine 's "Georg Thiele" it is one of the ships carrying the 3rd mountain division according to:

http://hem.fyristorg.com/arcticwar/bild ... s/boat.jpg

Image

very interesting site: (mother home)
http://hem.fyristorg.com/arcticwar/map_guideSN.htm

Xavier
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Madsen
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#12

Post by Madsen » 18 May 2003, 01:24

sorry Xavier but that picture isn't from Oslofjord but from Narvik area.

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Xavier
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#13

Post by Xavier » 18 May 2003, 01:29

:cry:

OOPs!
(I apologize for the confusion)

Xavier
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Madsen
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#14

Post by Madsen » 18 May 2003, 01:32

hehe thats allright. you see that in southeast of Norway (around Oslo)
there isnt mountains like the ones you se on the pic. And i have also seen that ship on a boatrip in Narvik

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