Operation Juno: How German Battleships Sank a Royal Navy Carrier By Gunfire
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- Опубликовано: 6 авг 2024
- In early June 1940, Europe was engulfed in conflict, marked by the German invasion of the Low Countries and France and the Allied evacuation at Dunkirk. Earlier, in spring, Germany had invaded Denmark and Norway, leading to intense battles like the Battle of Narvik. The Allies briefly captured Narvik on May 27, but were forced to evacuate due to other pressing events, necessitating fleet carriers like HMS Ark Royal and Glorious to assist in evacuations.
In response, the Germans launched Operation Juno on June 4 under Vice Admiral Wilhelm Marschall, deploying the battleships Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper, and several destroyers. The operation aimed to relieve German land forces in Northern Norway and disrupt Allied communications. Initial plans involved sorties into the North Sea and Arctic Ocean, with specific missions outlined to attack Allied bases and transports around Narvik and Harstad.
Despite the lack of detailed reconnaissance on Allied defenses, Marschall decided to prioritize attacking Allied convoys. On June 8, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau encountered the British aircraft carrier Glorious and her escort destroyers, Ardent and Acasta. Glorious was tasked with ferrying RAF aircraft back to the UK from Norway. As she zigzagged at 17 knots, she was ambushed by the German ships. Scharnhorst struck first, scoring a hit at a range of around 16 miles, causing chaos and fires on Glorious. Gneisenau joined in, compounding the damage.
Ardent and Acasta valiantly attempted to defend Glorious, laying smoke screens and charging at the German ships. Ardent was severely hit and sank at 5:28 PM. Acasta managed to launch torpedoes, one of which struck Scharnhorst, causing significant damage. However, Acasta, too, was eventually overwhelmed and sank.
Vice Admiral Schubert, Scharnhorst's executive officer, later praised the audacity and bravery of the British destroyers despite their hopeless position. Meanwhile, Glorious suffered critical hits, including a devastating strike on her bridge, likely killing her captain, D’Oyly-Hughes. Glorious made attempts to send distress signals before sinking.
Operation Juno showcased the intense naval warfare of WWII, highlighting both strategic decision-making and the sheer bravery of naval crews. The German sortie, while deviating from its primary mission, succeeded in inflicting severe damage on the British forces, exemplifying the shifting tides of war in the North Sea.
Intro 0:00
Background 0:26
Operation Juno Begins 4:54
Background For The Allies 9:24
The Battle 10:55
After the Battle 22:03
Conclusion 24:43
Sources/Further Reading:
www.amazon.com/Hitlers-Pre-Em...
play.google.com/books/reader?...
www.hmscossack.co.uk/lo3-4/
play.google.com/books/reader?...
play.google.com/books/reader?...
play.google.com/store/books/d...
www.amazon.com/Arctic-Rescue-...
www.amazon.com/Carrier-Glorio...
www.amazon.com/Engage-Enemy-M...
Video Information:
Copyright fair use notice. All media used in this video is used for the purpose of education under the terms of fair use. All footage and images used belong to their copyright holders, when applicable.
Thanks for watching everyone! Just a quick comment about the title, it's a more general sense since it was never part of the initial operations.
Right, thanks for that. And this is just to say that I enjoy and appreciate your work, but can't stick around for the actual video. The first time I heard this story left me a shattered ruin, and each successive retelling only deepens the horror.
The descriptions from the men in the action are heartbreaking. A very good doco. Thanks 👏🏽
Glad you liked it! I hope the early access is nice!
@@ImportantHistory indeed it is! So long as it doesn't strain your already busy schedule. Cheers 👍🏽
The Japanese light carrier Chiyoda was also sunk by naval gunfire after being damaged by air attack. Battle of Cape Engano, October, 1944.
Apologies, I was working changing the title and made a mistake while typing. I've since changed it!
Great documentary! It was the German Admiral's decision to hedge his bets on a British withdrawal that paid dividends. And he was absolutely correct that any naval operations regarding shore bombardment should have been done with air support. As the battle of Drøbak Sound so clearly demonstrated, any surface units would be vulnerable without air superiority when the heavy cruiser Blücher was sunk by shore batteries.
Excellent “short’ documentary - which i believe can never be too long… Excellent pacing, which i often note is much too quick on similar videos & channels. Lingering longer on corresponding photos would be appreciated, as one then can observe & imagine more detail. A very enjoyable production here; really informative, really good, thanks!
It had successes, but not the successes they really needed.
Great video, BTW.
A most excellent video, one of your very best! Well done!
Very well done again. I didnt know much about this operation outside of some quick reading.
Marschall is stressed on the 1st syllable like the English equivalent. :)
He was arguably the last German admiral to achieve a significant success with capital ships. This made him suspicious in Hitler‘s eyes; so he was sacked.
Oops, guess translation apps aren’t very good!
lütjens was more successful.
@@AndreasKonig-qq7yk Lütjens sank a few merchants with the Twins and Hood with the Bismarck (whereas it was Capt. Lindemann who gave the commands). Ultimately Lütjens helped the RN to find Bismarck again and sink it; horrendous blunder!
@@RayyMusik he sank hood and 115.000 tons of shipping. during the sinking of the carriers it was the captains of the twins that gave the commands. marshal helped the british to torp both twins and it was pure luck that both survived.
Fascinating.
The Captain of Glorious was, I'm sad to say, inept. Running a warship in a wartime situation on a peacetime routine- with no armed aircraft on standby and no lookouts- cost the lives of hundreds of sailors.
WAR IS HELL
Just wanted to say that I really enjoy your videos, thank you. I do have a question though, what is the piece of music you use in the intro?
Thank you, it's a piece that I paid for from Adobe Audition called "Born to be Epic". Weird name, but I like it as intro music.
@@ImportantHistory Thank you for the reply, I'll look it up, I really like it.
Where escort carriers sunk in the Battle off Samar?
Yes, USS Gambier Bay was sunk in part by fire from the Yamato. I changed the title in a hurry, and have since changed it back.
Thanks for the video. I believe Admiral Marshall was a better Fleet Commander than Admiral Lutjens. Marshall knew when to push the action and when to withdraw. The O.K.M. ( German Admiralty ) were always trying to micromanage the Fleet operations to the detriment of the Fleet Commander. Had Marshall remained as Fleet Commander without High Command interference I believe that Operation Rheinubung with Bismarck would have been quite different. Lutjens was less skilled at fleet operations and prone to strict adherence to Admiralty orders. His success in Operation Berlin was not as great as it could have been as he was not as aggressive as Marshall and failed to use pincer tactics when encountering British Convoys.