The Sinking of the Heavy Cruiser Blücher: The Battle of Drøbak Sund, 1940

On April 9, 1940, the Battle of Drøbak Sound marked the commencement of World War II in Western Europe. A German fleet, led by the cruiser Blücher, sought to invade Norway by seizing Oslo. The Germans underestimated Oscarsborg Fortress, however...
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🧾 Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
📚 Sources:
Written by House of History
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#HouseofHistory #History

Пікірлер: 93

  • @HoH
    @HoH12 күн бұрын

    ✨This video is not sponsored. If you want to help me make more videos and gain early access, consider supporting House of History at www.patreon.com/HouseofHistory!

  • @doncao6838

    @doncao6838

    12 күн бұрын

    I like your videos you are awesome at making videos!

  • @kerberos623

    @kerberos623

    12 күн бұрын

    nice. but as far as I understood it, only 2 shells where ever fired from the Oscarborg 28 cm cannons as the reload time of them was too great to reload and fire as they only had 1 guncrew. They never had time to fire the third before Blucher was past them. You animation shows multiple rounds. I thought there where no secondary batteries at the fort?

  • @danielsantiagourtado3430

    @danielsantiagourtado3430

    12 күн бұрын

    Love your videos ❤❤❤❤

  • @AltCtrlSpud

    @AltCtrlSpud

    11 күн бұрын

    Based. Thank you for maintaining a modicum of dignity in your content. Such a shame to see other creators so willing to plop an ad for some garbage right in the middle of their otherwise high quality content.

  • @James-jl9lm
    @James-jl9lm12 күн бұрын

    "Either I will be decorated or I will be court-martialed. Open fire!" - Birger Eriksen, Battle of Drøbak Sound.

  • @user-kd4eb7py2v

    @user-kd4eb7py2v

    12 күн бұрын

    The most famous word of Norway In ww2

  • @nathyboi21

    @nathyboi21

    7 күн бұрын

    he really said "ALL IN!"

  • @user-mi8ef4qd2k
    @user-mi8ef4qd2k12 күн бұрын

    Imagine being Admiral Kummets after being captured and told that he's been sunk by a 100 years old fortress and 40 years old torpedoes...

  • @paulmeredith2037

    @paulmeredith2037

    12 күн бұрын

    And the gun were made by a German factory

  • @user-mi8ef4qd2k

    @user-mi8ef4qd2k

    12 күн бұрын

    @@paulmeredith2037 The humiliation he must have felt...

  • @mbryson2899

    @mbryson2899

    12 күн бұрын

    -Kummetz did not have all that long to worry. He went down with- _Scharnhorst_ -in late December 1943.-

  • @hazchemel

    @hazchemel

    12 күн бұрын

    Yeah, the 2 commanders having to swim for dear life, and to be captured, is a new piece of the picture for me. Assuming their release after German victory, those men probably had too much Norwegian prison peace to revue and relive the explosions and the carnage on board ship.

  • @hazchemel

    @hazchemel

    12 күн бұрын

    ​@@mbryson2899thank you, very timely that I find your comment apt.

  • @Khalifrio
    @Khalifrio12 күн бұрын

    A prime example of old and obsolete weapons does not necessarily mean harmless weapons.

  • @torstenbrunke4026

    @torstenbrunke4026

    11 күн бұрын

    The "fun fact": Eriksen's three 28cm/L40 canons were made and delivered by Krupp (Germany) in 1893 and the two torpedos (40 years old) were delivered by an austrian company...

  • @Martin77641

    @Martin77641

    11 күн бұрын

    Yeah true but the germans were to safe what they did. They needed to occupied these positions with paratroops before. The forts and weapons are old but ships have one big plus point. In this battle the fast and agile cruiser is an easy target because it can't maneuver out of this situation. This is a simliar battle like that what happend in the first wold war. There were france and britian old surface force to destroy the Ottoman Empire but failed.

  • @rob5944

    @rob5944

    10 күн бұрын

    ​@@torstenbrunke4026I noted that the video said they were Krupp guns. As my old dad used to say "They're good engineers, the Germans." Normally, if something is made in Germany its a solid product. Similarly, the Japanese make quality goods. Both nations know and appreciate the value and importance of discipline and hard work.

  • @HingerlAlois

    @HingerlAlois

    7 күн бұрын

    Obviously old doesn’t mean harmless, I guess nobody would want to be an infantry soldier on the receiving end of a M2 heavy machine gun nowadays…

  • @yumazster
    @yumazster5 күн бұрын

    I approve of the format of these videos. It is essentially blow by blow recount of the battle but it always places the battle in a wider context of history so the stakes and consequences add tension to the narrative and add real historical education to the tactical recount. Very well thought out approach.

  • @BMrider75
    @BMrider759 күн бұрын

    It is worth stressing just how new the Blücher was. She was completed building in September 1939, but underwent sea trials, training, and modifications for 6 months. Finally officially entered onto the register, and the Admiral coming onboard the brand-new ship on 5th April 1940. Thus she was sunk on her 5th day of service!

  • @KHK001
    @KHK00112 күн бұрын

    Amazing work as always!

  • @ericfern8869
    @ericfern886911 күн бұрын

    This video gives the wrong impression. Only two 11" shells were fired, while the video keeps showing misses from those guns, which never happened. The crews did not reload after firing those two shells at almost point blank range.

  • @jytte-hilden

    @jytte-hilden

    11 күн бұрын

    Do you know why?

  • @woof355

    @woof355

    11 күн бұрын

    @@jytte-hilden Lack of crew with necessary training.

  • @yournotgully

    @yournotgully

    5 күн бұрын

    @@jytte-hilden they had very limited ammo

  • @MarcusAgrippa390
    @MarcusAgrippa39012 күн бұрын

    These are my favorite videos of yours so far, and that's saying a lot!

  • @edwardtroth8630
    @edwardtroth863012 күн бұрын

    I wrote my masters degree with the Norwegian naval museum. If you want some extra eyewitness accounts from the Royal Norwegian Navy from their service, let me know. For example, to do with the sinking of the Scharnhorst.

  • @kasperjensen4149
    @kasperjensen414912 күн бұрын

    the Battle of Jutland I think it's called. The First World War with the great warships England and Germany happened from the kiss of Denmark called Jutland Could be exciting to hear such a story and a video like this one.

  • @danielsantiagourtado3430
    @danielsantiagourtado343012 күн бұрын

    Amazing work as always ❤❤❤❤❤

  • @lightravenn
    @lightravenn11 күн бұрын

    Definitely a story worth the time.. even if we already know about it. A 40 year old service officer, Colonel in his last 6 months of active duty with enough balls to give the order to fire live ammo to unknown battleships, without warning shots as he was ordered by high command.. damn. He really played his experienced cards of a lifetime in those minutes, even if defeat was unavoidable, he made possible for the defenders to take down a titan with old equipment. o7

  • @frankfreeman1444
    @frankfreeman144410 күн бұрын

    Nice coverage!

  • @brokenbridge6316
    @brokenbridge631611 күн бұрын

    Nicely done video

  • @danielsantiagourtado3430
    @danielsantiagourtado343012 күн бұрын

    Thanks For this! Love your content Hearth please ❤❤❤❤❤

  • @shahidhossain497
    @shahidhossain49712 күн бұрын

    Great video as always. But I wish u could also make history videos outside battles. Like the Dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden. Although it is interesting history but no one has much covered. While there was talk of great powers intervening and burning of documents related to it. Would love to know the details if possible

  • @alltat

    @alltat

    12 күн бұрын

    I think that particular union can be adequately summarized as being less of a union of equals and more of an extended occupation.

  • @shimoncohen1591
    @shimoncohen159112 күн бұрын

    Very interesting and very good video, thank you very much.❤

  • @doncam
    @doncam9 күн бұрын

    Sorry, no like this time: there were a few mistakes in your research: - oscarsborg fortress shoot only two times with its big guns. This shoots ignited the plane and fuel and destroyed the bridge. The coastal batteries did the rest. Blücher didn’t know about the torpedo battery on the northern island of oscarsborg. After the torpedo hits it swam around 1 km to the north and capsized and sunk finally in the morning. It’s still there in around 90 m depth

  • @mohammedsaysrashid3587
    @mohammedsaysrashid358712 күн бұрын

    Amazing work 👍🏻 by an excellent ( house of history) channel.. brave & professional attitude of that Norway 🇳🇴 naval commander 🙏 .

  • @chloehennessey6813
    @chloehennessey681311 күн бұрын

    4:38 Blucher should not have been the lead ship going into that enclosed space. Maybe light cruiser like Nuremberg and some destroyers. But not a heavy cruiser.

  • @lightravenn

    @lightravenn

    11 күн бұрын

    Overconfident command? Or maybe hushed into disembarking into port to take it for the kriegsmarine honor. (We can usually see in many nations in war how different forces compete between them for the glory)

  • @eduardodpino
    @eduardodpino8 күн бұрын

    Great video.

  • @Willy_Tepes
    @Willy_Tepes11 күн бұрын

    It did not matter for Eriksen if the ships were German or British. They were an invading enemy force. What he meant by his comment "I will either be court marshalled or decorated" is that he knew full well that the Norwegian government was not neutral.

  • @wang20477
    @wang2047712 күн бұрын

    The naval battle of Narvik please

  • @TallDude73
    @TallDude7311 күн бұрын

    How about a video about Walther Wenck, who saved civilians during the Battle of Berlin?

  • @eunoci
    @eunoci12 күн бұрын

    Goated work

  • @MinedMaker
    @MinedMaker12 күн бұрын

    Tremendous high-quality and accurate rendition of this battle in the Norwegian movie *The King's Choice,* highly recommend for people who want to feel what it must have been like. It's available in English.

  • @richardstone5552
    @richardstone555211 күн бұрын

    Thanks

  • @nomooon
    @nomooon8 күн бұрын

    Great smoke effects!

  • @simmonsfoursome
    @simmonsfoursome10 күн бұрын

    First, great unbiased presentations of significant historical events. THANK YOU! Second, imo, it was bad intelligence by the Germans, - not the first or last time. A more prudent commander might have had his crew at full battle stations and ready for any response to being fired upon when attempting to make this run but hard to justify based on their strategy regarding the invasion of Norway territory. The "Channel Run" comes to mind where they coordinated the air and naval assets. However, that "museum" should have been priority #1, erroring on the side of caution, - no lower than 2. And the opposite should have been tracked and targeted in an alternate pattern (left-right) as well. Waited too long to respond to the initial shots. Regardless, 20/20 hindsight.

  • @christopherhanton6611
    @christopherhanton661112 күн бұрын

    very good video the movie (The Kings Choice) did a good job on that one scene of this battle in this video you are talking about. also, the famous Quote Either I will be decorated, or I will be court-martialed. Open fire!" from the commander Birger Eriksen. also, that fort is still there now part of their historical landmarks in Norway

  • @jgong1
    @jgong112 күн бұрын

    The guns on the Oscarborg was not modern. It was an outdated guns from WW1. And each battery fired once.

  • @jaimelopez725
    @jaimelopez7259 күн бұрын

    Oskarsborg's 11in guns only fired Blücher twice (one from cannon Moses and one from Aron) not as many as you showed...Køpas joined later, when Blücher was out of Oskarsborg's main battery arc of fire

  • @Willy_Tepes
    @Willy_Tepes11 күн бұрын

    There was ample warning. My dad who was 9 years old won a bet on what day they would attack. Today I feel that we are in a similar situation, and that lots of people later on will say that it was a surprise.

  • @manuelacosta9463
    @manuelacosta946312 күн бұрын

    Quite the victory especially with the Norwegians using outdated weapons and equipment. Apparently the torpedoes used to deliver the killing blow where Austro Hungarian and from the 1890s.

  • @neilbuckley1613

    @neilbuckley1613

    12 күн бұрын

    When it's almost point blank range even old weaponry can be devastating.

  • @henriquekonradt541
    @henriquekonradt54111 күн бұрын

    Remember kids, old doesn't mean it won't hurt you

  • @user-fq7vs8dl5k
    @user-fq7vs8dl5k12 күн бұрын

    I'll subscribe.

  • @armored.angels
    @armored.angels10 күн бұрын

    Truly bazbattle new channel 😂

  • @jonshive5482
    @jonshive54827 күн бұрын

    Not meaning to be picky but the map shows something like a causeway between Zealand and mainland Denmark. Was wondering how Admiral Kummetz' task force got past it...🙂

  • @Martin77641
    @Martin7764111 күн бұрын

    Great animation and explanation. Like the videos here. Sadly a little mistake in the map Brest a town you see in occupied poland is in france. This story shows that the germans like Kummetz didn't expected that the forts fire at them or their informations were bad. Come on you need to fly above this forts and occupied them with paratroops before you sail strait in this street.

  • @grossadmiral1

    @grossadmiral1

    11 күн бұрын

    Brest-Litowsk

  • @unknownmale9486
    @unknownmale948611 күн бұрын

    This looks like BazBattles Drobak Sound video as well.

  • @muhammads.a.m4727
    @muhammads.a.m472711 күн бұрын

    Make a video on USS DIABLO

  • @samstewart4807
    @samstewart480712 күн бұрын

    hi, and wow! This the most detailed report of this battle I have ever seen! I believe the commander who fired the torpedoes was shot by the Germans??

  • @geordiedog1749
    @geordiedog174911 күн бұрын

    Did not know that there were British subs in the area.

  • @lolxdani9996
    @lolxdani999612 күн бұрын

    Day 3 asking for a video about the Battle of Cárdenas during the Spanish-American War

  • @scaeronnezaneestiaga1943
    @scaeronnezaneestiaga194311 күн бұрын

    Reminds me of BazBattles

  • @saldownik
    @saldownik11 күн бұрын

    Where were the Vikings hiding at that time?

  • @statenthusiast3382
    @statenthusiast33827 күн бұрын

    Please list your sources.

  • @chasechristophermurraydola9314
    @chasechristophermurraydola931410 күн бұрын

    Can you do the 1864 battle of Cherbourg and I am asking because the battle was a single ship action and the battle was fought between the US Navy and The confederate states navy and the opposing forces in the battle was the Uss Kearsarge with 163 sailors facing against the notorious CSS Alabama and 149 sailors and the battle was a U.S. victory with one sailor dying of wounds and 2 sailors wounded however the confederates lost the Alabama which was sunk and when it went down the Alabama took with it 19 sailors with 9 of them killed and 10 of them drowning however the confederates also lost 21 sailors wounded and 70 captured with between 38 and 41 being rescued by a British yacht and among those rescued was confederate rear admiral Raphael Semmes and the Alabama has an interesting link to the fictional ship Nautilus from the Jules Verne 1869 novel twenty thousand leagues under the sea and their are two links between the css Alabama and the Nautilus the first link is that the Alabama had covered 75,000 miles which equates to just over 21,700 leagues in two years and the second link is a very interesting one and the second link is that Raphael Semmes laments the loss of the British built css Alabama and it’s largely British crew as if it were the loss of his wife and children whereas captain Nemo of the Nautilus laments the actual loss of his wife and children who were killed by the British and the battle of Cherbourg is in my opinion a very overlooked, underrated and not well known battle as the public at that time wasn’t focused on events overseas but instead they were focused on the events that were taking place on the land at the time and in my opinion it’s an event that every civil war buff and members of the French and American navy’s should know about and the reason is because this ship was the only ship in the American civil war that I know of to hunt the waters of the Atlantic, Indian and southern Pacific Oceans.

  • @wolf2912
    @wolf291212 күн бұрын

    If you want a norweigan war movie i recomend kings choice

  • @undrgrnd734
    @undrgrnd73412 күн бұрын

    bazbattles lmao

  • @notthefbi7932
    @notthefbi793212 күн бұрын

    What a waste of a good ship, but the King's Choice did an amazing job showing the sinking of it in that movie

  • @bubbadiesel4961
    @bubbadiesel496112 күн бұрын

    Is this bazzbattles?! If not yall sound the exact same. Good video

  • @Thecrownswill
    @Thecrownswill11 күн бұрын

    Yet another win for democracy.

  • @julio5prado
    @julio5prado10 күн бұрын

    Brave Norwegians !

  • @SamAronow
    @SamAronow12 күн бұрын

    [neigh]

  • @DT-wp4hk

    @DT-wp4hk

    11 күн бұрын

    Getting out of your comfortzone?

  • @Marmamartha
    @Marmamartha7 күн бұрын

    The fortress had outdated guns no? EDIT: Yeah you claim that later on in the video. At least outdated torpedo launchers I believe. U claim it to be modernized but I dont believe that was true

  • @Abuamina001
    @Abuamina00112 күн бұрын

    Oh, you should review anti-partisan warfare in Yugoslavia during WWII.

  • @blitzy3244
    @blitzy324412 күн бұрын

    Reminder that England violated Norway's neutrality first by mining their waters.

  • @alltat

    @alltat

    12 күн бұрын

    It was basically a race to see who could occupy Norway first. Empires were still fashionable back then, and neither side cared all that much about neutrality except when it suited them. Stalin was supposedly one of the good guys, after all.

  • @PetterVessel

    @PetterVessel

    11 күн бұрын

    We should not forget why they did this. They didn't trust the Norwegians would or could mining their own waters, which is true.

  • @DT-wp4hk
    @DT-wp4hk11 күн бұрын

    So again the British lied. They wanted to invade Norway to 'help' Finland. They wanted to invade first.

  • @PetterVessel

    @PetterVessel

    11 күн бұрын

    The British had all right to set Britain first, though the Norwegian Royals where close related to the British. Still, the British forces in the Norwegian Campaign was nothing but disastrous. with one exception, the effort the Royal Navy made. I have no doubt that if the British was to occupy Norway at that point, they would lose tremendiously.

  • @DT-wp4hk

    @DT-wp4hk

    11 күн бұрын

    @@PetterVessel Yes all monarchies were inbreds somewhere at some point. That's why Der Kaiser wasn't allowed back by Adi. They were done with those wellknown methods of the nobilty.

  • @MrBejkovec
    @MrBejkovec10 күн бұрын

    For the next videos to come, I'd just slightly change the map description. 'Occupied Czechoslovakia' is wrong. The Czech part was occupied. Slovaks joined the Third Reich willingly and openly collaborated with them.