Sinking of the Blucher
Overall limited edition of 200
Original quality giclee print on canvas, image size approx. 50cm x 25cm ....£150
Fine art paper print, image size 50cm x 25cm ....£75
At about 3:30am on 9th April 1940, the main German force reached the Oscarsborg Narrows and the forts there, with schwere Kreuzer BLUCHER in the lead. The Norwegian 280mm battery on South Kalholmen Island opened fire first, with two armor-piercing rounds, both scoring hits, one on the BLUCHER's fire-control tower, and the other just behind the bridge. In fact, the range was so close that literally every shot the Norwegians fired at the BLUCHER was a hit.
The Norwegian 150mm battery then began to plaster the ship’s bridge with shells, while the 280mm guns switched their fire to the waterline. BLUCHER was down to five knots and burning fiercely within a matter of minutes, without being able to make an effective reply. As the crippled ship came abreast of the Kalholmen islands, the land-based torpedo tubes on North Kalholmen administered the coup de grace, in the form of two torpedoes, one of which struck the engine room, stopping the engines, and the other hitting the BLUCHER's own torpedo magazine resulting in a huge explosion.
As a result, the German ship rapidly rolled over on its side and sank, taking nearly 1,000 German troops with it, including some Gestapo officials and other administrative personnel intended for the military government of Norway.
