Action of 4 April 1941
Encyclopedia
The Action of 4 April 1941 was a naval battle fought during the Atlantic Campaign of the Second World War
. A German
commerce raider encountered a British
auxiliary cruiser and sank her with heavy losses after an hour of fighting.
auxiliary cruiser was raiding in the mid Atlantic in early 1941. On that cruise, the Germans engaged two other British merchant ships in surface battles but they ended indecisively. So when Thor encountered , her crew were already battle tested and anxious to sink an enemy combatant. Thor was 122 metre long and weighed 9200 LT (9,347.7 t), she was armed with six 150 mm (5.9 in), two 37 mm (1.46 in) and four 20 mm (0.78740157480315 in) naval guns along with four 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tube
s. The raider also carried an Arado Ar 196
A-1 floatplane
for reconnaissance and had a complement of 349 officers and crewmen.
HMS Voltaire was larger than the raider—displacing 13245 LT (13,457.6 t)—but with a smaller crew of 269 men and officers. She had eight 152 mm (6 in) and two 76 mm (2.99 in) naval guns, including at least one anti-aircraft
mount. Thor was returning to Germany when she found Voltaire heading to Freetown
about 900 mi (782.1 nmi; 1,448.4 km) southwest of the Cape Verde Islands.
Otto Kähler
assumed the vessel to be a coal burning ship so he altered course into the direction of the smoke. When the Germans were able to make visual contact with HMS Voltaire, they suspected she was a neutral ocean liner
as she did not attempt to escape. The British—under Captain J.A. Blackburn—sighted the approaching Germans coming head on, so they fired a burst of anti-aircraft fire as signal for identification. A signal from Thor was not returned, but the British soon discovered the identity of the approaching ship at about 06:45, when it replaced the flag of Greece
with a German naval ensign and fired a shot across Voltaires bow. The British responded by manning their guns and firing a broadside with their mixed armament, but to no avail; they were outgunned and outranged.
After only four minutes of dueling at around 9000 m (9,842.5 yd) away, the Germans began striking Voltaire with their 150 mm (5.9 in) guns. The first shots entered the radio room and the generator room of Voltaire, heavily damaging the vessel, knocking out communications and steering gear and putting her into a list. Heavy fires also broke out and nearly covered the entire deck of the British ship. Despite the fire the Royal Navy
gunners continued fighting for nearly an hour. For the next several minutes, the two sides fired; only one British shot managed to hit Thor, and it caused no casualties, the shot tearing off some radio equipment attached to the main mast. By 07:15, only two of the British 152 mm (6 in) guns were in action, while Thor circled around Voltaire, firing rapidly.
At 08:00, the German's 150 mm (5.9 in) guns overheated so Captain Kähler decided on a torpedo attack to end the engagement. But just as Thor was lining up to fire a spread, a white flag was observed aboard Voltaire and so the firing ceased. Captain Blackburn—having lost 72 men killed in action—gave the order to abandon ship and for the next five hours the Germans rescued 197 survivors, two of whom died later on and the rest became prisoners of war. Kähler also recorded that half of the rescued sailors were wounded. After the battle, Thor continued on to Germany to refit for a second raiding voyage. She had fired 724 rounds in a 55 minute battle, more than 50 percent of her ammunition.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. A German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
commerce raider encountered a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
auxiliary cruiser and sank her with heavy losses after an hour of fighting.
Background
The KriegsmarineKriegsmarine
The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
auxiliary cruiser was raiding in the mid Atlantic in early 1941. On that cruise, the Germans engaged two other British merchant ships in surface battles but they ended indecisively. So when Thor encountered , her crew were already battle tested and anxious to sink an enemy combatant. Thor was 122 metre long and weighed 9200 LT (9,347.7 t), she was armed with six 150 mm (5.9 in), two 37 mm (1.46 in) and four 20 mm (0.78740157480315 in) naval guns along with four 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tube
Torpedo tube
A torpedo tube is a device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units installed aboard surface vessels...
s. The raider also carried an Arado Ar 196
Arado Ar 196
-See also:-Bibliography:* Dabrowski, Hans-Peter and Koos, Volker. Arado Ar 196, Germany's Multi-Purpose Seaplane. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Military History, 1993. ISBN 0-88740-481-2....
A-1 floatplane
Floatplane
A floatplane is a type of seaplane, with slender pontoons mounted under the fuselage; only the floats of a floatplane normally come into contact with water, with the fuselage remaining above water...
for reconnaissance and had a complement of 349 officers and crewmen.
HMS Voltaire was larger than the raider—displacing 13245 LT (13,457.6 t)—but with a smaller crew of 269 men and officers. She had eight 152 mm (6 in) and two 76 mm (2.99 in) naval guns, including at least one anti-aircraft
Anti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
mount. Thor was returning to Germany when she found Voltaire heading to Freetown
Freetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean located in the Western Area of the country, and had a city proper population of 772,873 at the 2004 census. The city is the economic, financial, and cultural center of...
about 900 mi (782.1 nmi; 1,448.4 km) southwest of the Cape Verde Islands.
Action
It was about 06:15 on 4 April when crewmen of Thor spotted smoke on the horizon. CaptainCaptain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
Otto Kähler
Otto Kähler
Otto Kähler was a Konteradmiral with the Kriegsmarine during World War II. He commanded the , a merchant raider, on two combat patrols and sank or captured 12 ships, for a combined tonnage of of Allied shipping. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves...
assumed the vessel to be a coal burning ship so he altered course into the direction of the smoke. When the Germans were able to make visual contact with HMS Voltaire, they suspected she was a neutral ocean liner
Ocean liner
An ocean liner is a ship designed to transport people from one seaport to another along regular long-distance maritime routes according to a schedule. Liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes .Cargo vessels running to a schedule are sometimes referred to as...
as she did not attempt to escape. The British—under Captain J.A. Blackburn—sighted the approaching Germans coming head on, so they fired a burst of anti-aircraft fire as signal for identification. A signal from Thor was not returned, but the British soon discovered the identity of the approaching ship at about 06:45, when it replaced the flag of Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
with a German naval ensign and fired a shot across Voltaires bow. The British responded by manning their guns and firing a broadside with their mixed armament, but to no avail; they were outgunned and outranged.
After only four minutes of dueling at around 9000 m (9,842.5 yd) away, the Germans began striking Voltaire with their 150 mm (5.9 in) guns. The first shots entered the radio room and the generator room of Voltaire, heavily damaging the vessel, knocking out communications and steering gear and putting her into a list. Heavy fires also broke out and nearly covered the entire deck of the British ship. Despite the fire the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
gunners continued fighting for nearly an hour. For the next several minutes, the two sides fired; only one British shot managed to hit Thor, and it caused no casualties, the shot tearing off some radio equipment attached to the main mast. By 07:15, only two of the British 152 mm (6 in) guns were in action, while Thor circled around Voltaire, firing rapidly.
At 08:00, the German's 150 mm (5.9 in) guns overheated so Captain Kähler decided on a torpedo attack to end the engagement. But just as Thor was lining up to fire a spread, a white flag was observed aboard Voltaire and so the firing ceased. Captain Blackburn—having lost 72 men killed in action—gave the order to abandon ship and for the next five hours the Germans rescued 197 survivors, two of whom died later on and the rest became prisoners of war. Kähler also recorded that half of the rescued sailors were wounded. After the battle, Thor continued on to Germany to refit for a second raiding voyage. She had fired 724 rounds in a 55 minute battle, more than 50 percent of her ammunition.