Confrontation makes German warship 'take off its hat' to British destroyer

Despite being outgunned on all fronts, the destroyer Glowworm still engaged the German battleship, prompting the German captain to send a letter of praise to the British navy.

The German Admiral Hipper has 11 times the displacement of the HMS Glowworm. Photo: Wikipedia.

April 8, 1940,British destroyer HMS Glowwormhave an unequal confrontation withNazi German heavy cruiser Admiral Hipperoff the coast of Norway,made one of the fiercest naval battles of World War II, according toWar History.

HMS Glowworm is a G-class destroyer, launched in 1934 and part of a group of modern, highly maneuverable warships in the British Navy. Her mission is to search for and destroy small enemy warships, protect British convoys and conduct anti-submarine warfare. HMS Glowworm first saw combat in the Spanish Civil War as a neutral ship, preventing any ships from entering Spanish ports.

Six months after the outbreak of World War II, HMS Glowworm, assigned to the Western Command, was deployed to the North Sea to take part in Operation Wilfred, the minelaying operation off the coast of Norway to deter a German invasion.

Opposing HMS Glowworm was the cruiser Admiral Hipper, launched in July 1935 and commissioned in April 1939. This was the first of a new class of German battleships and the pride of the German navy. The Admiral Hipper was twice as long and had 11 times the displacement of HMS Glowworm.

After many sea trials,Admiral Hipperbegan to participate in combat in early 1940. On April 6, 1940, Admiral Hipper and4 escort destroyerscarryaccording to 1,700 mountain soldiersparticipate in the invasion of Norway.

Previously, on 5 April, HMS Glowworm escorted the armoured cruiser HMS Renown. Two days later, it was deployed to search for a sailor missing at sea. Thick fog forced the ship to rejoin HMS Renown on the morning of 8 April, before two German destroyers were spotted on the horizon.

At 8:00 a.m., HMS Glowworm opened fire, unaware that a German battleship was nearby. The German destroyer immediately reported the situation to the Admiral Hipper. By 9:50 a.m., the German cruiser and the British destroyer were in sight of each other.

HMS Glowworm bursts into flames as it passes in front of a German warship. Photo: Wikipedia.

HMS Glowworm initially thought the German ship was a friendly ship and did not flee. This gave Admiral Hipper time to get into range. The radar-guided 203mm guns opened fire with four shells at the small British destroyer. The first three missed, but the last hit HMS Glowworm, causing multiple explosions and setting the British warship ablaze, sending up a cloud of black smoke.

HMS Glowworm hid in the black smoke to try to escape. However, the German warship's radar was not affected by the smoke, allowing them to track the enemy effectively. As the British destroyer emerged from the smoke, the giant German cruiser closed in. The German ship's 104mm guns rained shells on the British destroyer.

Glowworm's forward gun mount was destroyed, followed by the bridge and radio room. A shell hit the radar mast, causing it to collapse and setting off an alarm. However, the British destroyer was determined to fight to the end, rather than surrender or flee.

At 10:10, Captain Gerald Broadmead Roope turned Glowworm around to launch torpedoes at a range of 800 m. Admiral Hipper avoided the torpedo barrage by constantly maneuvering, keeping the bow pointed at the British destroyer to make aiming difficult. Captain Roope steered the ship into the smoke to buy time, allowing the crew to load more torpedoes. The German warship charged straight into the smoke to destroy the enemy at close range.

Roope quickly responded, turning sharply to starboard to gain a better firing position, just as the German ship approached. The giant cruiser tried to turn left to avoid collision but was too late.

HMS Glowworm rammed the German ship's bow, just abaft the anchor. The British destroyer's bow was crushed after tearing a large hole in the German cruiser's hull. Seawater rushed in through the hole, but Admiral Hipper's crew isolated the bow and controlled the damage. After the collision, the Glowworm began to drift and sink.

The British destroyer was engulfed in flames. Photo: Wikipedia.

Admiral Hipper fired another salvo at close range. At this point, Ensign Walter Scott held out with the last gun on HMS Glowworm. The British ship fired one shell before the boilers exploded at 10:24. The destroyer sank shortly thereafter.

Captain Roope was killed when the Admiral Hipper attempted to rescue him. Roope was badly wounded in the battle and was unable to grasp the ropes to climb aboard the German battleship.

Captain Hellmuh Heyes, commander of the Admiral Hipper, wrote to the British navy through the Red Cross after the battle. He described the brave actions of HMS Glowworm, despite being outgunned and outnumbered by one of the new, most powerful German cruisers. Heyes also recommended that the British commend Captain Roope.The British Government awarded the Victoria Cross to Captain Roope in 1945./.

According to VNE