The Soviet naval Baltic Sea campaign in 1945 was launched by the Soviet Navy to harass enemy shipping and naval military assets of Nazi Germany on the Eastern Front during World War II. Both submarines and surface units of the Soviet Navy were employed. The campaign scored successes during Operation Hannibal.
The Soviet Navy was the naval arm of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy was a large part of the Soviet Union's strategic plan in the event of a conflict with opposing super power, the United States, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), or another conflict related to the Warsaw Pact of Eastern Europe. The influence of the Soviet Navy played a large role in the Cold War (1945-1991), as the majority of conflicts centered on naval forces.
World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. A state of total war emerged, directly involving more than 100 million people from more than 30 countries. The major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World WarII was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 70 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease, and the only use of nuclear weapons in war.
Operation Hannibal was a German naval operation involving the evacuation by sea of German troops and civilians from Courland, East Prussia, and the Polish Corridor from mid-January to May 1945 as the Red Army advanced during the East Prussian and East Pomeranian Offensives and subsidiary operations.
When Finland joined sides with the Allies in September 1944, the Soviet Navy could successfully avoid the German mine barrages at the entry of Gulf of Finland and quickly resumed submarine operations during the second part of the year. At the beginning of 1945 the Soviet Navy dispatched once again submarines alongside motor torpedo boats for coastal attacks but avoided the use destroyers and major warship.[1] Twenty Soviet submarines were engaged into the offensive, performing more patrols compared to 1944 and displaying an increased aggressive behavior: cooperations with reconnaissance aircraft was sometimes performed.[2]
The Soviet submarine Baltic Sea campaign in 1944 was launched by the Soviet Navy to harass enemy shipping and naval military assets of the Nazi Germany on the Eastern Front during World War II.
Submarine Engagements
On the night between 6 and 7 January, Soviet submarine S-4 was lost, likely rammed and sunk by German torpedo boat T-3 in Danzig Bay. It would be the only Soviet submarine loss of this campaign.[3][4]
On 12 January, Soviet submarine K-51 shelled and sunk the neutral Swedish fishing boat Ib (15 tons).[5]
On 16 January, Soviet submarine ShCh-307 torpedoed and sunk Henrietta Schulze (1923 GRT) south-west of Libau.[6]
On 28 January, Soviet submarine K-51 torpedoed and sunk Danish merchant Viborg (2028 GRT) south of Bornholm.[7]
On 4 February, Soviet submarine ShCh-318 torpedoed and sunk German tanker Hiddensee (643 GRT) south-west of Libau.[9]
On 10 February, Soviet submarine S-13 under command of captain Alexander Marinesko accomplished another significant success, torpedoing and sinking the large German liner General von Steuben (14660 GRT), like Gustloff also employed as transport ship for Operation Hannibal. The ship went down with up 3600 human losses, mostly wounded military personnel.[10]
On 23 February, Soviet submarine ShCh-309 torpedoed and sunk German merchant Gottingen (6267 GRT) south-west of Libau.[11]
On 17 March, Soviet submarine K-53 torpedoed and sunk German merchant Margarethe Cords (1912 GRT) off the Stolpebank.[12]
On 23 March, Soviet submarine L-21 torpedoed and sunk the German patrol vessel V-2022 E.Colzmann off Kolberg.[13]
On 24 March, Soviet submarine L-21 torpedoed and sunk the German tug Erni (105 GRT) off Kolberg.[14]
Goya in Akers shipyard in Oslo, shortly before completion
On 10 April, Soviet submarine ShCh-310 torpedoed and sunk the German merchant Ilmenau (1201 GRT) west of Liepāja.[15]
On 11 April, Soviet submarine K-56 shelled and sunk the neutral Swedish fishing vessel Ramona (57 GRT) south of Utklippan.[16]
On 17 April, Soviet submarine L-3 torpedoed and sunk the German troop transport Goya (5230 GRT) employed for Operation Hannibal. The ship went down with up 7000 human losses, including both military personnel and refugees.[17]
Motor torpedo boats engagements
On 18 February, German merchant Tolina(1923 GRT) was sunk either by Soviet motor torpedo boat TK-158 or aircraft. [18]
On 18 March, during a clash between Soviet motor torpedo boats and German S-boots, the Soviet unit TK-66 was lost.[19][20]
On 27 March, a subsequent clash between Soviet motor torpedo boats (D-3 class) and German S-boots caused the further loss of Soviet units TK-166 and TK-196 and other units damaged.[21][22]
On the night of 15/16 April, German destroyer Z-34 was attacked and torpedoed by Soviet motor torpedo boats in the bay of Danzig:[23] the attack was performed by TK-131 and TK-141.[24] The ship received temporary repairs and with the surrender of Germany was transferred to the United States Navy that deemed the ship unworth of further repair and scuttled her. [25][26]
On 25 April, German merchant Emili Sauber (2475 GTR) was torpedoed and sunk by Soviet motor torpedo boat TK-133.[27]
On 26 April, German landing craft F-248 was torpedoed by Soviet motor torpedo boats TK-131 and TK-135 or sunk by aircraft.[28]
On 6 May, German landing craft PiLB-43/I was torpedoed and sunk by Soviet motor torpedo boat.[29]
Minelaying operations
All the three Soviet minelaying submarines left to the Baltic Sea Fleet were employed for their intended purpose like the previous campaign.
On 26 January, Soviet submarine L-3 laid a first field off Ventspils:[30] the only success scored was the sinking of German merchant Henry Lutgens (1141 GRT) on 29 January. A second field was laid on 2 February off Libau: the only success scored was the German icebreaker Pollux (4191 GRT) heavily damaged and beached on 2 February. A third field was laid on 23 March, scoring the following hits:
On the same day, German auxiliary minesweeper M-3138 sunk.
On 30 March, German merchant Jersbek (2804 GRT) sunk. Possible victory.
Between 8 and 13 March, Soviet submarine L-21 laid mines off Hela peninsula.[31] The field scored victories over German warships:
On 10 April, the German destroyer Z-43 is mined and damaged. The ship received emergency repairs and resumed operations.
On 30 March, Soviet submarine Lembit laid a field of mines off Wladyslawowo: the only known loss of this field occurred on 25 April with the sinking of German patrol vessel Vs-343[32]
Outcome
Fuel shortage restricted the number of German escort available for protecting ships and convoy and explain the Soviet success and the loss of a single soviet submarine in action: while the campaign is not evaluated as a decisive victory (13 transports sunk, for 63000 GRT), submarine obtained some notable sinking.[33] The sinking of Wilhelm Gustloff, General von Steuben and Goya was a demonstration of the deadly potential of submarine warfare.[34] It is important to stress how despite being often erroneously described as noncombatant units, the ships actually possessed defensive anti-aircraft weapons and carried also military personal (in addition to refugees).[35]
HMS Sportsman was a third-batch S-class submarine built for the Royal Navy during World War II. Completed in 1942, she spent most of the war serving in the Mediterranean Sea. After an initial patrol off Norway, she sank the heavy transport Général Bonaparte in the Mediterranean in 1943 and missed a French oil tanker. She was heavily damaged after a mistaken attack by an Allied bomber, and was sent east after repairs to participate in operations in the Black Sea. After the operation was cancelled, Sportsman patrolled the Aegean Sea, sending several Greek and German ships to the bottom. She sank the German transport SS Petrella in early 1944 despite it being clearly marked as a prisoner-of-war ship, killing 2,670 out of 3,173 Italians aboard. Sportsman sank several more ships, and suffered minor damage when she was detected and sighted while attempting to attack a convoy.
Submarine warfare in the Black Sea in World War II during 1941 primarily involved engagements between submarines of the Soviet Black Sea Fleet attacking Axis merchantmen defended by Romanian and Bulgarian warships. These engagements were a part of the naval Black Sea campaigns between Axis and Soviet naval forces.
The Soviet submarine Baltic Sea campaign in 1943 was launched by the Soviet Navy to harass the strategic iron ore traffic from neutral Sweden to Nazi Germany on the Eastern Front during the WWII. Other operations were launched by Allies, especially by the Royal Navy. The offensive was a repetition of the previous campaign in 1942 but resulted in a failed outcome.
Submarine warfare in the Black Sea in World War II during 1942 involved engagements between primarily submarines of the Soviet Black Sea Fleet attacking Axis merchantmen defended by Romanian and German naval warships. These engagements were a part of the Black Sea campaigns between Axis and Soviet naval forces.
Submarine warfare in the Black Sea in World War II during 1944 involved engagements between submarines of the Soviet Black Sea Fleet attacking Axis merchantmen, defended by Romanian and German naval warships, as well as German U-boats and Romanian submarines attacking Soviet merchants on the eastern Black Sea. Before the conclusion of the campaign, Romania joined the Allies after King Michael's Coup. These engagements were a part of the naval Black Sea campaigns.
The Soviet submarine Baltic Sea campaign in 1941 was launched by the Soviet Navy at the early stage of Operation Barbarossa. The offensive was hampered by the quick German ground advance and the retreat of Soviet naval vessels from the main Baltic harbors.
References
↑ Evan Mawdsley (2015). Thunder in the East: The Nazi-Soviet War 1941-1945.
↑ Richard Compton-Hall,Richard Compton-Hall (2004). Submarines at War 1939-45. pp.125–126.
↑ David T. Zabecki, (1999). World War II in Europe: An Encyclopedia. p.471.CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
↑ James P. Delgado,Clive Cussler, (2011). Silent Killers: Submarines and Underwater Warfare. p.178.CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
↑ JSpencer C. Tucker (2011). World War II at Sea: An Encyclopedia, Volume 1. p.800.
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