The Battle of Isefjord was a clash that occurred when the
coastal defence ship
Coastal defence ships (sometimes called coastal battleships or coast defence ships) were warships built for the purpose of coastal defence, mostly during the period from 1860 to 1920. They were small, often cruiser-sized warships that sacrifi ...
was attacked by German forces as she tried to escape to
neutral Sweden
Sweden had a policy of neutrality in armed conflicts from the early 19th century, until 2009, when it entered into various mutual defence treaties with the European Union (EU), and other Nordic countries.
.
Background
Danish political situation
By late August 1943, the political situation in Denmark was growing tense. Initially accepting their fate as a German protectorate, Danish actions against the German occupation were growing increasingly bold and disruptive after Axis defeats in the Soviet Union and the Mediterranean. On 28 August Germany issued an ultimatum to the Danish government, requiring them to suspend many civil liberties of the public and allow more German oversight into affairs concerning resistance activities. The
Parliament
In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
deemed the demands unconstitutional, flatly refused, and subsequently handed in their resignations to
King Christian X
Christian X (; 26 September 1870 – 20 April 1947) was King of Denmark from 1912 until his death in 1947, and the only King of Iceland as Kristján X, holding the title as a result of the personal union between Denmark and independent Ice ...
. The next day the Germans imposed martial law over the country and launched
Operation Safari
Operation Safari () was a German military operation during World War II aimed at disarming the Danish Defence, Danish military. It led to the scuttling of the Royal Danish Navy and the internment of all Danish soldiers. Danish forces suffered 23 ...
, aimed at seizing the Danish military assets.
However, the
Royal Danish Navy
The Royal Danish Navy (, ) is the Naval warfare, sea-based branch of the Danish Armed Forces force. The RDN is mainly responsible for maritime defence and maintaining the sovereignty of Denmark, Danish territorial waters (incl. Faroe Islands and ...
had predicted this, and were under orders from Vice Admiral A. H. Vedel to make a run for Sweden, and if not possible, scuttle their ships.
''Niels Juel''
had spent the summer of 1943 on a training cruise in the
Isefjord
Ise Fjord () is a deeply branched arm of the sea into the Danish island Zealand.
From its relatively narrow entrance from the Kattegat at Hundested and Rørvig, branches of Ise Fjord stretch 35 km inland and divide the northern part of Zea ...
, the only place the Germans allowed the Danish Navy to operate unsupervised. On 27 August she received an order from Naval Command to be on alert and be prepared to lie on short notice to the Germans. The following evening Commander Carl Westermann held a meeting with the ship's officers. It was agreed that all sailors were to remain aboard and be ready to depart on short notice. On the morning of 29 August she was anchored in
Holbæk
Holbæk () is a town in Denmark and the County seat, seat of Holbæk municipality with a population of 30,903 (1 January 2025). harbour.
Just before she departed, a local police officer came aboard to inform Commander Westermann that the Germans had occupied two local army barracks and two police stations, and that the naval units in Copenhagen had been scuttled.
''Niels Juel'' headed north at a full steam of 15 knots, with her gun crews at the ready.
South of Lynæs Sand three German ships were spotted guarding the fjord. Also at this time several
Stuka
The Junkers Ju 87, popularly known as the "Stuka", is a German dive bomber and ground-attack aircraft. Designed by Hermann Pohlmann, it first flew in 1935. The Ju 87 made its combat debut in 1937 with the Luftwaffe's Condor Legion during the ...
s and other bombers began circling the ship's position. As she passed
Hundested
Hundested is a town with a population of 8,590 (1 January 2025) and a former municipality ( Danish, '' kommune'') in Region Hovedstaden in the northern part of the island of Zealand (''Sjælland'') in eastern Denmark.
The former municipality is su ...
, she was relayed information that further orders were on the way from Naval Command. Commander Westermann ordered his crew to reduce speed and linger long enough to receive these new orders. These orders had in fact been forced by the Germans upon the Danes, and were on their way over to the port.
Before these new orders could be passed on, the local German commander in
Hundested
Hundested is a town with a population of 8,590 (1 January 2025) and a former municipality ( Danish, '' kommune'') in Region Hovedstaden in the northern part of the island of Zealand (''Sjælland'') in eastern Denmark.
The former municipality is su ...
had received word that ''Niels Juel'' had, guns manned, been heading at full speed for the mouth of the fjord. He ordered the Luftwaffe to attack.
Battle
At 08:55, a German aircraft dropped two bombs off the starboard side and fired its machine guns. Believing this to be nothing more than a scare tactic, Commander Westermann told his crew to refrain from firing. As the ship turned south another aircraft made a strafing run, to which the Danes responded, damaging its right wing.
Westermann then denied a request from his senior gunnery officer to open fire on the German ships, and ordered his anti-aircraft artillery crews to seek shelter below deck.
The ship faced further attacks, reaching their climax at 09:35 when the German aircraft started dropping bombs again. Commander Westermann realized that the Germans were now trying to disable the ship, and called his anti-aircraft crews back. Reports from bystanders on land stated that a German aircraft later crashed after being hit by Danish
anti-aircraft
Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface ( submarine-launched), and air-ba ...
fire.
Finally, two bombs landed less than ten meters off the side of the ship, lifting her partially out of the water and spraying shrapnel up towards the anti-aircraft gunners.
This last attack left five sailors wounded, one fatally, and knocked out the ship's electricity and fire control systems.
Aftermath
Seeing as escape was now nearly impossible, Commander Westermann had the ship beached south of
Nykøbing Sjælland
Nykøbing, often referred to as Nykøbing Sjælland or Nykøbing Sj to distinguish it from Nykøbing F and Nykøbing Mors, Nykøbing M, is a seaside town in Denmark, located in Odsherred on the northwestern part of Zealand (Denmark), Zealand. Lo ...
. After an attempt to blow her up failed, all crucial supplies and equipment was thrown overboard or destroyed, and the sea valves were opened, flooding the lower decks.
The next day two
torpedo boats
A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs were steam-powered craft dedicated to ramming enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes. Later evolutions launched variants of ...
carrying Wehrmacht soldiers seized the scuttled ship. The
naval ensign
A naval ensign is an ensign (maritime flag) used by naval ships of various countries to denote their nationality. It can be the same or different from a country's civil ensign or state ensign.
It can also be known as a war ensign. A large v ...
was stricken, and Commander Westermann was informed that he would be facing sabotage charges in a German military court. The remaining crew was interned in Copenhagen.
The ship was later re-floated by the Germans and recommissioned under the name ''Nordland'', before being scuttled by them in 1945.