The Altmark incident (Norwegian: Altmark-affæren; German: Altmark-Zwischenfall) was a naval incident of World War II between British destroyers and the German tanker Altmark, which happened on 16–17 February 1940. It took place in what were neutral Norwegian waters.
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Why it matteredThis confrontation in neutral Norwegian waters involved the British rescue of prisoners from a German tanker, heightening tensions during the Second World War.
Quick facts
- Date16–17 February 1940
- LocationJøssingfjord, south-west Norway
- British sideHMS Cossack, Captain Philip Vian
- German sideSupply ship Altmark
- Prisoners freedAbout 300 British merchant seamen
- Ordered byWinston Churchill, First Lord of the Admiralty
- Part ofWorld War II, Phoney War
Editor's Take:
The Altmark incident is a small raid with outsized consequences. For Britain it was a morale boost in the dull months of the Phoney War. For Norway it was a humiliation that showed how hard neutrality would be to defend. And for Hitler it was proof that Britain would not respect Norwegian waters, which hardened his decision to invade. Within two months, Norway was at war.
Profile
The Altmark Incident: "The Navy's Here!"
Jøssingfjord, Norway, 16 February 1940
The Altmark was a German supply tanker that had served the pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee in the South Atlantic. When the Graf Spee was scuttled in December 1939, the Altmark was left carrying about 300 British merchant seamen taken from sunken ships.
In February 1940 the tanker tried to slip home through neutral Norwegian waters. Norwegian naval officers stopped and checked it, but did not search it thoroughly, and the prisoners locked below were not found.
On the orders of Winston Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty, the destroyer HMS Cossack under Captain Philip Vian followed the Altmark into Jøssingfjord on the night of 16 February 1940. A boarding party leapt onto the tanker. Seven German sailors were killed in the fighting.
Below deck, the boarders found the prisoners and, by popular legend, shouted: "The Navy's here!" The freed men were taken home to Leith in Scotland to a heroes' welcome.
Timeline
- Sep 1939War begins: Norway declares neutrality
- Dec 1939Battle of the River Plate: Graf Spee scuttled
- Feb 1940Altmark enters Norway: checked but not searched
- 16 FebHMS Cossack boards: in Jøssingfjord
- 17 FebPrisoners freed: around 300 seamen
- Late FebHitler orders invasion plans: speeding up Weserübung
- 9 Apr 1940Germany invades Norway: and Denmark
Did you know?The Norwegian word "jøssing", from Jøssingfjord, became the wartime name for patriotic Norwegians who opposed the Nazis, the opposite of a "quisling".
Why it caused a crisis
Norway insisted that its waters were neutral and that warships of either side could pass but not fight there. The Germans used this protected route along the coast to move ships and iron ore.
Britain argued that the Altmark was carrying prisoners of war and so had no right to shelter in neutral waters. Norway protested strongly against the British action.
What happened next
Hitler was furious. He concluded that Norway either could not or would not defend its neutrality, and ordered that planning for an invasion be speeded up.
On 9 April 1940, Germany launched Operation Weserübung, invading Denmark and Norway. Britain and France had been planning their own operations in Norway at the same time.
Legacy
The Altmark was later renamed Uckermark and destroyed in an explosion in Yokohama in 1942.
The phrase "The Navy's here!" became one of Britain's best-loved wartime slogans.
The 87th anniversary falls on February 16, 2027.
