page_title: German cruiser Admiral Hipper
section_title: Operation Weserübung
hierarchical_section_title: German cruiser Admiral Hipper / Service history / Operation Weserübung
caption_attribution_description: Information added by Wikimedia users.Deutsch: Der Schwere Kreuzer Admiral Hipper bei der Besetzung Norwegens, vermutlich beim Ausladen der Truppen in Trondheim. Das Schiff ist auf keinen Fall der schwere Kreuer Lützow wie in der org. Beschreibung, denn der wurde noch unfertig an die Sowjet Union verkauft. Das Panzerschiff Lützow scheidet ebenfalls typbedingt aus und da Blücher vor Oslo versenkt worden war, Prinz Eugen noch nicht im Einsatz, bleibt nur Admiral Hipper als Motiv auf diesem Foto. English: Heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper landing troops in Norway in 1940. Original caption reads "Heavy cruiser Lützow" - but as the heavy cruiser Lützow had been sold to the soviet union and the only remaining ship named "Lützow" was a pocket battleship, the only heavy cruiser that was active landing troops in Norway in 1940 was the Admiral Hipper, as sister ship Blücher had been sunk and Prinz Eugen was not on active duty before 08/1940. Also observe the scars on Hippers starboard bow, scars that appeared enroute to Norway april 1940.
context_page_description: Admiral Hipper, the first of five ships of her class, was the lead ship of the Admiral Hipper class of heavy cruisers which served with Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The ship was laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg in July 1935 and launched February 1937; Admiral Hipper entered service shortly before the outbreak of war, in April 1939. The ship was named after Admiral Franz von Hipper, commander of the German battlecruiser squadron during the Battle of Jutland in 1916 and later commander-in-chief of the German High Seas Fleet. She was armed with a main battery of eight 20.3 cm guns and, although nominally under the 10,000-long-ton limit set by the Anglo-German Naval Agreement, actually displaced over 16,000 long tons.
  Admiral Hipper saw a significant amount of action during the war, notably present during the Battle of the Atlantic. She led the assault on Trondheim during Operation Weserübung; while en route to her objective, she sank the British destroyer HMS Glowworm. In December 1940, she broke out into the Atlantic Ocean to operate against Allied merchant shipping, though this operation ended without significant success.
context_section_description: Following her return from the North Sea sortie, Admiral Hipper was assigned to the forces tasked with the invasion of Norway, codenamed Operation Weserübung. The ship was assigned as the flagship of Group 2, along with the destroyers Paul Jakobi, Theodor Riedel, Friedrich Eckoldt, and Bruno Heinemann. KzS Heye was given command of Group 2 during the operation. The five ships carried a total of 1,700 Wehrmacht mountain troops, whose objective was the port of Trondheim; the ships loaded the troops in Cuxhaven. The ships steamed to the Schillig roadstead outside Wilhelmshaven, where they joined Group 1, consisting of ten destroyers, and the battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, which were assigned to cover Groups 1 and 2. The ships steamed out of the roadstead at midnight on the night of 6–7 April.
  While steaming off the Norwegian coast, Admiral Hipper was ordered to divert course to locate the destroyer Bernd von Arnim, which had fallen behind Group 1. In the mist, the destroyer encountered the British destroyer HMS Glowworm; the two destroyers engaged each other until Bernd von Arnim's commander requested assistance from Admiral Hipper. Upon arriving on the scene, Admiral Hipper was initially misidentified by Glowworm to be a friendly vessel, which allowed the German ship to close the distance and fire first. Admiral Hipper rained fire on Glowworm, scoring several hits. Glowworm attempted to flee, but when it became apparent she could not break away from the pursuing cruiser, she turned toward Admiral Hipper and fired a spread of torpedoes, all of which missed. The British destroyer scored one hit on Admiral Hipper's starboard bow before a rudder malfunction set the ship on a collision course with the German cruiser.
  The collision with Glowworm tore off a 40-meter (130 ft) section of Admiral Hipper's armored belt on the starboard side, as well as the ship's starboard torpedo launcher. Minor flooding caused a four degree list to starboard, though the ship was able to continue with the mission. Glowworm's boilers exploded shortly after the collision, causing her to sink quickly. Forty survivors were picked up by the German ship. Admiral Hipper then resumed course toward Trondheim. The British destroyer had survived long enough to send a wireless message to the Royal Navy headquarters, which allowed the battlecruiser Renown time to move into position to engage Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, though the German battleships used their superior speed to break off contact.
  One of Admiral Hipper's Arado seaplanes had to make an emergency landing in Eide, Norway on 8 April. After trying to purchase fuel from locals, the aircrew were detained and handed over to the police. The Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service captured the Arado, which was painted in Norwegian colors and used by the Norwegians until 18 April when it was evacuated to Britain.
  After arriving off Trondheim, Admiral Hipper successfully passed herself off as a British warship long enough to steam past the Norwegian coastal artillery batteries. The ship entered the harbor and docked shortly before 05:30 to debark the mountain troops. After the ground troops seized control of the coastal batteries, the ship left Trondheim, bound for Germany. She was escorted by Friedrich Eckoldt; she reached Wilhelmshaven on 12 April, and went into drydock. The dockyard workers discovered the ship had been damaged more severely by the collision with Glowworm than had previously been thought. Nevertheless, repairs were completed in the span of two weeks.
  Admiral Marschall organized a mission to seize Harstad in early June 1940; Admiral Hipper, the battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, and four destroyers were tasked with the operation. The ships departed on 4 June, and while en route, Admiral Hipper encountered and sank the empty troopship Orama on 9 June. Before they reached Harstad, the Germans learned that the Allies had already abandoned the port. Marschall's squadron was then tasked with intercepting an Allied convoy that was reported to be in the area. The ships failed to find the convoy,
caption: Admiral Hipper landing troops in Trondheim
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