The sinking of Blücher - The King's Choice (2016)

A clip from the Norwegian movie "The King's Choice" where the Norwegian crew of the 'Oscarsborg' fortress sinks the German heavy cruiser 'Blücher' during the opening hours of the invasion of Norway in april 1940. English subtitles can be turned on for this clip.
I claim no copyright whatsoever, all of the content belongs to Nordisk Film and the rest of the people involved in the making of the movie.

[@Wisconsam2117]

Can we just all admit that the first 45 seconds are just masterfully done pieces of cinematography? A search light hitting something in the dark to dead silence is just foreboding as hell.

[@summitap1]

Yes, unfortunately this scene was the best part of the entire movie. The rest was... slower

[@badlaamaurukehu]

Pure cinematic perfection in all its silent glory.

[@Lunaraia]

Great Cinematography, but I give the scene a slight negative score for forgetting Colonel Birger Eriksens somewhat famous line that he said as he gave the order to open fire, said line, when translated, went something along the lines of "Either I will be decorated or I will be court-martialed, open fire" which is not mentioned in the movie, even so it sets the scene quite well indeed.

[@mthef10]

Wisconsam 217, watching that in a cinema with a good sound system is something I’ll remember forever.

[@mrdojob]

That searchlight beam being broken by something unknown was chilling. Great thought went into it.

[@klub5158]

“Is it an enemy ship?” If a warship is coming into your harbor silent as the grave and completely blacked out. Chances are he’s not coming to throw you a surprise party.

[@Princeofmellon]

no they where definetly planning a suprice party, the heavy caliber kind

[@FEDEXLuchs]

but its my bday :(

[@ian_b]

And if they are, it's their own fault they get shot at!

[@xHDdjuTrAXx--XIIX-]

I think a suprise is actually the point

[@sorrowangel47]

actually germans were not here to attack them , but just to pass this acces to the sea .........

[@rfletch62]

"No warning, no hesitation. These are enemies". "What if we're wrong"? "At my command...Fire". Leadership does that.

[@PlacidDragon]

yeah, he was under enormous pressure, to put it mildly. Standing orders at the time was to fire warning shots (as to not provoke anyone), his garrison was extremely undermanned (they had 3 guns, but only crew for 1 of them. He split that crew into two, and filled the "manual labor" tasks with anything he could get his hands on, even cooks), so they managed to man two of the three guns. He is said to have uttered "i'll either be decorated or court martialed" as he gave the order to open fire. He was also very close to retirement, talk about ending your career with a bang...lol Definitely a tough cookie :)

[@PlacidDragon]

uuuh, are you slow or something ? Which part of "standing orders" is unclear to you ? You've obviously never been in the military... people have a tendency to get shot (or put in prison if they are lucky) if they violate orders and it leads to something of this magnitude. At that point, he did not know if the ships were German, British, French, etc. He followed his gut, and good thing that he did.. but he went against orders, and he was under investigation several times after the war for the incident (he was vincidated).

[@PlacidDragon]

Yes, the shells weight several hundred kilo's each, so the lack of experienced personell meant that the ship would be well outside of the arc of fire before they'd have a chance to reload. The third gun of the battery, while loaded and ready to go, never got to fire because they did not have the manpower to man it.

[@Adam7510]

"It is a priviledge of the commanding officer to take responsibillity on himself" In Poland we know that.

[@PlacidDragon]

Yes, but as you say in your next post, "orders are orders". The order was crystal clear, warning shots only. If he had obeyed orders, the campaign for Norway would likely had looked very different. And speaking of British, as history has shown, the Germans only just beat the British in invading Norway. Britain had drawn up plans for taking Norway and Sweden (Plan R 4) so they could deny Germany raw materials (primarily Swedish iron ore).

[@Atesz222]

Can we stop to appreciate how masterful the directing is? The beginning is dead silent and creepy. Then as you start to see the ship's silhouette the music even adds to the atmosphere. I love it. I've never even heard of this movie, gotta check it out.

[@SIeipner]

The Norwegian title is "Kongens Nei" the English title is "The King's Choice"

[@Atesz222]

@@SIeipner I watched it last week, amazing movie

[@eoppen]

The music is reminiscent of the _Jaws_ theme.

[@jout738]

Yes first it was big fog, unitil Erikssen spots the ship and then immediately orders to fire it to take down, so Erikssen did not need to be scared of the ship, when he’s not scared of the ship, if they take it down, but maybe he is scared, if they let it pass without shooting it.

[@Teutathis]

They even got the hit sequence on the Blücher correct. This is pure history and no embellishment.

[@dkamouflage]

Fun Fact: The commander of the Torpedo Battery was sick at the time of the action, and so command of the battery during the battle was left to an officer who had actually retired 13 years prior, but was recalled to service due to rising tensions. Thanks to his intimate knowledge of the old torpedo systems--which he had previously manned during the last world war--he was able to use them to great effect despite the fact that they had been designed by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, *a country which no longer existed.*

[@CMaldonado1690]

dkamouflage speaking about after sale support...

[@ColoradoStreaming]

Meanwhile the US had brand new shit torpedoes that were duds half the time but Command refused to listen to the sailors who reported them not exploding.

[@KillerSpoon575]

@@ColoradoStreaming gotta love history sometimes

[@DoctorChained]

@@ColoradoStreaming bullshit. Japan's long lance torpedos were the best of their time

[@ColoradoStreaming]

@@DoctorChained I was talking about USA torpedoes. Japan's Oxygen torpedoes were very advanced for sure.

[@agskytter8977]

In the beginning of the 70'ies I was in a guided tour on the Oscarsborg Fort. The guide served on one of the guns during the battle. He told an amusing story of the hours after the ship was sunk and the fortress came under heavy air attack. One of the running ordonances, a private soldier, was almost hit by an axe that slammed into a wall only inches from his head. A bomb had hit a shed with tools. He reported to the CO: "The Germans are out of bombs! They have started throwing axes from the airplanes!" :-)

[@elementallynx493]

Oh that's grand!!! 😂

[@BeastEvan]

Was it a enemy ship that they sunk

[@elennapointer701]

@@BeastEvan The Blucher, one of Hitler's brand-new, state-of-the-art heavy cruisers. It went from being commissioned to being upside-down on the bottom of the Oslofjord in three days.

[@abcdecghijklmn]

Fucking nazis

[@pokeypokey3494]

@@BeastEvan Yes. It was Blucher. It was supposed to go into Oslo and capture the King and the goverment. But when it was sunk the King and the goverment managed to escape to England with the gold reserve. The people at Osvarsborg didnt even know if it was british or german. They just took the chance.

[@utsaar]

Can we all just appreciate the fact that they sank one of Hitler's newest heavy cruisers with a fortress manned with recruits and a 64 year old commander and with 50 year old torpedoes?

[@boogie153]

At this distance they would have hit with a bow and a arrow....

[@dank_lord]

German engineering can only be beaten by other german engineering

[@dank_lord]

@Yoda the joke is lost in you, isn't it?

[@dank_lord]

@Yoda not my fault you don't know a well known joke

[@paulmoffat9306]

The torpedoes would have been only 20 years old, left over from WW1, at most.

[@Mister_Kourkoutas]

“Gunner, you see that cruiser?” “Yes sir?” “I don’t want to.” “Understood sir!”

[@lancegideondiokno1774]

*"I L D"*

[@dvdmr9981]

badass

[@hazmatt3250]

@@Kiraaa92 “you are an old one”

[@Lorddesructo]

@@hazmatt3250 even more funny is the torpedoes they used were from a country that no long had a navy or access to the ocean.(Austria)

[@dimitriostsiampalis364]

@@Lorddesructo 62 days

[@toasty5605]

When the Fortress opened fire, the Windows of nearby houses shattered. Gives you some idea of how much firepower those guns had

[@shotguncleric]

@IJN Yamato Must've been fun on training days *windows explode inward* off in the distance... "Prøvebrann!" (test fire!) lol

[@ikethefrontliner5899]

11 incher mate it a Krupp gun too that more than enough

[@AtlantaTerry]

I don't believe Microsoft had invented Windows yet. Houses with windows are another matter.

[@sbrmilitia]

Terry Thomas best comment ever

[@7seaslp]

The irony is that they were German guns...

[@sierra118boy]

too bad they didn't include his iconic quote: ''Damn straight we're firing live ammunition. Either I will be decorated, or I will be court-martialed. Fire!'' -Birger Eriksen

[@bjrnmadsen1724]

He said thatto a messenger from the torpedo battery that wanted a written statement telleing them that they would not fire warningshots first . so that words would have been before this scene. but yes, they should be taken in.. one of those great quotes ..

[@Outside85]

Well.. thats because they weren't Texans.

[@denfantatsiskaraggsockan9782]

same was said at the battel of midskog , norwegan maned a road block and the germans opend fire , a norwegan rider come in the middel of the figth and they told him to get f away from here , dont you see they are shooting , the scaerd rider awserd but they arent firenig live amo rigth ?

[@GefreitervonAdler]

And I think the quote about the torpedoes were: Torpedo battery phones. "Skal det torpederes?" ("Shall there be torpedoing?") And Eriksen replies: "Det skal torpederes!" ("There shall be torpedoing!")

[@ArkBlanc]

@@GefreitervonAdler "Visst fanden skal der skytes med skarpt!" "Enten blir jeg stilt for krigsrett, eller så blir jeg krigshelt. Fyr!"

[@Minimeister317]

"Ingen advarsel, ingen nøling, dette er fienden" which translates to "No warning, no hesitation, this is the enemy" gives me the most insane chills every time I watch this.

[@rogerwilco2]

Norwegian is just about close enough to my native Dutch that I can understand it and that makes it hit home even more.

[@wantsomeoreos3467]

​@rogerwilco2 are there any Norwegian words that are similar to dutch?

[@TheHaematopus]

@@wantsomeoreos3467 If you know Norwegian and German you can basically read Dutch; it's like a mix of those two.

[@TorBarstad]

I get chills too. I'm probably being overly pedantic, but a more precise translation of what he says would be: "No warning, no hesitation, these are enemies".

[@Ettolrach2]

Birger Eriksen actually said "visst fanden skal der skytes skarpt. Enten blir jeg stilt for krigsrett, eller så blir jeg krigshelt. Fyr!" which translate into: damn sure shall it be shot with sharp! Either I will be court-martialed or I will be a war hero. Fire!

[@monicajewinsky]

Some interesting facts: The Blücher was carrying many of the troops and Gestapo agents needed to occupy Oslo, and its sinking delayed the German occupation to the point where it allowed the Norwegian king, Haakon VII and his government to escape. After the ship had disappeared from the surface, large quantities of oil floated up and covered the close to two thousand sailors and soldiers fighting for their lives in the freezing water. The oil rapidly caught fire, killing hundreds more Germans. Birger Kristian Eriksen, the Oberst ( A rank equivalent to Colonel) in charge of the fort, was 64 years old by the time of the battle, and was 6 months from retirement. The commander of the torpedo battery in the fort, Kommandørkaptein Andreas Anderssen, had been a pensioner for 13 years before being called back into service a month previously. While the Norwegians were supposed to have taken all the Germans prisoner, they instead focused more on caring for the wounded and dying. Sources: Wikipedia

[@alexh3974]

She also burned so badly as because of occupation, they had stowed extra kit, ammo and such for the troops on deck. The hits not only hit the ship but ignited the supplies on decks too.

[@seawolf4846]

@@alexh3974 Not helping was that the second shot slammed into pretty much her Seaplane hangar, which was also where the kit was being stored. The fire initially started was bad, but things probably weren't helped when the avgas detonated, which is the gigantic fireball that belches upward from the ship a few seconds after the second 11-inch shell hits.

[@traceywelsh6405]

Indeed, they needed that sweet sweet gold and Hitler wanted to be rich

[@ThatGuy-eu2vt]

fun fact : men burning to death while fleeing for their lives

[@billkallas1762]

Surprisingly, only 300 died in the battle and sinking.

[@ragzaugustus]

And he was only six months from retirement. This isn't a joke, he literally was.

[@seneca983]

And wasn't the torpedo battery commander brought back from retirement just before this?

[@majormojo9830]

@@seneca983 literally the same time the ships were spotted

[@just-dl]

The Blucher was 6 minutes from retirement....

[@Alex462047]

Well, he took his job seriously. Probably didn't give a damn if they did court-martial him.

[@andrewgillis3073]

Training the cadets was literally putting him out to pasture before retirement. No one expected Germany to invade when he was appointed. Then high command sort of forgot who was commanding the fort until the Blucher was reported sunk. Oberest Eriksen survived the war and died in 1958.

[@lafeelabriel]

Guns might be antiques, but a 280mm (11in) gun at that range is going to hurt, a lot. No cruiser in the world armored enough to withstand that sort of fire power.

[@AlexSDU]

"... of that magnitude!"

[@HrothgarHeavenlight]

Mayby beside american Alaska.

[@lafeelabriel]

Not even the Alaska class, they had pretty bad armor for their size.

[@timber_wulf5775]

Lafeel Abriel Armor is only as strong as its angle Germany had Turtleback armor layouts on all of their ships except Destroyers, Torpedo boats, (maybe the Graf Zeppelin had Turtleback maybe not) and Carriers, This gave them an advantage against close range brawling so only an HE shell from a 280mm gun could really do anything at close range as an AP shell would ricochet off of the armor or go completely through the ship

[@callsignsoviet978]

also torpedoes and yes age doesnt matter as long as the shell reaches its destination with enough speed.

[@timmygomez6007]

Perfectly illustrates the chain of command. The 2nd Officer voices concerns and gives the colonel all the information and relays each command without hesitation

[@Miralee01]

The amazing part of this is the historical accuracy. Not many movie makers are so careful in their details. Versus the documented historical battle they have tweaked only a bare 2 or 3 details at most. Add on top of that then the sheer phenomenal cinematography is breath taking.

[@seawolf4846]

Not to mention it is condensed somewhat. But yeah, accuracy wise, it's spot on.

[@SebHaarfagre]

Yeah all I can think of is that it implies the ship sank faster than it did. The hits are where they were, the sequence is spot on, the general anxious mood is spot on; this could/would mean war with either Germany or GB, none of them good. They miss the quote "Either I'll be decorated or I will be court martialed". He was martialed under Quisling iirc and decorated after the war.

[@BIGZGaming-hl2ip]

So goes the saying: "A ship's a fool to fight a fort" -Nelson

[@MrBernt1968]

Thats why Nelson negotiated a seize fire at the battle of Copenhagen. The forts where unharmed and ready to fight

[@sirboomsalot4902]

Admiral Farragut: Hold the craps I give about mines

[@b-17gflyingfortress6]

Dunno man it was a surprise attack for the ship

[@deeznoots6241]

Bernt Nielsen not that the forts at Copenhagen stopped the Royal Navy copenhagenizing(yes it’s a real term, look it up) the Danish Navy twice

[@DomWeasel]

@@deeznoots6241 These days it means to make a city more bicycle friendly... And the 1801 Battle of Copenhagen the term doesn't apply. The second battle was a joint army and navy operation and the navy didn't engage the forts; they just bombed the civilian population into surrender.

[@chubbycakes6446]

Blucher: *exists for less than a week* Erikson: Im about to end this ships whole carrer

[@dash1141]

CHUBBYCAKES a common meme for sure, but a welcome one

[@chubbycakes6446]

@@dash1141 common memes will do fine

[@augustus_lex6126]

Blücher is a cursed name

[@fredlind8270]

It existed for 3 years

[@MichaelDelvalle-nt4gp]

noice

[@BHuang92]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="91">1:31</a> Gun #1 hit Blücher 's rangefinder <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="102">1:42</a> Gun #2 landed a devastating shot near Blücher's aircraft hanger, starting a major fire <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="109">1:49</a> Fire igniting stored explosives lighting up up the whole hanger and severely crippling the ship's fire-suppression <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="121">2:01</a> Drøbak's offshore 15 cm batteries seen at Blücher's starboard side opens fire <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="139">2:19</a> Two land-based vintage Whitehead torpedoes launched, first one hitting below Blücher's midship <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="153">2:33</a> Second torpedo hits engine room, flooding further cripples the already stricken Blücher At <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="450">07:30</a> am, Blücher listed and finally sank with significant casualties

[@Cordman1221]

It's kind of funny to think that the Norwegians managed to sink a completely brand new German heavy cruiser with weapons that were outdated when WW1 began.

[@givenfirstnamefamilyfirstn3935]

It’s not the dog in the fight, it’s the fight in the dog. The Norwegian people said no to Nazi Germany.

[@Jpdt19]

Excellent spot on the batteries on the other side thank you. Didn't notice the flashes in the distraction of the fires though I knew they had fired.

[@givenfirstnamefamilyfirstn3935]

@@Jpdt19 The 6" (I think) batteries severely damaged the Armoured Ship Lutzow, another unlucky name.

[@sirboomsalot4902]

I’m still impressed by how accurately they depicted Blüchers sinking.

[@BastuGubbar]

The oscarsborg fortress had been relegated to a training facility, and it was manned by a mix of pensioners and new recruits, it's commander was 64 years old. The guns were older than most of the men and the torpedoes had been manufactured in a country that stopped existing 22 years earlier. The man in charge of the torpedoes had retired 13 years earlier and was called in as reserve as the new guy was sick. And they sunk a cruiser that was so new that it still had a new car smell on the toilet seats.

[@deflydefly5276]

the irony

[@buttersstotch7981]

Well, if you think about it, Ukrainians are shooting Russian helicopters down with 9K32M Strela-2 MANPADs from DDR, a country which haven´t existed on 32 years. (The missile system is even older, from 1974, and originally made in USSR.)

[@interpl6089]

@@buttersstotch7981 Yes, but the Consistent Factor is Russian Equipment is Equally Old and Crap as 9K32s

[@buttersstotch7981]

@@interpl6089 I agree but even tough Blücher was brand new, it was still just made from steel and had no warning systems, unlike Russian aircraft, so there is that balancing factor

[@hondacivic8222]

@@buttersstotch7981 it's not a good comparison in any capacity

[@fludblud]

A hundred year old fort manned by recruits and pensioners armed with 50 year old Austro-Hungarian weaponry destroyed a warship so new its crew was still finishing training.

[@SMGJohn]

It was actually hit by old vintage Great War torpedoes aimed by eye sight in pitch darkness. If Norway mobilised and actually went to war for real, historical experts think Germany could lost hundreds of thousands of troops if not half a million, it would be like invading Switzerland, the mountains are your worst enemy and the cold weather makes everything harder.

[@henrywatson3229]

SMGJohn if the soldiers had better training then I think norway would have been able to stand against for real

[@10995]

would have been just like Finland during the Winter War, defensive on their home turf. Invaders beware.

[@curemyinsomniatonight9808]

Then why didn't they fight for real?

[@10995]

because the soldiers were poorly trained when the germans invaded.

[@hansmelbye1804]

I remember in the theatre I was just waiting for the ship to appear. When I the ship finally appeared I got chills running down my spine, it was like seeing the shark fin in Jaws. The sound of the artillery batteries firing felt so massive and powerful.

[@solbergsindre]

My thoughts excactly!

[@nexern3211]

Hans Olafsen Melbye same here ;D

[@NickKiwiFreak]

My Grandma lived in Drøbak in the 40s and she said it was very quiet then suddenly the lights was flashing in the fjord the germans was screaming the whole night until the morning. Very chilling for me to "see" what she saw

[@asgeiriversen3864]

du er overalt er du ikke det ..

[@KevinbodiNo]

Norwegian Royalist Jeg liker å tenke at du er HMS som sitter og ser på KZbin-videoer.

[@sillyone52062]

The Blucher had been in service for four days. The DKM hadn't even made the first payment yet!

[@timber_wulf5775]

sillyone52062 I hope you had insurance

[@themechanic.9545]

Four Days and they haven't got their pay yet. Those fools have ONE JOB.

[@cptcrogge]

@@timber_wulf5775 We have insurances for everything in Germany :D

[@NikoChristianWallenberg]

Not true. There was nothing wrong with Blücher's crew. The ship was not still finishing training - they had completed their training on the ship over the last 8 months - prior to being stationed on the ship they had already been training on other ships and were even familiarizing themselves on Admiral Hipper, which was identical to Blücher. Blücher survived the initial damage and sailed past the coastal defenses beyond their their firing arc - damaged and on fire, but still very much afloat: the ship had taken on some water causing a list of 18 degrees, but this was not a problem, since majority of the ship's bulkheads were holding - problems were the fires. The crew fought the fires hard, but they eventually spread to one of the ship's 105mm magazines, which exploded; causing the ship's fuel stores to catch on fire while rupturing the bulkheads which by that point had held. At that point there was nothing that could be done to save Blücher, with order to abandon ship being given. Were the fires prevented from reaching that 105mm magazine, Blücher was still repairable - that did not happen, but it is worth pointing out. There was nothing wrong with Blücher's crew.

[@NhatHuyNg]

@@NikoChristianWallenberg they couldnt contain the fire, thats what wrong with them.

[@feonor26]

Many years later there was a documentary where survivors of Blücher and men serving on Oscarsborg met up at the fortress. It was heartwarming to see that they could be friends so many years after where they previously were enemies.

[@guyfromthe80s92]

Link?

[@feonor26]

@@guyfromthe80s92 I'll see if I can find it even tho I doubt it. It was sent on the norwegian state channel NRK.

[@RichardGjerdin]

@@feonor26 Still waiting😂🎉

[@talamioros]

​@@RichardGjerdinwell he did doubt it

[@Bob-fh4ht]

rip, sill no sign

[@cximines]

"There is no time. Distance, 1200 meter!" damn what an educated, calculated shot, he figured that out from eyeballing it in the fog at night from the distance of one single searchlight across the river.

[@kawafahra]

that´s why its called an educated guess. He knows the territory, therefore knows the markers.

[@mikem9001]

He knew the distance to the island that the ship was sailing past.

[@fludblud]

No need for calculation, he wouldve had all the ranges of the fjord's landmarks memorised already.

[@TomasMisura]

There is stated that the distance was measured by orograph.

[@TomasMisura]

@Nightshade We apologize, but sometimes it's difficult to recognize emotions behind words :)

[@Vulture1738]

Blücher: exists WW1 coastal turret: no

[@flopsinator5817]

Oscarsborg actually predates ww1. Hell it even predates Germany...

[@givenfirstnamefamilyfirstn3935]

Blucher still exists, it is deep down and upside down, full of drowned and burnt murderous Nazi invaders.

[@lille0le502]

@@flopsinator5817 u mean the nazi party?

[@flopsinator5817]

@@lille0le502 No, I mean Germany as a unified state.

[@raymartcarreon6069]

I think all of oskarsborgs weapons are pre-dreadnought ironclad era...

[@kameins]

Sinking Blücher is very important for Norwegian, because Blücher carried more than 800 Wehrmacht soldiers to attack Oslo, and also carried lots of document, including the list of Storting (Norwegian parliament) members who would be arrested after occupying.

[@Ola-rc7hm]

*Norway

[@TheWoollyFrog]

@@Ola-rc7hm *Norge

[@TheWoollyFrog]

@@Ola-rc7hm I was just joking. But you could have also corrected the sentence by saying "Norwegians". And, even so, his comment has many grammatical mistakes.

[@evanhunt1863]

Talk about throwing a wrench in the gears.

[@cllrkeithmartin]

The gestapo were on board.

[@leszas872]

"But colonel, what if we're wrong?" "Then either I'll be decorated or be court martialed. On my command, fire!"

[@Minimeister317]

As a Dane, I love these accounts of how Norway basicly just gave Hitler the middle finger for 2 months straight.

[@Anonymous8830]

considering that the Danes gave up after, what? 6 hours? Or was it more? To be fair, the king was allowed to remain king, was even treated as such. Dude even went horse riding in Copenhagen on a daily basis. He had no issue with the Germans being there.

[@JakobFredse]

@@Anonymous8830 saying that is really half the story

[@cameronmcallister7606]

@@Anonymous8830 Denmark's army was never going to win an engagement with Germany, rather, Denmark immediately went into "Fuck you, Nazis" mode and refused to hand over their Jews since unfortunately all the documentation had been lost in a tragic paper bin fire.

[@SebHaarfagre]

@@Anonymous8830 Uh, didn't he ride around with a Jew star to provoke the Germans? Also, these two kings were brothers (or at least cousins). They both risked outright execution, depending on Germany's occupation policy. "He had no issue with the Germans being there." If you're gonna be an ignorant asshat, go somewhere else. Regards from Norway.

[@Pow3llMorgan]

@@Anonymous8830 Norway is basically a defender's paradise while Denmark is a semi-large, flat sandbar.

[@LabRat10101]

Welcome to Norway.

[@vloplob]

The invitation was accepted.

[@pesshau6508]

vloplob Joking aside, you could, in a sense, say that the Norwegian government sent out invitations to everyone. In the wake of the Altmark incident, foreign minister Koth basically announced to the whole world that we would not put up a fight against a superior intruder. This defeatist attitude did not go unnoticed in Berlin and London.

[@Andrey5433567]

Nice

[@artificialgravitas8954]

Alt-History: the sinking of the hood - The King's [other] choice (2016)

[@jussim.konttinen4981]

This movie is now on Finnish TV. It is absurd to criticize the choices of the most advanced country in the world. There was a different situation in Finland, and it was not really a choice (a log in the rapids). Imdb's people gave 7.2 stars, I would give 8 stars. Truly a vivid and thrilling movie.

[@divinemoments5344]

The colonel's orders are the very definition of competence.

[@thehummermeister8992]

He did the right thing

[@somethingawful100]

When an unknown warship tries to approach your territorial waters, much less your capital, with lights turned off and unannounced... Hell yes you shoot. And they had already gotten reports from other posts being under attack as well.

[@dclark142002]

Indeed. It was abundantly clear that something was happening...and a ship without navigational beacons coming up a channel that you know is being attacked by the enemy...is almost assuredly an enemy warship. The only real question is which country (Germany or Britain) sent the warship. Given the fact the Norway had already determined to defend its neutrality...even that didn't matter.

[@zombieguyproducion]

@@Requestcykor This was right outside the capital..

[@abelkhan196]

Yea not like the other coward generals, who surrendered before the germans landed.

[@creforce]

The one thing that was to "old" to be considered a threat did the most unthinkable for the german navy. even for a swede this historic scene is kind of a pride feeling for my nieghbor country, and the cinematography is just stunning

[@grahamstrouse1165]

Those Krupp guns may haver been old but an 11" gun is an 11" gun. If hit hits you at point blank range, it's hurt... :-)

[@lordbeaverhistory]

No matter how old it is, it can still put 280 mm shells and powerful torpedos into the ship

[@hazmatt3250]

Blucher coming in all sneaky sneaky, Nordic coast guard like “so you’ve chosen death”. For real though, the soundtrack in this clip was so ominous and fitting. It was essentially the musical representation of the commander’s hunch being correct and the realization setting in on all of the defenders that “we are now at war with one of the most aggressive nations on the planet.” This is such an overlooked theater of war here in America. Edit: I just realized the composer is the same guy who does the music for Battlefield 1 and V.

[@SebHaarfagre]

The Norwegian campaign from the German side, or Weserubung, meant they had 600 000 military personel stationed just in Norway at the highest. That's quite a lot of manpower that could had been used elsewhere. The German war machine vastly outclassed Norway's equipment, from personal to support and vehicles/planes, but the Norwegian held for 2 months even after a great initial communications disruption by the Germans, and afterwards they were heavily disrupted by partisans and Norwegian commandos. There's a lot of interesting things happening here. Also, from the British side, these events in Norway literally was the cause of and unprecedented change of parliament in its history. I could write pages on Chamberlain and his incompetence as well as the brass pre-Dunkirk, the proceedings in the houses, and Churchill being the "lesser" of two evils for Norway...

[@highball5550]

Agreed, the brass do everything right. Everything from the ominous beginning as the score builds not only in tension but arm rest gripping anxiety as it only grows further in volume portraying the fear and awe striking power that is these cannons facing off against state of the art technology. When I first watched this scene in my World War II history class I got anxious chills from the music alone. Well done to the composer!

[@Nighthawke70]

"Here, let me pop a Whitehead for you."

[@firingallcylinders2949]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="56">0:56</a> idk why but the conversation to set the range sounds freakin awesome in Norwegian.

[@Princeofmellon]

The Norwegian defense has what we call, the Defense language or "Forsvarsspråket" it's something every serving man has to learn to some degree, and the introductory words are; "Words can be powerful as weapons, and language is what makes the tool we have to communicate. With simple grips and proper grammar, you avoid the recipients misunderstanding or get confused. Correct and comprehensible language is especially important in the Armed Forces, where clear Commands, clear messages and correct information are essential for operational capability. The language standard helps you to write correctly, easily and comprehensibly for recipients in and outside the Armed Forces"

[@guardsmanlars6797]

Welcome to norway my friend. Du er velkommen

[@firingallcylinders2949]

@@Princeofmellon That's awesome, thanks for the info!

[@davidwroblewski7215]

I love how Erikson is just there like a father overlooking their kid. Sodem: "right that's about everything we can do" Erikson: "and what about the torpedoes Sodem...?"

[@ToaGatanuva]

"Our instruments show 1800 meters, sir" "Bullshit! They are just passing Småskjær!" "Sir, we're still awaiting confirmation." "There is no time. Distance, 1200 meter!"

[@thatguyonyoutubemk2746]

He mentions "kopas" after the word confirmation. Kopas was the shore battery across the water from Oscarsborg nearer to the search light.

[@SuperChuckRaney]

@@thatguyonyoutubemk2746 you can see Kopas firing at about 2:00 behind the ship

[@thatguyonyoutubemk2746]

@@SuperChuckRaney I didn't notice that lol, too focused on the ship.

[@RobbertHoek]

@@SuperChuckRaney i didnt see that untill you pointed it out. i found it strange that i didnt see any fire coming from that side because writings about this battle state that the ship was peppered by the batteries on that side of the water aswell

[@cubismo85]

@@RobbertHoek From what i remember they only had some 40mm bofors on that side, merely a nuisancef for the warship. On the same side the only 2 civilian casualties was reported, 2 women. Perhaps they wouldnt have died if they didnt used those guns.

[@WestTNConfed]

Those 11 inch guns were vintage Krupp guns manufactured in Germany and imported in 1890. They got a taste of their own (grandpa's) medicine.

[@johnlavery3433]

Those guns were older than the Norwegian state

[@OberDesiah]

@@johnlavery3433 No

[@ShadowKayvaan]

For all you Game of Thrones fans, the battery commander is Tormund Giantsbane's father.

[@Beowulf-eg2li]

Nice fact!

[@hadnils]

As a Norwegian, I can confirm this fact!

[@bonohf]

no u

[@Axemantitan]

It took me a moment to realize that you meant the actor's father, not the character's father.

[@dainironfoot5198]

@Axemantitan "So Tormund, you said you had a plan up your sleeve?" "Yes, I'd like you to meet my father!" "What's so special about him?" [Massive explosions appear in the middle of the wight army, decimating it in minutes]

[@Elthenar]

The detail is fantastic. At about <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="120">2:00</a> you can see the 15cm artillery batteries open fire from the hillside

[@NotAFirefighter1]

How on earth was he able to run up to the wall so fast with balls that big dragging after him, what a fucking legend

[@ws2228]

Special underwear?

[@mariossahamis3969]

New speed record... He supparsed even the American roadrunner...How someone cry beep beep in Norwegian ?

[@Engie_Boi]

@@mariossahamis3969 beep beep, i'm norwegian xD

[@matiashogden1240]

«I’ll either be court martialed, or become a war-hero»

[@andmos1001]

Matias Hogden he got the Krigskorset med Sverd, the highest military award in Norway

[@nelsondx8054]

It's "either I will be decorated or I will be court-martialed, fire!"

[@matiashogden1240]

@@nelsondx8054 Oh my apologises, was going off memory

[@seneca983]

@@andmos1001 The French also gave him Croix de Guerre.

[@silentdeath7847]

well, he got both xD

[@S0RGEx]

History doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes.

[@GiordieTN]

I think the cannons in the movie are the same that actually sunk the ship, this scene was shot in the same fort

[@AshtonmartinVids]

Yes, it was filmed on the real location.

[@Outside85]

Not quite sure its the same guns, the fortress came under heavy air bombardment after the Blücher's sinking and knocking out those guns would have been the one and only goal of the German bombers. I quite like to imagine however that the Germans might have restored them afterwards, or the Norwegian state after the war.

[@twauster]

@@Outside85 The guns in the movie are the exact same guns they used in the wee hours of 9 April 1940. The guns were intact after the fortress surrendered, despite the Luftwaffe bombing.

[@nilswaage7626]

Fun fact, though I'm unsure how true it is: One of the cannons had at some point during its service fallen into the ocean, so they hoisted it up and called it Moses. Only fitting, they named its "brother" Aron.

[@feonor26]

@@Outside85 The guns are there still to this day, I recommend a guide tour at the fortress.

[@the_changerang]

Great film, the only thing I'm saddened by is they didn't include Commander Eriksen's legendary quote. When Eriksen gave the order to fire, he was asked if they could get in trouble for possibly shooting an Allied ship (they didn't know it was German until they fired back). Famously, Eriksen stated: "Either I will be decorated, or I will be court-martialed. Fire!"

[@hagamapama]

Basically saying "either way, I'll be taking personal responsibility."

[@mikebrown1926]

My father in law, now deceased, was a gunner in the U.S. Army coast defense artillery in the 1930s. He served in various batteries in Washington State, California and Panama. He told me that it took a well trained crew almost ten minutes to reload those heavy guns, because the shells had to be raised from an underground magazine, rolled to the gun on hand carts, lifted to the breech with a crane, then rammed home. Then the powder charges had to done the same way. With an untrained crew, I think that the commander of the Oskarborg fortress knew that he had only one shot per gun. By the way, my father in law transferred to the Army Air Corps just before WW II and was a flight engineer on B17s during the war. He flew many missions over Europe. He retired in the 1950s. He was quite deaf when I met him, as are most gunners, and when he died he had a box full of the latest types of hearing aids, but the didn't really help him. And he never complained, he said it was his small price to pay for freedom.

[@bjrsherino7085]

Mike Brown salute to him!

[@artificialgravitas8954]

Think of price payed by those below, though they may not have thought so at the time: anything to get rid of Nazis and thanks for that marshall plan, much better than Versailles

[@belfast4893]

Damn, everyone have a blood related war veteran now don’t we 😒

[@mikebrown1926]

@@belfast4893 I can't speak for everyone, but my grandfather fought in the US army World War I and was wounded at St Mihel in September 1918. His sons, my father fought Guadalcanal and Okinawa, and my uncle landed at Normandy. A second uncle was too young for WWII but volunteered for service and was wounded in the Korean war. I served eight years in the US Navy from August 1965 until November 1973, and that included Vietnam. My father in law, mentioned above, was a career soldier, as I said, and two of my brothers in law served in the army and navy. And yes, I am most certainly blood related to those men.

[@hugookok2517]

@@mikebrown1926 That naval cannon has 2 barrels, and the third explosion is probably ammunition storages exploding..

[@arts6821]

No matter how many times I've watched this, whenever the searchlight hits the ship I still get the chills.

[@jdjaneway]

The growing pulse of the orchestra in this scene is brilliant. Perfectly matching the firing of the batteries, so powerful.

[@AudieHolland]

The actual history and personal story of the commander in charge of that battery is so surprising. But it just so happens to fit the classical older warrior called back out of retirement. Edited *again:* Oops, the commander in this scene was the fortress commander, Birger Eriksen. He was also rather old. Almost 65. The regular commander of the torpedo battery was ill so Andreas Anderssen, having been in retirement for 13 years, was called out of his bed when the suspicious flotilla of ships was spotted approaching the coast. He donned his old uniform and was taken by boat from his house in the nearby village to the fortress. The torpedo battery was rather old - but so was Anderssen! He had trained as a recruit on the torpedo battery in 1909, over 30 years before.

[@fabianzimmermann5495]

This scene is just so awesome. The silhouette of the Blücher showing up in total darkness in the searchlight and the soundtrack kicking in is just amazing. This is a great movie scene. I also recommend watching this scene with earphones.

[@pacz8114]

It's just so like awesome how they make these movies. Like all the awesome gunfire and blowup sounds and like hundreds of people dying and stuff and the cool awesome soundtrack kicking in. I recommend watching this scene with photographs of the brave men who sacrificed their life trying to save a country from evil fascists.

[@themanformerlyknownascomme777]

fun fact, that shadow behind Blucher was a much more dangerous vessel. That shadow was the pocket battleship Deutschland, fortunatly for the fort's crew, Deutschland and the rest of the flotilla thought that Blucher had struck mines instead of torpedoes and they pulled back.

[@fabianzimmermann5495]

@@themanformerlyknownascomme777 As far as I'm aware, Deutschland was hit by a few 6 inch shells from the other coastal artillery cannons and retreated because of that. Also the ship had been renamed to Lützow at that time.

[@themanformerlyknownascomme777]

@@fabianzimmermann5495 ya, the vessel came under some minor fire, and I am aware of the renaming, I just call her by her original name A) out of habit B) not to confuse her with the Admiral Hipper Class

[@fabianzimmermann5495]

@@themanformerlyknownascomme777 Yeah, ships with two names are confusing. You made it very easy to understand which ship you meant. Also, after her renaming, she apparently wasn't able to get a good time, judging by all the damage she took by enemy attacks or accidents, so calling her by her first name is probably the better thing to do.

[@AugmentedGravity]

Shows you how important "local knowledge" and experience is.

[@The_Daily_Tomato]

The torpedo defenses were however a closely guarded secret and the Germans deemed the guns, powerful but old and thus payed them little mind on top of having been told that they would face no resistance :)

[@onrr1726]

It would probably would have been no surprise if Eriksen fished them vary waters like so many others who lived and worked in the area that knowledge alone would be priceless in knowing when to make an educated guess and or be able to determine an exact location such things become only second nature over time.

[@VersusARCH]

Wisitt ze Norway zey said... Lowely fjords, hozspittable volk zey said...

[@andmos1001]

280 mm gun and torpedoes tends to say how welcome one really are

[@matiashogden1240]

Ya went to the wrong fjord (which isnt even a fjord, idiots decided to name it as such anyways)

[@margraveofgadsden8997]

The writer of this comment has been sacked.

[@guardsmanlars6797]

Lenge leve kongen

[@balder2597]

Wrong fjord at the wrong time lol

[@eliazarcone]

At <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="121">2:01</a> and onwards you can actually see the 5 mm batteries on the other side of the fjord that open fire on the Blücher. Extremely accurate movie

[@anhkhoanguyentran5130]

i did not notice that woah

[@aldreidecenilla8606]

You mean the 15 cm batteries

[@Froststrike]

Those are 15cm batteries

[@cmdrgarbage1895]

they're using pistols to fire at the cruiser?

[@lailasolum4599]

That is what saved the king of Norway and his family

[@DroopyPenguin95]

Laila Solum Not only the royal family, but also our government and gold reserves :)

[@spetfire1]

True, but some time After they sunk Blücher, an other ship came And Norway didnt win that one

[@lavrentivs9891]

Santa Claus There were several ships steaming up the fjord when Blücher did, but it is so narrow that they couldn't go all at the same time. Also, the Luftwaffe bombed the fort into submission before the next attempt.

[@dogsnads5634]

Well you could mention the British Royal Navy as well...

[@tash4943]

So it would have been better if they were captured and used to "nazify" the norwegian people?

[@kkhagerty6315]

Those guns where put there in the First World War by Austria-Hungary The empire strikes back

[@seneca983]

"Our cruisers can't repel firepower of that magnitude."

[@Elthenar]

@@seneca983 More like, the Empire strikes itself.

[@Volnas97]

Guns were German. Torpedoes were Austrio-Hungarian.

[@olegbochkis5680]

Empire shoots itself in the Bluher

[@still_guns]

Enemy cruiser destroyed! 435 512 credits, 5 000 EXP, 321 Free EXP 2 hits to citadel, 2 torpedo hits, 1 ship sunk Back to Port Battle on!

[@許進曾]

@Nightshade no the naval addition is so bad i quit playing it after 2 hours. Plus the grind wall that is too huge. I have played both for years and in the end i chose wows because it feels less grindy than wt.

[@LoisoPondohva]

@Hail Hydra naval warthunder is bad thought. Server issues, broken damage models, lack of balance. And that's coming from a player with three fully spaded naval trees.

[@許進曾]

@Hail Hydra warthunder is not balance, unrealistic pen model, shells that exist are ignored, America Abram do not have depleted uranium armor, worst of all, that bloody akula ruined helicopter gameplay with its VT atgm.

[@troutwarrior6735]

@@許進曾 Literally every MBT in the game has fudges stats. You think that the leopard 2 and Leclerc have such weal UFPs? Gaijin screws everyone but the Russians 😁

[@jout738]

No its not back to the port, when you can countinu playing, when your ship is still not destroid.

[@Foolnation]

Those batteries sound absolutely orchestral. The first one give a thick bellow, while the second one, after the order is given, gives you a slight moment of anticipation and then cracks and crashes. Perfect cinematography.

[@shaun_b]

"Either i will be decorated or i get court martialed, **FIRE** " -Birger Eriksen

[@victoriacyunczyk]

This is one of the best naval scenes I've seen in any film. Well done to the producers. The soundtrack is also perfect for this scene.

[@Ulvetann]

Last time a 'simple scene' gave me this much immersion, was watching 'Das Boot', and/or 'Stalingrad'.

[@marcjones1411]

"Welcome to Norway. Please now bugger off."

[@moritamikamikara3879]

"Uhh, excuse me. Could you give me directions to Oslo?" "Yeah, it's back the way you came" *Clicks 280mm fuck off cannons*

[@littlejimmy8744]

@@moritamikamikara3879 Very funny process to curb stomp Norway.

[@Foralltosee1623]

Colonel Briger Eriksen, Commanding Officer of Oscarsborg Battery "Either I will be decorated, or I will be court-martialed. FIRE!" I'm sorry but fuck off that's badass, shame it wasn't included.

[@AllCentaur]

It should have been, seriously, there should’ve been an award for straight badass lines and him given a few hundred for that

[@abnurtharn2927]

That is one of our greatest war heroes. Colonel Birger Eriksen, commander at Oskarborg fortress

[@JuergenGDB]

Actually you have more..... they were Vikings of old... But this does not surprise me.... no offense to those that live in Europe and not starting anything political of sorts, but damn..,.. Europeans have forgotten how the fuck they got their in the first place.... now Islam will be your religion, and your culture will be forgotten.

[@mikeggg5671]

Surely a determined officer, no doubt. Imagine how much greater we would have been had you not fought us! We could have thrown the Russians off, taken Archangel, and stopped Communism in its tracks.

[@kreigdernier9553]

mike ggg naziism gave a 30 year lease on life to communism

[@mrgoob76]

JuergenGDB i am going to corect you here.... WESTERN europe will be forgotten.... eastern europe and the slavics and balts will not.... they have a VERY long memory and have not forgotten how they were treated by muslims. as it is the polish and the Hungarians are getting pissed off and riled up again and defiant if anything is what is going to happen the Slavs are going to step in and save western Europe from itself..... AGAIN and not even get a thank you like the last time they did in 1683

[@mikeggg5671]

Binko Binev you are obviously misguided. And also evil if you wish to exterminate all people. That is wrong. Without doubt.

[@Krinkov]

Colonel Eriksen woke up that morning, in the twilight of his career, never expecting that he would soon commit his country to war with the biggest power in Europe. The weight of that decision to fire must have been staggering, he knew exactly what this meant.

[@Servellion]

Probably wasn't that heavy. There was a blacked out brandnew heavy cruiser from Germany in the fjord with no warning. That alone is an act of war.

[@drankrur]

I believe he is quoted to be said "Tomorrow we are either heroes or traitors" or something to that effect.

[@NemoBlank]

When the enemy comes, you kill him or surrender. He didn't want to surrender, even though many of his superiors were dithering, issuing contradictory orders and demanding that he fire useless 'warning shots,' theorizing that Nazi aggression could be deterred by noise. He saw an enemy that the fort was designed to deal with and used his weapons as designed. Later, he surrendered when his fortress was confronted by forces that it was not designed to resist, seeing no reason to kill his men uselessly. After the war these same superiors, stung by their own ineffectiveness and deflecting like mad, had the gall to attack him, saying that he had surrendered too easily after some time under under aerial bombardment. That fort long predated the airplane and had no air defenses. The Germans certainly weren't going to try to sneak another cruiser past him.

[@Elthenar]

@@NemoBlank The decision to fire may have been a stressful but it wasn't really a tough decision to make. His second may not have realized it but the Colonel knew he wasn't committing Norway to war. The war had already started and he was simply launching a fast and aggressive defense.

[@dclark142002]

@@Elthenar, indeed. The jamming of the radios was already evidence that a war had begun. The right course was definitely shooting back.

[@AdurianJ]

After Blucher was sunk the Korpås 15cm battery (on the land side of the Fjord) won an artillery duel with the Lützow (second ship in the line) causing heavy damage to she ship and knocking out her forward 28cm turret.

[@road-eo6911]

Although she (Lützow) was named "Deutschland" during that time, the original Lützow was supposed to be an Admiral Hipper-class light cruiser, she was then sold to the Soviet Union as Petropavlovsk (although only partially built)

[@AdurianJ]

@@road-eo6911 no she had just been renamed before the invasion

[@jesusalfredofernandezcruz1833]

Lutzow, one of the Three Poket Battleships. My favorite one of the Three always would be the Admiral Graf Spee.

[@sylquinn4075]

The reality was that as the Blucher was being struck by the torpedoes was when Lutzow was hit and forced to reverse course.

[@JamesWhite-lj3jm]

Thought it was "Bruno", the after turret that was knocked out.

[@ophthalmophobicnpc8002]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="82">1:22</a> The way he says "On my command" and then looks at his watch is so badass

[@BDNeon]

"Hold on, I gotta take this call." "Go for Alpha Adolf!" "Whoa whoa whoa, slow down." "What do you mean they blew up the Blucher?!" "AH $%#&! *&#@ a @#^#$%& %%&" "Well who's 'They'?!" "What the hell is an Oscar Mayer Fortress?!"

[@kossakken]

love the robot chicken reference!

[@Soundwave3591]

"That thing wasn't even fully paid off yet! do you have any idea what this is going to do to my credit?!"

[@mwnciboo]

@@Soundwave3591*KM HQ* "Fuck! Its gone? No way...It is NEW!...Jesus we were going to use it for Surface Raiding. I mean the Royal Navy could never Cope with Surface raiding...I mean they cannot be everywhere can they? Their fleet isn't that big is it? Well shit...We will need to use the Bismarck when she is ready. I am telling you Surface Raiding is the strategy that win us the Naval war! Best we send all our Destroyers somewhere safe like Narvik for a few weeks"

[@MikeJones-qn1gz]

"Ok ok so whos left?.... ARE YOU SHITTING ME!? WELL WHERE ARE YOU? Wait a minute you're still sitting outside the Fjord waiting for air support?" "Heh must be fucking cold." "NOW GET YOUR ASS TO OSLO OR ILL MAKE SURE YOU END UP IN THE U-BOAT FLEET!" "Oh jeez hes crying... XD"

[@seanw9541]

Fucking hell I love this so much! LMMFAO

[@taiko1237]

No matter how old it is, an 11-inch shell is still an 11-inch shell, and it _will_ ruin your day if it hits you.

[@Nighthawke70]

The movie does the Colonel no justice. His quotes during the battle were not used to their fullest.

[@lst141]

Nighthawke70 Have you wondered why?, although they are known, bravery and patriotic jargon is to be wiped out of memory.

[@chrisashes514]

for those who do not know, Norway fought for 2 months before the soldiers were ordered by the king himself to surrender even though they wanted to fight more. norway had about 55.000 soldiers available and lost about 900. as some say, had norway mobilized and had tanks, machineguns, more planes, etc, they could have held for much longer and perhaps even turn the war around with allied help. Norway was the country who held second longest of all invaded countries, russia held the longest

[@WEMBLEYNE]

Well the scandinavians didnt really had balls in ww2. Danes surrendered after what, 6 hours?

[@josesolis8206]

Yet the Germans still outnumbered the Norwegians and allies by 20,000 making an actual victory impossible also that's not true when the truce was signed the Norwegian army was stretched to the limit at least its main conventional force. Everything was low an most of the Norwegian Commandos who fought for the British later were mere civilians not soldiers. Also Norway lost 1,335 lmao sure compared to German losses that cool but the only reason they were so great were because of the naval war. Also having more of everything doesn't mean victory that's just a retarded concept especially for Norway's very mountainous and such.

[@barneybeartilde9601]

Chris Ashes nono the russians don’t count, they didn’t surrender

[@Jaceric2]

@@WEMBLEYNE Do a little reading on a thing called the Winter war between FInland and Russia.

[@captainpinky8307]

their "King" was a idiot.

[@robertblake9892]

One of the best and and most accurate battle reenactments I have ever seen-feels like time travel.

[@marcleinsmer6812]

Deutsche Kriegsmarine: Lets take Norway, Blücher is first Col. Eriksen: Okay. Sødem? Lets inflate the Reichsmark some more

[@SwisSpetsnaz]

I'm surprised how much I can understand without subtitles. God bless Norway!

[@Jokumlokum]

Whats really amazing that i want to explain to you because of the norwegian thing. That officer did not have the orders of permission to shoot. That guy had the balls to declare war on Germany and fire those shots. They didnt even know that the germans were attacking them. They only had the news of that german battleships were spotted going north towards them. So thats one fucking badass officer.

[@nicholasloremann4741]

Jokke The Dark Pheonix Yeah i have to agree its impressive that only 2 cannons sunk the Blücher

[@carbo73]

By his face, I'm sure he was thinking, hey, the entrance of the Oslofjord is our own backyard. If a german ship is entering as a thief, it's it that's breaking the rules.

[@berserk-in9cl]

The first shot hit the superstructure and knocked the fore rangefinder out of alignment, the second struck near the hangar, setting both of its scout aircraft on fire, which would spread through the ship as the battle progressed. The most important outcome of the hit, however, was that it knocked out the electricity onboard, which meant that Blucher was unable to train its 8 inch guns on the fort. The damage caused by these guns certainly did not sink it, they were firing high explosive rounds that caused more structural damage than hull damage that would cause flooding. The torpedoes were what sank the Blucher. The torpedoes used by the fort were archaic Whitehead torpedoes designed 50 years earlier, frequent test fires made it unclear whether these torpedoes would explode in a combat scenario. The first torpedo was fired at a range of about 500 meters, hitting it under the funnel, knocking out a boiler room. The second hit directly amidships of Blucher and caused catastrophic flooding and destroying whatever power Blucher had left.The fires eventually reached one of the 105mm magazines, blowing a large hole into the side of the ship, destroying bulkheads along the ship and allowing floodwater to overrun Blucher. So while the guns themselves played a key role in sinking the Blucher, they did not land the killing blow that doomed it.

[@tigervv6437]

By the time the ships reached Oscarsborg fortress the Germans had already fired upon Norwegian positions at the beginning of the fjord I believe.

[@avengermkii7872]

Norway: We're a neutral country Also Norway: Yeetus Fetus Deletus.

[@andmos1001]

Main reason for the fortress where because we separated from Swedish rule 40 years prior, and feared an attack from Sweden at the time of building this fort.

[@fedda9999]

hippity hoppity get off my property

[@ilmatar6608]

Also Norway: Occupied by Germany

[@richardcurry4912]

Indeed, just before the British could, as they planned.

[@AmphiStuG]

Love the cinematics and sound design they gave this scene, the dead silence of the start with only coast bells and naval search lights, the tense build up in the music as the officers and gun crews to prepare to fire at a ship they did not know whether it was friend or foe, the eruption of both the music and visuals as both the war and the first battle commencing. The sight of a massive state-of-the-art Battle cruiser slowly floating through a fjord being fired upon at all sides, bursting into flame with it's armaments cracking into action with it's crews panicking, the mix of both the screams and cries of the sailors on board as well as the blast of the horn from the ship as if the ship itself was screaming in pain. and the silent woosh of the killing blow to the massive beast of war. Simply *chef's kiss*.

[@ramblinnernd5905]

Yeah I can’t imagine the panic on that ship.

[@XBLGR]

The use of the spotlight to reveal the ship in the dark was really well done

[@ariochiv]

The first time I saw this, I admired it only for its cinematic quality, not really knowing much at all about the invasion of Norway. Now seeing it again, knowing the circumstances of the battle, it gives me chills.

[@sjum]

The cost of building Blucher was the same as five times Norways defence budget. (at that time)

[@LoudaroundLincoln]

Ha. Really? I'd say that's priceless, but it obviously isn't.

[@sjum]

@@LoudaroundLincoln True story 👍

[@rogerlecucq6095]

Very realistically made, so it could have been. As a german, I am looking forward to seeing this film in Germany, if not shown in local cinemas then I will try and get it on a DVD later on. Seems to be an impressive norwegian film on an important topic.

[@Sommervind]

I hope you will like it! :) There is some things in The movie that is maybe most interesting for us Norwegians. You May not know The story with our king and The little boy in The movie. That Child is now our current king, Harald 5 of Norway. There is also stuff about our gouvernment that you probably havent heard about. But still; I think you will love it!! :)

[@rogerlecucq6095]

Sommervind : Thanks for your nice comment. I actually was already in Oslo twice, via Color Line ferry from Kiel, and passed right over the spot were Blücher had sunk. One could see oil stains on the water clearly as the weather conditions were very much similar as to the Blücher's. I was in Oslo when you have your famous public holiday in May, also seeing the Royal Family on the balcony. Very impressive! I have to admit that I still have to get more into the recent norwegian-german history in detail but I know quite a bit on the german invasion procedures in Oslo, Bergen and Narvik 1940. The British Royal Navy gave them quite a beating and a hard time. A little onesided, I have to admit......

[@ragnhildmd5063]

the movie is great. I've watched it twice. there are however a few minor inaccuracies in the movie (such as depicting the government as moral helpless and cowardly that wat the members actually were), but most of it is correct. it is made after a book that goes by the same name. if you can find a translation of the book, I definetily recommend it as reading material.it even contains pictures of Norway and the king during that time. :)

[@Gist432]

@Claystead Haven't heard that one...

[@vampirecount3880]

You guys killed each other years ago and yet can be friendly. Meanwhile here im brazil we hate argentina because they won a soccer game like 30 years ago... god damn.

[@jonaswilberg1100]

fuck now i want to see that movie...

[@brutusbarnabus8098]

This was a superbly accurate cinematic recreation of the Battle of Drobak sound. Cross check it against the historical records and you will see how well they did. Fantastic scene in this movie. Almost like going back in time and witnessing it firsthand.

[@gunnar6674]

1940: Ancient weapons manned by fresh recruits sinks freshly commissioned flagship cruiser. 2022: Fresh anti-ship missile battery sinks very old flagship cruiser manned by idiots.

[@mrgoldplayz9133]

You shouldn't disrespect anyone like calling them idiots they were brave men too you know there were innocent men on that ship just following orders

[@gunnar6674]

@@mrgoldplayz9133 Depends how Article 33 of the Rome Statute is applied. "Just following orders" isn't always an excuse.

[@KimoFest]

Oh hey, Captain Obvious! What do you expected? An old ship to counter a new missile that was made to destroy ships they already have some data on? Besides, almost all soldiers should be idiots then since they are following orders, right? *cough* *cough* USA invading middle east *cough* *cough* Not pro-russian btw.

[@jesusalfredofernandezcruz1833]

This Is about to the sinking of the russian ship Moscú??

[@jenesus6220]

@@jesusalfredofernandezcruz1833 The Moskva wasn't sunk; it was promoted to submarine! 😁

[@slitor]

I kinda missed the quintessential quote (though it might just be a legend) "Either I'll get a medal or a court martial, Fire!" Though I understood that was the officer at the torpedo battery.

[@shockwave2477]

It was either I'll be decorated or court martialed

[@ptroinks]

I served at Oscarsborg Fortress in the late 1990s. I love this scene!

[@LeifWarner]

Did you get to shoot any German cruisers?

[@koshirma618]

Blücher Wasnt in 1990 GRRR LEARN WW2 u dont understand huh?

[@koshirma618]

@Jonathan Williams You KNOW im from norway but back at in the 1940's we were ising the money we GOT at food not weapons AND studf AND at that time norway was pretty poor

[@ptroinks]

@Jonathan Williams The island where the fort is located was used for basic training. Parts of he fort itself and the guns were used as museum exhibits, although we (the recruits) used the fort as our barracks.

[@statelyelms]

I am beyond amazed at the cinematography, script-writing, and especially VFX. It feels very real. The soundtrack serves only to exemplify the stress and tension. It's incredible.

[@funkykoval9424]

Greetings from Poland, this is another proof that weeker in number of soldiers army (Norway) was still fighting with bigger and better equipped army (Germany) against all odds, You should be proud of yourself Norwegians! RESPECT

[@Hooga89]

And respect to the Polish soldiers who defended Norway with us to the death in cities like Narvik!

[@widwin]

We must not forget the polish pilots in the RAF that shot down more Luftwaffe planes than any other allied nation. Still they were not invited to join in the Victory parade in London just after the war where all the other allied countries took part.

[@emilstberg6558]

Thanks fam

[@AdrianDeer]

Too bad the norwegians became just a punching bag between great britain and germany.

[@ostekakeutenost1308]

Hooga that is not true

[@samsmith2635]

This is one of many reasons to love Norway and its History.

[@xj900uk]

With all due respect to the bravery of the Norweigan soldiers (retired pensioners and semi-trained teenagers), the loss of the Blucher was quite idiotic to say the least. The fault lies with the Admiral, not the German High Command - the Admiral in charge of the flotilla, I think his name was Kummetz, insisted upon running the gauntlet of the fortress' heavy guns even though surprise had been lost and the fjord was very narrow with little room to manouever. He had even been told to wait before foraging ahead, until paratroopers and Kommandos landed had managed to secure and take the forts (which in the end they did so very quickly, with little resistance). But no, Kummetz was a vain glory-hound who wanted to press ahead with a big, brand new untested ship and crew in the face of an unknown and alert enemy. Completely stupid.

[@AlexSDU]

Vader would be like: "Admiral Kummetz came out of lightspeed too close to the fortress. He is as clumsy as he is stupid."

[@PeterDavid7KQ201]

@AlexSDU: He...he..felt *surprise* was wiser...

[@midlandredux]

Victory goes to whoever makes the fewest mistakes. Kummetz screwed up, and they made him pay for it.

[@Edax_Royeaux]

That sums up Nazi leadership. Hitler had his commanders pitted against each other so they'd try and compete against one another. Many blunders were the result of Nazi pissing contests. Stalin did the same thing for the invasion of Berlin, it was a competition to see which commander got there first.

[@snorthsnorth6480]

xj900uk i

[@glennhubbard5008]

This was a fantastic historical piece. The sinking of DKM Blucher was masterful and the firefight was one of the best war scenes I have ever seen. Well done.

[@westrim]

The ship feels like a wounded, stricken beast, flailing out with scattered gunfire as it tries to seek out who hurt it, then bellowing from the mortal wound of the torpedoes.

[@iangraham6887]

The second shot already would’ve gutted the ship with the fire it started. Yes the guns were old but they were effective up to 11km. 530lb shells at 2200ft per sec at at range of 1200 meters would’ve crippled any ship including the tirpitz, Bismarck and the Yamamoto class. The movie really makes it look like a mighty beast being killed. Like st George killing the dragon.

[@5000mahmud]

@@iangraham6887 The Guns could not penetrate the battleships at these ranges. Blucher had 3 inch's of armour max which was not enough, and it was not hit in the armour anyway. It was hit in an area that started a fire in the unarmoured aircraft hanger and would've survived with proper damage control and no torpedo impacts.

[@crispinjulius5032]

“What if we’re wrong?” “Then I’ll be court marshaled and shot but I think I’m good.”

[@johnwheatley5641]

This film really introduced me to the bravery of the Norwegians in the war. I’d never heard of King Haakon before this but read up on him now and came to the conclusion he was awesome! Been looking at the Norwegian war effort and resistance too, you don’t hear much about it here in Britain, but it’s really inspiring stuff. More proud of our shared heritage in the fight against the Nazi’s.

[@teovesen]

I've always thought the Norwegian resistance was admirable and epic, but this movie fave me real insight to how fucking terrifying it was, (spoilers ahead i guess) but when in one scene, you have to watch and old man with back pain, run out of a train together with his crying grandchildren while actively dodging bombs .... It was terrifying! And on several points, i genuinely shed a tear over pride for beeing Norwegian! U love this movie. There is also an amzing video from "Freia" one of the sponsors of the movie, showing the premier viewing of this movie in an old folks home, for people who were actually there! Terrifying and touching.

[@KyrreStalsberg]

My great-grandfather fought the germans in the battles of Gausdal. He told my father he was scared.. Didn't say much more about it, but he did say that the german troops screamed "wir sind freunde" when they stormed. If you want to read about norwegian bravery in the war, read some books about the sailors ("norske krigsseilere" in norwegian). Those stories are crazy. Those guys did not get what they deserved after the war. Brave people, and I think the english are pretty grateful for what they did.

[@HydroSnips]

Not forgotten. Every year there is the giant Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square, a present from Norway to the British people for their comradeship during the war. The first was 1942 (how it got smuggled across I don’t know) but became regular tradition from 1947. King Haakon and his govt set up their govt-in-exile in Windsor. Norwegians fought in the RAF and had their own squadrons which later became the RNAF, they fought in 10th (Inter Allied) Commando, the RNN fought alongside the RN and it was a Norwegian ship, the Svenner, that was the only warship sunk on D-Day in an E-Boat attack while guarding the eastern approaches to the beaches from Le Havre. And then there’s their Resistance which is an epic by itself. Having seen their own homeland fall those that could came here and stood with us when we most needed them and fought on right through to the end while their families lived in fear and suffered at home. “Gratitude” is an understatement :)

[@kingdesktogoosegoosetime1259]

@@teovesen Hehe Denmark only lasted 6 hours hehe......

[@j.t1984]

How was he awesome? He - together with his government - left the country with all the nations riches, after having completely destroyed our military and our ability to fight. Of course they didn't leave without ordering Norwegians to fight against an unbeatable foe due to aforementioned reasons. All while being on their way to comfort in London.

[@Volnas97]

The commander actually said: "Either I'll be decorated or court-martialed. Fire!" which is badass.

[@shapandsons7402]

Follows the tried and true mastery of light from the golden age of black and white cinema. Combined with modern CGI and a compelling yet simple score, there is only one word for this scene - dread.

[@Twirlyhead]

Truly fantastic moment of Norwegian and WW2 history (I'm British by the way).

[@simonwallichi]

Twirlyhead There is actually a "order on the wall" to this day that says: "If you have no direct or official order to engage, but you are sure it is the enemy, you must engage." It originates from this event, where as if the colonel didn't sink blücher, the king would have been captured.

[@artificialgravitas8954]

Just gonna point out from canada that you were going to invade them as well, nazi germany just got there first

[@Mister.Weatherbee]

@@artificialgravitas8954 going to? We did invade them. We also helped their royal family & government escape, and helped the resistance fighters and spies. If I recall correctly, it was British paratroopers who finally liberated Norway at the end of the war. 🇬🇧🇳🇴

[@artificialgravitas8954]

@@Mister.Weatherbee That does not sound like an invasion... Seeing as you helped them (fast 180 that)

[@DaManBearPig]

congrats for being British

[@gregoryclark8217]

I really like how the filmmakers made sure that the shells and torpedoes hit in the right locations on the ship.

[@kuribayashi84]

Who would have thought that these 40-year old Torpedos would come in handy one day?

[@frankvc5899]

Thks for this clip amazingly done the scene love it

[@Pyro-et9vs]

One of the things that I think was missed in this scene was the commander’s iconic “either I will be decorated, or I will be court martial. FIRE!”

[@nunyabidnez2729]

Like Ukraine, Norway punched way above her weight. She never gave up, even in exile. H7 and CX -- extra points if you know what those letters mean.

[@misterwhipple2870]

Haakon the Seventh, King of Norway, and Christian the Tenth, King of Denmark. If you're from Minnesota, there's nothin' to it . . . by the way, CX was not exiled and he toughed out the Occupation.

[@morriganravenchild6613]

Brave "Noggies".fearless as always. ("Noggies" is a highly complementary epithet used by Brit armed forces when refering to their Norwegian counterparts).

[@ShortArmOfGod]

If the British have a term used to describe a group of people who aren't British, you can be pretty sure the term's not rooted in a compliment.

[@morriganravenchild6613]

@@ShortArmOfGod Wrong! In my experience with the military going back several decade it's a friendly term acknowledging professional respect for other nationals.

[@eternalwarfare514]

@@morriganravenchild6613 So Yankee and Jerry are made for the same reasons?

[@StellarYankee]

You know, I had a relative that was in the Kriegsmarine. And you'd expect me to be triggered here. But this was fucking badass work by these Norwegians. They put up one hell of a fight.

[@timber_wulf5775]

Deadpool this is heavy cruiser Blutcher not Bismarck or Tirpitz besides who gets triggered over a ship that was remotely close to the Bismarck?

[@StellarYankee]

Timber_Wulf Well I meant the Kriegsmarine in my blood.