Command in battle is inevitably a highly complex affair, but there is one principle to which British armed forces are expected unfailingly to adhere, a principle designed to clarify any and all situations which might arise – ‘When in doubt, steer for the sound of the guns.’
Having left the mystery echo behind, Rear-Admiral Burnett with Force ‘R’ now put this principle into operation with a vengeance. Heading due south at 31 knots, by 10.30 it was evident from continuing gunflashes on the horizon that a sustained engagement was in progress. At this time an RDF contact was obtained on a vessel larger than a destroyer, faster than a merchant vessel, and therefore necessarily an enemy. This contact, bearing 180°, was followed shortly by contact with another large vessel bearing 140°, distance 30,000 yards (27,432 m). Rear-Admiral Burnett altered to port to track the targets, and at 10.54 when the second contact made a turn to the south-east, he altered to conform. As the second target appeared to be moving away from the scene, and the original target was in action and firing to the eastward, at 11.12 Rear-Admiral Burnett altered course to 190°, directly toward this engagement.[101] As observers on the rapidly approaching British cruisers attempted to identify their target, at 11.28 the big warship altered to starboard, presenting her broadside to them. Most observers in Force ‘R’ believed they were closing on Lützow, though it was in fact Admiral Hipper turning away from her attack on Obedient. (This incorrect identification is not too difficult to understand given the poor visibility, augmented perhaps by the fact that the cruiser Hipper was physically the larger of the two German heavy ships present, despite Lützow being the more powerful pocket battleship type.) At 11.30 Force ‘R’ also made a turn to starboard, and a minute or so later, at a range of 16,000 yards, (14,630 m), Captain Storey gave the order and Sheffield opened fire, followed rapidly by Jamaica.[102]
Midshipman Hutton, aboard Jamaica, heard the alarm sound with what seemed to be ‘extra urgency’ at 9.10 that morning. Dashing to the bridge he found the captain, navigating officer and others already at their posts in their anti-flash gear and tin hats. At his action station were massive pairs of binoculars, one mounted either side of the bridge, with pointers indicating to the director control tower any specific target which the captain wished to engage – ‘a rather antiquated concept, but wonderful for seeing what was going on’.
As Jamaica raced along in line astern of Sheffield the young midshipman could not help but find the situation thrilling, while at the same time being aware that only a sketchy idea was to be had of what the two cruisers were speeding into. As Force ‘R’ rapidly closed on its target, Midshipman Hutton spotted the menacing shape of Admiral Hipper slide out of the Arctic gloom at 10,000 yards (9144 m) distance, and almost immediately they were in action: ‘We were able to engage her before she became aware of the two British cruisers. Good old fashioned stuff, the flash of our guns and within the relevant time of flight, one hoped the glow from a hit.’ As Hipper and Force ‘R’ continued around on their turn to starboard, he recalled: ‘our hurtling across Hipper’s bow, and she seemed massive bearing down on us at what was now about nine thousand yards [8229 m]’.[103]
On board Admiral Hipper there was consternation at this new attack. Absorbed by their engagements with the destroyers, an all-round RDF watch had not been maintained; consequently Kummetz had no idea of the British cruisers’ presence until they opened fire from his starboard quarter.
Hipper was straddled by Sheffield’s first salvo and with the second suffered a direct hit to her No. 3 boiler room. This plunging shot struck Hipper as she heeled over to port while making her starboard turn, the shell entering her starboard side some 11 ft 6 in (3.5 m) below the waterline, and below the armoured belt around her hull (see diagram, p. 77). The shell sliced through a bunker oil tank before entering and detonating in the boiler room, which caught fire and began to fill with water topped with fuel oil from the ruptured tank. Incredibly, the only fatality was Engineering Mate Gunther Walter, who received severe head injuries and drowned. Also injured was Engineering Lance Corporal Heinz Hess, who was rescued and taken to a first-aid station. The fires were brought under some measure of control with the use of Ardexin[104] fire extinguishers, but with the influx of an estimated thousand tons of sea water into the ship, the boiler room had to be shut down. This also necessitated the shutting down of the cruiser’s starboard main engine, and speed reduced to 28 knots as a consequence.
Meanwhile the engagement continued, and as Sheffield fired two further salvoes in quick succession, Hipper received two more hits, the first setting fire to her aircraft hangar amidships, the second entering her starboard side and tearing through the midship compartments causing a number of casualties, finally coming to rest against the inner wall of the hull on the port side, but incredibly failing to explode (see diagram, p. 77). Hipper returned fire but the columns of spray thrown up by near misses from Sheffield froze on contact with the instruments on her forward observation position, while the view from the rear observation position was cloaked by thick oily black smoke issuing from her funnel as a consequence of the hit to the boiler room, aggravated by smoke from the burning hangar.[105] The result was that her usually accurate salvoes were ragged and wide of the mark. Josef Schmitz, control telephone officer for heavy artillery aboard Admiral Hipper during the battle, remembered: ‘Hipper had not shot for some time due to the change in sides [she had been engaging Obedient to port before making her starboard turn]… Nevertheless the [British] cruiser’s fire was good and fast and Hipper received first hits. This threw Hipper into a state of uncertainty.’[106]
For Vice-Admiral Kummetz the situation had now changed dramatically.
Hipper has been hit, the consequences of which cannot be fully assessed at the moment. Her hangar is on fire, but this is being controlled. Judging by the thick black smoke coming out of the funnel… which blocks any vision astern, it appears that the boiler has been hit. The incoming report of a blow in K3 and the breakdown of power station 3 confirm this assumption. Hipper’s ability for battle has been reduced. Time will tell the full impact of the blows. The enemy’s type of ship, which has just appeared on the scene and bombarded Hipper from the north, has not yet been identified beyond doubt. According to the kind of shooting, the closeness of the impacts and their effect, it can only be a cruiser. If this is the case I am positioned between an enemy cruiser and the convoy destroyers in the south.
102
5 There is some disagreement as to the range at which
105
7 Brennecke, Jochen