Allied order of battle for Operation Tungsten

Tirpitz in Bogen Bay in Ofotfjord, near Narvik

Operation Tungsten was a Second World War air raid conducted by the Royal Navy that targeted the German battleship Tirpitz at her base in Kaafjord in the far north of Norway on 3 April 1944.

The damage inflicted during the attack was not sufficient to sink or disable the ship, but she suffered considerable damage to her superstructure and unarmored areas, with 122 members of her crew killed and 316 were wounded. Tirpitz was eventually disabled and then sunk by Royal Air Force heavy bombers later in the year.

Home Fleet forces dispatched

Hellcat pilots assigned to 800 Naval Air Squadron studying a model of Tirpitz's anchorage ahead of the Operation Tungsten attack

Vice-Adm Bruce Fraser

HMS Duke of York, Vice-Adm Fraser's flagship

HMS Furious before the war

HMS Royalist at anchor in Scotland

The Home Fleet had responsibility for conducting the attack. The ships involved sailed from the Home Fleet's base at Scapa Flow in two groups on 30 March 1944.

Force One

Vice-Admiral Bruce Fraser[1][2]

HMS Victorious

827 Naval Air Squadron (12 Fairey Barracudas)

829 Naval Air Squadron (9 Barracudas)

1834 Naval Air Squadron (14 Vought F4U Corsairs)

1836 Naval Air Squadron (14 Corsairs)

2 King George V-class battleships (10 × 14-inch main btty, 28 kn)

HMS Duke of York (flagship of Admiral Bruce Fraser)

HMS Anson (flagship of Vice-Admiral Henry Moore)

1 Town-class light cruiser (12 × 6-inch main btty, 32 kn)

HMS Belfast

6 destroyers

4 M-class: HMS Marne, HMS Matchless, HMS Meteor, HMS Milne

2 U-class: HMS Ursa, HMS Undaunted

Force Two

Rear-Admiral Arthur William La Touche Bisset[1][2]

HMS Furious

801 Naval Air Squadron (9 Supermarine Seafires)

880 Naval Air Squadron (9 Seafires)

830 Naval Air Squadron (9 Barracudas)

831 Naval Air Squadron (12 Barracudas)

HMS Emperor

800 Naval Air Squadron (10 Grumman F6F Hellcats)

804 Naval Air Squadron (10 Hellcats)

HMS Fencer

842 Naval Air Squadron (12 Fairey Swordfish and 8 Grumman F4F Wildcats)

HMS Pursuer

881 Naval Air Squadron (10 Wildcats)

896 Naval Air Squadron (10 Wildcats)

HMS Searcher

882 Naval Air Squadron (10 Wildcats)

898 Naval Air Squadron (10 Wildcats)

3 light cruisers

1 Dido-class (8 × 5.25-inch main btty, 32.25 kn): HMS Royalist (flagship of Rear-Adm. Bisset)

1 Fiji-class (12 × 6-inch main btty, 31.25 kn): HMS Jamaica

1 Southampton-class (12 × 6-inch main btty, 32 kn): HMS Sheffield

9 destroyers

5 V-class: HMS Virago, HMS Verulam, HMS Vigilant, HMCS Algonquin, HMCS Sioux

1 W-class: HMS Wakeful

1 S-class: HMS Swift

1 O-class: HMS Onslaught

1 N-class: ORP Piorun

1 J-class: HMS Javelin

2 fleet support tankers

RFA Blue Ranger, RFA Brown Ranger

Composition of strike forces

On 1 April Admiral Fraser decided to conduct the strike on 3 April rather than 4 April as originally planned. This led to the following organisational changes:[3]

• HMS Duke of York escorted by HMS Matchless and Marne detached from Force One and cruised to the west
• The remainder of Force One sailed to join Force Two, with the two forces combining on the afternoon of 2 April
• The Royal Fleet Auxiliary tankers Blue Ranger and Brown Ranger, escorted by the destroyers HMS Javelin and ORP Piorun, were detached from Force Two on 1 April

The attack on Tirpitz and the anti-aircraft batteries and ships located near her mooring at Kaafjord on 3 April involved two strike forces:[2][4][5][6]

1st strike

• No. 8 Torpedo Bomber Reconnaissance Wing
  • 827 Naval Air Squadron
  • 830 Naval Air Squadron
• Fighter escorts
  • Elements, 1834 and 1836 Naval Air Squadrons
  • 800 Naval Air Squadron
  • 881 Naval Air Squadron
  • 882 Naval Air Squadron

2nd strike

• No. 52 Torpedo Bomber Reconnaissance Wing
  • 829 Naval Air Squadron
  • 831 Naval Air Squadron
• Fighter escorts
  • Elements, 1834 and 1836 Naval Air Squadrons
  • 804 Naval Air Squadron
  • 896 Naval Air Squadron
  • 898 Naval Air Squadron

References

Citations

1. Tactical, Torpedo and Staff Duties Division (Historical Section) (2012), p. 139
2. Brown (1968), p. 40
3. Tactical, Torpedo and Staff Duties Division (Historical Section) (2012), p. 140
4. Tactical, Torpedo and Staff Duties Division (Historical Section) (2012), pp. 158–162
5. Brown (1977), pp. 34–35
6. Tillman (1996), p. 74

Works consulted

• Brown, J.D. (1968). Carrier Operations in World War II : Volume One - The Royal Navy. London: Ian Allan.
• Brown, David (1977). Tirpitz: The Floating Fortress. London: Arms and Armour Press. ISBN 0853683417.
• Tactical, Torpedo and Staff Duties Division (Historical Section) (2012) [1944]. "Naval Aircraft Attack on the Tirpitz (Operation 'Tungsten') 3 April 1944". In Bennett, G.H. (ed.). Hunting Tirpitz: Naval Operations Against Bismarck's Sister Ship. Plymouth, United Kingdom: University of Plymouth Press. pp. 133–177. ISBN 9781841023106.
• Tillman, Barrett (1996). Hellcat Aces of World War 2. London: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1855325969.