Blücher

Blücher was a German Kriegsmarine heavy cruiser named after the Prussian field marshal Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher (1742–1819). Built in the late 1930s, she was part of the Navy’s fast, heavily armed cruiser force designed for fleet actions. Blücher served in the early years of World War II and is best known for her role in the German invasion of Norway in April 1940.

During Fall Weserübung, Blücher accompanied a naval–land invasion force carrying troops to capture Oslo. On 9 April 1940, as the fleet attempted to enter the Oslofjord, she was engaged by Norwegian coastal defenses at Oscarsborg Fortress. A combination of torpedo hits and gunfire damaged the cruiser, causing flooding and eventual sinking. The loss of Blücher delayed the German capture of Oslo and compelled further naval operations to proceed under less favorable conditions.

The ship’s destruction is often cited as a notable early naval loss of the war and as an example of the decisive effect coastal artillery and fortress defenses can have on modern warfare.

The vessel was named in honor of Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, who commanded Prussian forces against Napoleon and contributed to the Allied victory at Waterloo.