Operation Wikinger

22 February 1940, Dogger Bank, North Sea

German disaster; two destroyers lost to their own aircraft and mines

Six German destroyers sailed to catch British fishing boats on the Dogger Bank, thought to be reporting U-boat movements. Neither the navy nor the Luftwaffe had told the other what it was doing. In the evening a Heinkel He 111 of KG 26, hunting British ships, bombed Leberecht Maass, which broke apart and sank. Max Schultz, coming to help, sank too, probably on mines laid by British destroyers in January, though at the time it was thought another bomb. Nearly 600 men died; 60 were saved, all from Leberecht Maass. A German inquiry blamed poor liaison between the services, and the operation was called off.

British minefield

No ships engaged

Forts, batteries and aircraft	Strength	Outcome
Mines laid by the destroyers Ivanhoe and Intrepid The Germans did not know the field was there.	Not recorded	Probably sank Max Schultz, and perhaps finished Leberecht Maass

Forts, batteries and aircraft

Strength

Outcome

Mines laid by the destroyers Ivanhoe and Intrepid

The Germans did not know the field was there.

Not recorded

Probably sank Max Schultz, and perhaps finished Leberecht Maass

Kriegsmarine (Germany)

6 ships, 2 lost

Ship	Type	Outcome
Z1 Leberecht Maass Bombed by a German He 111	Destroyer Type 1934 class	Sunk
Z3 Max Schultz Lost with all hands	Destroyer Type 1934 class	Sunk
Z16 Friedrich Eckoldt Flotilla leader	Destroyer Type 1934A class	Survived
Z4 Richard Beitzen	Destroyer Type 1934 class	Survived
Z6 Theodor Riedel	Destroyer Type 1934A class	Survived
Z13 Erich Koellner	Destroyer Type 1934A class	Survived

Forts, batteries and aircraft	Strength	Outcome
Heinkel He 111 bomber of KG 26 Mistook the destroyers for British ships.	1 aircraft	Unhurt

Forts, batteries and aircraft

Strength

Outcome

Heinkel He 111 bomber of KG 26

Mistook the destroyers for British ships.

1 aircraft

Unhurt

Fleet Ledger

Operation Wikinger

British minefield

Kriegsmarine (Germany)

Map