The German cruiser fleet (1890-1940) and the consequences of the sinking of the heavy cruiser “Blücher III” on April 9, 1940 near Oslo

The Battle of Drøbak Sound took place the northernmost part of the outer Oslofjord in southern Norway on April 9, 1940. It actually marked the beginning of World War 2 in Western Europe. A German fleet led by the heavy cruiser “Blücher III” of the Admiral-Hipper-class was dispatched up the Oslofjord to begin the German invasion of Norway, with the objective of seizing Oslo. The sinking of the heavy cruiser “Blücher III” was the very symbol of Norwegian resistance for the following five years. The cruiser, which was one of the most important warships in the German fleet, was a true well-developed war machine in the spirit of the First World War, but the ship's supremacy, modernity and striking power were stopped and defeated by Colonel Birger Eriksen – the commander of the fortress Oscarsborg. Through the histories of the three warships named “Blücher” (I, II, III) we will analyse the theory that the sinking of “Blücher III” was not only the end of this heavy cruiser, but also the end of cruisers in the German naval history. In other words, it wasn't just a ship that sank on cold April morning 1940, but it was also the end of the heavy cruiser' long evolution as one of the German Navy's most murderous weapon.