We who are young 194012/29/2023 The sinking of the Blücher delayed the German troops’ advance on Oslo, giving the Royal Family, the Government and the Storting representatives the time needed to escape to safety. The Blücher sank at 06.22 hours, and much of its crew of over 1,300 men was killed. The Blücher was hit by artillery from the fortress’s cannon, nicknamed “Moses” and “Aron”, and then by torpedoes fired from the adjacent island of Northern Kaholmen. As the ships entered the Drøbak Sound, the commander at Oscarsborg, Colonel Birger Eriksen, gave the order to open fire. Notification of approaching foreign battleships was sent to Oscarsborg Fortress, strategically located at the narrowest point of the Oslofjord. The German vessels were first spotted by the Norwegian Coast Guard at Færder lighthouse and subsequently at Bolærne Fort in the Oslofjord. Their task was to arrest the King and the members of the Government to compel Norway to capitulate immediately. Accompanied by several smaller vessels, the Blücher was transporting German troops to the capital. The heavy cruiser Blücher sailed into the Oslofjord in the early morning hours of 9 April.
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