Altmark Incident

E1520

The Altmark Incident was a 1940 World War II naval confrontation in Norwegian waters, where British forces boarded the German tanker Altmark to free imprisoned Allied sailors, heightening tensions during the early "Phoney War" period.

All labels observed (4)

Label Occurrences
Altmark Incident canonical 12
Altmark incident 3
Altmark affair 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf World War II event
naval incident
alsoKnownAs Altmark Incident
surface form: Altmark affair
belligerent Wehrmacht
surface form: Kriegsmarine

Royal Navy
casualtiesBritishWounded 1
casualtiesGermanKilled 7
casualtiesGermanWounded 11
commanderForGermany Heinrich Dau
commanderForUK Philip Vian
conflict World War II
countryInvolved Germany
Norway
United Kingdom
date 1940-02-16
followedBy Operation Weserübung
surface form: Norwegian campaign
historicalSignificance major prelude to German invasion of Norway
symbolic assertion of British right of search in neutral waters
involvedShip German tanker Altmark
HMS Arethusa
HMS Cossack
HMS Intrepid
HMS Ivanhoe
HMS Kimberley
HMS Sikh
surface form: HMS Nubian

HMS Sikh
legalIssue violation of Norwegian neutrality alleged by Britain
violation of Norwegian neutrality alleged by Germany
location Jøssingfjord
Norwegian territorial waters
notableQuote "The Navy’s here" associated with the boarding of Altmark
objective liberation of Allied merchant seamen
partOf Phoney War
politicalConsequence encouraged British planning for Norwegian campaign
heightened Anglo-German tensions
increased British criticism of Norwegian neutrality enforcement
precededBy Battle of the River Plate
prisonersFreed 299
prisonersNationality British
relatedShip Admiral Graf Spee
result British victory
Rescue of Allied prisoners
territorialStatus occurred inside Norwegian territorial waters
tookPlaceDuring Phoney War
triggeredBy Commerce raiding by German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee
typeOfAction naval boarding operation
year 1940

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (17)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Phoney War notableEvent Altmark Incident
Altmark Incident alsoKnownAs Altmark Incident
this entity surface form: Altmark affair
Jøssingfjord knownFor Altmark Incident
Jøssingfjord eventLocation Altmark Incident
HMS Cossack notableFor Altmark Incident
this entity surface form: Altmark incident
HMS Cossack date Altmark Incident
this entity surface form: Altmark incident 16 February 1940
Operation Weser Exercise precededBy Altmark Incident
German tanker Altmark notableFor Altmark Incident
subject surface form: Altmark
HMS Ivanhoe participatedIn Altmark Incident
Heinrich Dau notableFor Altmark Incident
Heinrich Dau notableEvent Altmark Incident
Drôle de guerre notableEvent Altmark Incident
Sokndal municipality historicalEventSite Altmark Incident
subject surface form: Sokndal
Captain Philip Vian notableFor Altmark Incident
subject surface form: Philip Vian
this entity surface form: Altmark incident
Captain Philip Vian participatedIn Altmark Incident
subject surface form: Philip Vian
this entity surface form: Altmark incident
Altmark notableFor Altmark Incident
Altmark roleInEvent Altmark Incident