Altmark Incident

Significance

The Altmark incident centered on the boarding of a German tanker, the Altmark, by British destroyers in Norwegian waters in February 1940. The ship was carrying approximately 300 Allied prisoners taken from vessels sunk by the German pocket battleship Graf Spee in the South Atlantic. The incident highlighted the tension between Norwegian neutrality and British determination to recover prisoners held aboard a belligerent vessel transiting neutral waters, raising questions about the limits of neutral sovereignty during wartime naval operations.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (1)