Operation Safari was Germany's plan to seize the Danish fleet, and a warning from local police prompted Niels Juel's captain to attempt an escape to Sweden. German ships guarded the exit, while new orders reached the Danes under German coercion. The captain initially withheld fire during air attacks and later ordered the anti-aircraft crews below, apparently hoping to pass without fighting the German ships. Continued bombing persuaded him to resume resistance, although claims that the Danish gunners shot down aircraft remain uncertain. Near misses killed one sailor, wounded others, and disabled electrical power and fire control. The crew beached the ship and attempted to destroy it, then discarded critical equipment and opened sea valves when demolition proved impossible. The captain faced threatened sabotage proceedings and the crew was interned. Germany subsequently refloated the ship, commissioned it as Nordland and scuttled it in 1945.
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Niels Juel attempts a Danish dash to Sweden
Police warning prompts Niels Juel's escape attempt, but coerced orders, air attacks and disabled fire control end in beaching and attempted destruction.