ships and raise the morale of the crews. German plans The battleships ( (KzS) Hans Karl Meyer) and (KzS Friedrich Hüffmeier) and nine destroyers of the 4th (KzS Rolf Johannesson), 5th (KzS Max-Eckart Wolff) and 6th (KzS Friedrich Kothe) destroyer flotillas, with the Narvik class destroyers: Z27, Z29, Z30, Z31, Z33, and , , and , embarked a battalion of the 349th Grenadier Regiment, 230th Infantry Division. The ships sailed for Svalbard on 6 September. led , with , and providing an anti-submarine screen ahead, , Z27 and Z30 to starboard and Z29, Z31 and Z33 to port, as the ships sailed past Stjernsundet. By on 7 September, the force was half way to Bear Island. During the evening a message was received that a British reconnaissance aircraft had flown over Alte Fjord at when the ships were only from Svalbard, with the British fifty hours away, even at full speed. Action At on 8 September, and the 5th and 6th Destroyer Flotillas landed troops in Advent bay, while and the 4th flotilla sailed to Barentsburg, flying a white ensign as a ruse. Just before the ships opened fire, a wireless message from Grønfjord was intercepted by the ships that three cruisers and seven destroyers had arrived; began to jam the frequency but could not tell if the message was blocked. At a reply from Reykjavik suggested that the message had been received and silenced the transmitter with shells from its main armament. Supported by the gunfire of the eight 15-inch guns of at Barentsburg (fifty-two 15-inch and eighty-two 5.9-inch rounds) and the nine 11-inch guns of at Longyearbyen, against the two 3-inch guns of the defenders, the destroyers landed the battalion of fortress troops. The Norwegian guns were put out of action and coal heaps, supplies of food, water and electricity generators were destroyed. When Z29, Z31 and Z33 manoeuvred into Grønfjord, to land troops at Barentsburg, they sailed in front of and the gunners of the two Bofors 40 mm guns took advantage and fired about at the destroyers, which moved aside to give a clear field of fire. Z29 and Z33 were both damaged, with Z33 having to be taken in tow. A broadside of twelve shells silenced the Bofors guns. fired its main guns at a coal mine at Heerodden and set it on fire. A message from Z29 led to sail further into Grønfjord, fire