The German battleship Scharnhorst had a reputation for being a lucky ship. Early in the war she fought off a British battlecruiser and sunk a carrier, before carrying out two successful forays into the Atlantic. In the spring of 1943, the Scharnhorst was redeployed to Norway. There, working in concert with other German warships such as the battleship Tirpitz, she posed a major threat to the Arctic convoys – the Allied sea lifeline to Russia. Her presence, alongside Tirpitz, forced the British to tie down ships in Arctic waters.
When Tirpitz was put out of action, and Hitler demanded naval support for the war in Russia, the crew of the Scharnhorst under Rear-Admiral Bey, had to act. In late December 1943, she put to sea, her target an Allied convoy passing through the Barents Sea on its way to Murmansk. Unknown to Bey, the British were using the convoy as bait to draw the Scharnhorst into battle. What followed was a two-day running battle fought in rough seas and near-perpetual darkness, ending with the destruction of the Scharnhorst and all but 36 of her crew, ending any serious German naval threat to the Arctic convoy lifeline.
In this illustrated study, leading naval historian Angus Konstam offers a fascinating new insight into this key engagement. He combines expert analysis with his unique knack for storytelling to offer a fascinating new perspective on the battle which sank the Scharnhorst.
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Origins of the campaign
Chronology
Opposing commanders
Opposing forces
Opposing plans
The campaign
Aftermath
The Wreck of the Scharnhorst
Further reading
Index
A beautifully illustrated study of the Battle of North Cape in 1943, a dramatic clash of British and German battleships in the North Sea which resulted in the sinking of the German battleship Scharnhorst.
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The Battle of North Cape was the first naval surface battle involving the capital ships of the Kriegsmarine in World War II.
Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9781472842114
Publisert
2020-11-26
Utgiver
Vendor
Osprey Publishing
Vekt
316 gr
Høyde
248 mm
Bredde
184 mm
Aldersnivå
G, P, 01, 06
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
96
Forfatter
Illustratør