Post by peterd on Nov 5, 2012 8:29:32 GMT -8
On Christmas day in 1943 one of the most valued German warships of WWII, the battle cruiser Scharnhorst, left her anchorage in Norway to prey on Allied shipping of the Arctic convoy route. By evening the next day she lay on the bottom of the Barents Sea.
By the mid-1930s Germany was busy with a full-scale rearmament, disregarding the restrictions imposed on it by the Treaty of Versailles. In an effort to rebuild the Kriegsmarine to top fighting potential, a new class of warships with a displacement of over 30,000 tons and an extraordinary top speed of 33 knots, alternately termed battleships or battle cruisers, were commissioned to replace the old pre-dreadnaught battleships. Named after the 18th century Prussian general Gerhard von Scharnhorst, the Kriegsmarine's newest vessel was launched in the Fuhrer's presence on October 3, 1936. She was not, however, fully fitted out until January 1939. Her main armament consisted of nine 11-inch guns in three gun turrets. She also carried several lower calibre guns, 20mm flaks and, in her later years, above-water torpedo tubes.
In November 1939, the Scharnhorst set out on her first Atlantic cruise together with her sister ship Gneisenau. The following April she took part in the invasion of Norway. In December 1940 she and Gneisenau sunk the aircraft carrier HMS Glorious and her escort destroyers Acasta and Ardent. Once the ineffectiveness of surface ships against the Atlantic convoys became apparent Hitler ordered all German vessels back to Germany. This led to the famous Channel Dash of the January 12, 1942, when the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau together with the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen sailed through the English Channel right under the noses of the British. In March 1943 the Scharnhorst joined the Tirpitz in Norway to thwart the Arctic convoys, the supply lifeline of the Soviet forces fighting on the Eastern front. On September 23, however, British X-class submarines damaged the Tirpitz, leaving the Scharnhorst and five escort destroyers to deal with the Allied convoys.
On December 19 Grand Admiral Dönitz assured Hitler that the next Arctic convoy would be attacked at the first opportunity. On the 22nd Luftwaffe recon airplanes spotted convoy JW 55B en route to the Arctic port of Murmansk. The convoy was spotted again two days later, and on December 25 Dönitz ordered the Scharnhorst and her five escorts to sea from Altafjord under the leadership of Rear Admiral Erich Bey. Norwegian Resistance immediately informed British Intelligence about the flotilla's movement. Their report was confirmed by the code breakers of Bletchley Park who had been listening to German radio traffic. On December 26 the Admiralty put out a notice to British warships in the area that Scharnhorst was at sea.
Convoy JW 55B left Loch Ewe on December 20, 1943. It consisted of 19 merchant ships and 10 destroyers. However, it was not nearly as unprotected as it seemed to be. Commander of the Home Fleet Admiral Sir Bruce Fraser had planned a trap for Scharnhorst using the convoy as bait. He intended to draw the German battle cruiser into a night engagement, which, given the superiority of British fire control radars, would put the Germans at a disadvantage. He followed the convoy at a distance with the battleship HMS Duke of York, cruiser HMS Jamaica, and the destroyers HMS Scorpion, Saumarez, Savage and KNM Stord (Force 2). At the same time approaching form the North were the cruisers HMS Belfast, Norfolk and Sheffield, the escort ships of convoy JW 55A under the command of Vice Admiral Robert Burnett (Force 1), homeward bound from Murmansk. The Scharnhorst would soon be trapped between the two forces.
Admiral Bey detached his five destroyers to a distance of ten miles to look for the convoy. Scharnhorst herself kept sailing on a collision course with Burnett's cruisers. Around 8:30 the Norfolk and Belfast got Scharnhorst on radar and Force 1 started firing, putting the Scharnhorst's forward radar array out of action. Scharnhorst returned fire then sped up, trying to outrun the slower cruisers and circled around for another go in the convoy's direction, virtually sailing blind in heavy seas. After another exchange of salvos, Admiral Bey advised his destroyers to head back to Norway on their own. He then turned his ship South, unknowingly, towards Force 2. At around 4 pm the Duke of York picked the Scharnhorst up on radar at a distance of 20 miles and opened fire with a broadside.
This caught Scharnhorst by surprise. She tried outmanoeuvring the Allied ships using her superior speed but could not stand up to 13 enemy vessels. Illuminated by star shells she was an easy target for the Duke of York's 14-inch guns. The Scharnhorst returned fire until her guns were put out of action one by one. At 6:30 pm the Duke of York scored a direct hit on the battle cruiser's No. 1 boiler room, slowing her to a mere 8 knots. With the Duke of York's fire control radar temporarily out of action, Admiral Fraser ordered his destroyers to move in for the kill.
The Savage, Saumarez, Scorpion and Stord took turns in illuminating their target with star shells and firing torpedoes at her. The Scharnhorst was still able to fend them off but could no longer outrun the Duke of York. She took a round of close range fire from the battleship and Jamaica. By this time Force 1 had caught up with the limping German ship, too. As the Jamaica and Belfast moved in for a torpedo attack, Captain Hintze ordered his crew to abandon ship. At 7:45 pm the Scharnhorst slipped beneath the waves and exploded under water.
Out of the Scharnhorst's crew of 1963 only 36 survived. The Allied ships quickly left the scene due to fear of a U-boat attack. The British losses counted 18 crew on board HMS Norfolk and Saumarez. The loss of the Scharnhorst was a great blow to Germany's morale and dwindling surface fleet. It also cleared the Arctic convoy route of German capital ships, keeping the supply route of the Eastern front open for Allied vessels.
Written by: Marietta Herczeg
By the mid-1930s Germany was busy with a full-scale rearmament, disregarding the restrictions imposed on it by the Treaty of Versailles. In an effort to rebuild the Kriegsmarine to top fighting potential, a new class of warships with a displacement of over 30,000 tons and an extraordinary top speed of 33 knots, alternately termed battleships or battle cruisers, were commissioned to replace the old pre-dreadnaught battleships. Named after the 18th century Prussian general Gerhard von Scharnhorst, the Kriegsmarine's newest vessel was launched in the Fuhrer's presence on October 3, 1936. She was not, however, fully fitted out until January 1939. Her main armament consisted of nine 11-inch guns in three gun turrets. She also carried several lower calibre guns, 20mm flaks and, in her later years, above-water torpedo tubes.
In November 1939, the Scharnhorst set out on her first Atlantic cruise together with her sister ship Gneisenau. The following April she took part in the invasion of Norway. In December 1940 she and Gneisenau sunk the aircraft carrier HMS Glorious and her escort destroyers Acasta and Ardent. Once the ineffectiveness of surface ships against the Atlantic convoys became apparent Hitler ordered all German vessels back to Germany. This led to the famous Channel Dash of the January 12, 1942, when the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau together with the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen sailed through the English Channel right under the noses of the British. In March 1943 the Scharnhorst joined the Tirpitz in Norway to thwart the Arctic convoys, the supply lifeline of the Soviet forces fighting on the Eastern front. On September 23, however, British X-class submarines damaged the Tirpitz, leaving the Scharnhorst and five escort destroyers to deal with the Allied convoys.
On December 19 Grand Admiral Dönitz assured Hitler that the next Arctic convoy would be attacked at the first opportunity. On the 22nd Luftwaffe recon airplanes spotted convoy JW 55B en route to the Arctic port of Murmansk. The convoy was spotted again two days later, and on December 25 Dönitz ordered the Scharnhorst and her five escorts to sea from Altafjord under the leadership of Rear Admiral Erich Bey. Norwegian Resistance immediately informed British Intelligence about the flotilla's movement. Their report was confirmed by the code breakers of Bletchley Park who had been listening to German radio traffic. On December 26 the Admiralty put out a notice to British warships in the area that Scharnhorst was at sea.
Convoy JW 55B left Loch Ewe on December 20, 1943. It consisted of 19 merchant ships and 10 destroyers. However, it was not nearly as unprotected as it seemed to be. Commander of the Home Fleet Admiral Sir Bruce Fraser had planned a trap for Scharnhorst using the convoy as bait. He intended to draw the German battle cruiser into a night engagement, which, given the superiority of British fire control radars, would put the Germans at a disadvantage. He followed the convoy at a distance with the battleship HMS Duke of York, cruiser HMS Jamaica, and the destroyers HMS Scorpion, Saumarez, Savage and KNM Stord (Force 2). At the same time approaching form the North were the cruisers HMS Belfast, Norfolk and Sheffield, the escort ships of convoy JW 55A under the command of Vice Admiral Robert Burnett (Force 1), homeward bound from Murmansk. The Scharnhorst would soon be trapped between the two forces.
Admiral Bey detached his five destroyers to a distance of ten miles to look for the convoy. Scharnhorst herself kept sailing on a collision course with Burnett's cruisers. Around 8:30 the Norfolk and Belfast got Scharnhorst on radar and Force 1 started firing, putting the Scharnhorst's forward radar array out of action. Scharnhorst returned fire then sped up, trying to outrun the slower cruisers and circled around for another go in the convoy's direction, virtually sailing blind in heavy seas. After another exchange of salvos, Admiral Bey advised his destroyers to head back to Norway on their own. He then turned his ship South, unknowingly, towards Force 2. At around 4 pm the Duke of York picked the Scharnhorst up on radar at a distance of 20 miles and opened fire with a broadside.
This caught Scharnhorst by surprise. She tried outmanoeuvring the Allied ships using her superior speed but could not stand up to 13 enemy vessels. Illuminated by star shells she was an easy target for the Duke of York's 14-inch guns. The Scharnhorst returned fire until her guns were put out of action one by one. At 6:30 pm the Duke of York scored a direct hit on the battle cruiser's No. 1 boiler room, slowing her to a mere 8 knots. With the Duke of York's fire control radar temporarily out of action, Admiral Fraser ordered his destroyers to move in for the kill.
The Savage, Saumarez, Scorpion and Stord took turns in illuminating their target with star shells and firing torpedoes at her. The Scharnhorst was still able to fend them off but could no longer outrun the Duke of York. She took a round of close range fire from the battleship and Jamaica. By this time Force 1 had caught up with the limping German ship, too. As the Jamaica and Belfast moved in for a torpedo attack, Captain Hintze ordered his crew to abandon ship. At 7:45 pm the Scharnhorst slipped beneath the waves and exploded under water.
Out of the Scharnhorst's crew of 1963 only 36 survived. The Allied ships quickly left the scene due to fear of a U-boat attack. The British losses counted 18 crew on board HMS Norfolk and Saumarez. The loss of the Scharnhorst was a great blow to Germany's morale and dwindling surface fleet. It also cleared the Arctic convoy route of German capital ships, keeping the supply route of the Eastern front open for Allied vessels.
Written by: Marietta Herczeg
