German Navy

For those in peril on the sea ... "Scharnhorst".

Bundesarchiv.

German battleship "Scharnhorst". Laid down in 1935, "Scharnhorst" was influenced to some extent by predating treaty restrictions, subsequently renounced by Germany. It was, thus, something between a cruiser and a battleship, with lighter main armament than a "full" battleship (nine 28 cm guns), but somewhat greater speed. Scharnhorst operated in effect as an Atlantic raider in the 1939-'43 period, subject to a number of inactive periods necessitated by technical difficulties and accidents. By mid-1943, the ship had been successfully deployed to Norway's Altafjord, joining the "Bismarck" Class battleship "Tirpitz" and nine destroyers. This group conducted offensive operations against convoys, and against the Norwegian-held installations on the island of Spitzbergen. This "happy time" was not to last ... JR.