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Scharnhorst

Schlachtschiff 1939 - 1943  Gneisenau  Class

   Info   History   Operational History   Technical Data   Photos   1:1250 Model 
07.01.1939:   Commissioned, first trials in the Jade estuary.
- July 1939:   Trials and training in the Baltic Sea.
July - August  1939:   Final construction in Wilhelmshaven, bow is modified.
- November 1939:   Battle training in the Baltic Sea.
21.11.1939:   Together with Scharnhorst , the Gneisenau is sent south of Iceland to attack the Northern Patrol.
23.11.1939:   The two battlecruisers sink the British auxiliary cruiser Rawalpindi .
27.11.1939:   Returns to Kiel.
18-20.02.1940:   Operation "Nordmark":  
Scharnhorst , Gneisenau , CA Admiral Hipper  and the destroyers Wolfgang Zenker , Wilhlem Heidkamp and Karl Galster are sent to intercept British convoys between Bergen and England, but no ships are sighted.
07-12.04.1940:   Operation "Weserübung":  
Scharnhorst and Gneisenau cover the invasion of Narvik. West of the Lofoten, they engage the British BC Renown and the cruiser Birmingham in bad weather.
04.06.1940:   Operation "Juno":  
Flagship in the Polar Sea operations together with Gneisenau , Admiral Hipper and the destroyers Karl Galster , Hans Lody , Erich Steinbrink and Hermann Schoemann .
08.06.1940:   Battle with British CV Glorious and the DDs Ardent and Acasta . All British ships are sunk, the Scharnhorst was hit by a torpedo of the DD Acasta , damaging middle and starboard engine and Turret Cäsar.
10.06.1940:   Return to Drontheim.
June 1940:   After emergency repairs in Drontheim, the Scharnhorst is sent back to Kiel. Unsuccessful air attacks by the RAF.
28.12.1940:   First unsuccessful attempt to break out in the North Atlantic together with the Gneisenau . Operation is aborted after the Gneisenau is damaged by heavy seas.
22.01.1941:   Operation "Berlin":  
Start of successful Atlantic operation
03.02.1941:   Scharnhorst and Gneisenau break through the Denmark Street.
08.02.1941:   Convoy HX-108 is sighted but the attack is stopped after the BB Ramiles is detected covering this convoy. Scharnhorst unsuccessfully tries to pull the British BB away of the convoy to enable the Gneisenau to attack the unprotected merchants.
07-09.03.1941:   Disengage from Convoy SL-67 after the sighting of the British BB Malaya .
15-16.03.1941:   Scharnhorst and Gneisenau attack a convoy south-east of Newfoundland.
22.03.1941:   Both ships enter Brest. They sank 22 ships with 115600 t during their North Atlantic Operations.
Scharnhorst sinks 8 of them with 49300t.
Mar 1941 - Feb 1942:   Stationed in Brest, target of many British air attacks. Scharnhorst is hit by 5 bombs while temporarily anchored in La Pallice which cause severe damage.
11-12.02.1942:   Operation "Ceberus":  
Flagship during the escape the English Channel: Scharnhorst , Gneisenau and CA Prinz Eugen , eescorted by 6 destroyers (Paul Jakobi , Richard Beitzen , Friedrich Ihn , Hermann Schoemann , Z25 , Z29 ) and 14 torpedo boats (e.g. Kondor , Jaguar , T12 , T13 ), return to Germany.
March 1943:   In the third attempt, the Scharnhorst sails to northern Norway and is stationed in the West Fjord/Alta Fjord.
06-07.09.1943:   Operation "Sizilien":  
A squadron consisting of Tirpitz , Scharnhorst and 9 destroyers (Erich Steinbrink , Karl Galster , Hans Lody , Theodor Riedel , Z27 , Z29 , Z30 , Z31 , Z33 ) attack the enemy base on Spitzbergen.
Sep - Dec 1943:   Scharnhorst is first stationed in the Kaa Fjord, then in the Lang Fjord.
25.12.1943:   Under the command of Conter-Admiral Bey, the Scharnhorst and destroyers Z29 , Z30 , Z33 , Z34 and
Z38 tries to find and attack the convoy JW-55B on its way to Murmansk. The Scharnhorst is detected by British Cruisers after she left her escorts. After several attempts, the British battleship Duke of York locates the Scharnhorst .
26.12.1943:   After several hours, the Scharnhorst is sunk at 7:45 pm. Only 36 crew members survive.

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  Thanks to:  Anders Berg  Knut Aasen  Søren Nørby  Nathan Okun  A. Kyd-Rebenburg  L. R. Baker