Konstam, Angus/Groult, Eduard A. (Illustr.) North Cape 1943. The Sinking of the Scharnhorst

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".

When the "Tirpitz" was put out of action and Hitler demanded the support of the Kriegsmarine for the war in Russia, the crew of the "Scharnhorst" under Rear Admiral Bey had to act. She set sail at the end of December 1943, her destination was an Allied convoy travelling through the Barents Sea on its way to Murmansk. Unbeknown to Bey, the British were using the convoy as bait to draw the "Scharnhorst" into battle. What followed was a two-day chase in rough seas and almost constant darkness. It ended with the sinking of the "Scharnhorst". Only 36 of her crew survived the sinking of the battlecruiser. As a result, the threat to the Allied Arctic convoys for Russia from German surface ships almost completely disappeared. In this illustrated study, naval historian Angus Konstam offers a fascinating new insight into this key event in the Northern Cape naval war. He combines his expert analysis with his talent for storytelling to offer a fascinating new perspective on the battle that led to the sinking of the "Scharnhorst".