Scharnhorst and its sister encountered, and avoided, several Royal Navy battleships engaged in convoy escort. The Kriegsmarine planned a massive naval operation for May 1941.

Scharnhorst and its sister encountered, and avoided, several Royal Navy battleships engaged in convoy escort. The Kriegsmarine planned a massive naval operation for May 1941.

The Scharnhorst was the pride of the German navy, considered unsinkable by her crew. A witness describes how she was trapped and sunk by the Royal Navy in 1943.

The Scharnhorst was turning towards us now, and we were told to stand by ready to engage at 15,000 yards. The Commander then started counting off the yards, i.e. 32,000 yards, 31,000 yards, 30,000 ...

In 1940, off Norway, the Scharnhorst and her sister-ship Gneisenau sank the aircraft carrier HMS Glorious and her escort destroyers Acasta and Ardent. 1,519 men were lost from the three ships.