Battleships (WW 2) - Germany: Books - Scharnhorst and Gneisenau

Battleships of the Scharnhorst Class (Warships of the Kriegsmarine)

Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, the subject of this volume, were the product of a long, involved and politically determined design process that saw them develop from an improved Pocket Battleship to what many described as a battlecruiser, although they were really fast battleships. They were the most active, and successful, of the Kriegesmarine's major warships, taking part in numerous famous operations, including the infamous 'Channel Dash'.

This book belongs to a series of six volumes "Warships of the Kriegsmarine", written by Gerhard Koop and illustrated by Klaus-Peter Schmolke. Each contains an account of the development of a particular class, a detailed description of the ships, with full technical details, and an outline of their service, heavily illustrated with plans, battle maps and a substantial collection of photographs.

The Battleship Scharnhorst (Anatomy of the Ship)

The Kriegsmarine's Scharnhorst was a German capital ship, described either as a battleship or battlecruiser, and the lead ship of her class, which included one other ship, Gneisenau. She was launched on 3 October 1936 and completed in January 1939, armed with nine 28cm C/34 guns in three triple turrets.

She operated with Gneisenau for much of the early portion of World War II, including sorties into the Atlantic to raid British merchant shipping. They took part in Operation Weserubung (April-June 1940), the German invasion of Norway, during which they sank the aircraft carrier HMS Glorious and her escort destroyers Acasta and Ardent. Scharnhorst also sank HMS Rawalpindi in November 1939.

In early 1943, Scharnhorst joined the Tirpitz in Norway to intercept Allied convoys to the Soviet Union. On a sortie from Norway to attack a convoy, the German force was intercepted by British ships and during the Battle of the North Cape (26 December 1943), HMS Duke of York and her escorts sank Scharnhorst. Most of her crew was lost.

This is the most comprehensive examination of Scharnhorst ever published, drawing on new research and technology to tell the full story of the ship.
It includes a complete set of detailed line drawings with fully descriptive keys and full-colour 3D artwork, supported by technical details, photographs, and text on the building of the ship, as well as a record of her service history.

The German Battleship Gneisenau

This book covers the development and use of the battleship Gneisenau during WWII.

Scharnhorst und Gneisenau - Die Bildchronik 1939-1945

Die Schlachtschiffe "Scharnhorst" und "Gneisenau" waren nach der "Bismarck" und "Tirpitz" die grössten Einheiten der deutschen Kriegsmarine. Nach erfolgreichen Einsätzen gegen die britische Handelsmarine und die Royal Navy wurden die beiden Schwesterschiffe immer mehr zu Gejagten.

Holger Nauroth erzählt in dieser Bildchronik die packende Geschichte der beiden deutschen Schlachtschiffe von ihrer Indienststellung, ihrer Jagd auf alliierte Konvois, über den Kanaldurchbruch (Unternehmen "Cerberus") bis zu ihrem jeweiligen Ende. Über 400 seltene historische Bilder illustrieren das Geschehen.