On December 26, 1943: The Sinking of the battleship Scharnhorst.

   On December 26, 1943: The  Sinking of the battleship Scharnhorst.

The Scharnhorst was a German battleship during World War II. It was named after the Prussian Lieutenant General Gerhard von Scharnhorst. 

The Scharnhorst was the first German warship to be built after the end of World War I and was launched on October 3, 1936. 

The Scharnhorst was heavily armed. The main guns were three triple turrets with naval guns of the caliber 28,0cm. 

In addition, there were 12 guns caliber 15,0cm and six torpedo tubes with a diameter of over 50cm. 

For air defense, the Scharnhorst had 14 10.5cm Flak 38 guns, 16 3.7cm fast-loading cannons, 28 2.8cm Quadruple Flak and 10 2.0cm Flak 38.

During the war, the Scharnhorst was involved in numerous operations, including the Unternehmen Weserübung (German occupation of Norway).

On December 26, 1943, the Scharnhorst was supposed to intercept a convoy of the British who were on their way to Murmansk, Russia.

 A misjudgment by the German command of the British radars available led to the Scharnhorst being attacked about 90 miles north of the north cape by a second British force and the Scharnhorst's crew being completely surprised. 

The British managed to isolate the Scharnhorst from the accompanying destroyers.

 The ships Belfast, Sheffield and Norfolk opened fire and landed several hits that destroyed the Scharnhorst's radar. 

Without radar, the battleship could not fire accurate long-range shots. The Scharnhorst then withdrew.

A few hours later the Scharnhorst and the British Association met again after the Scharnhorst changed course. 

There was another battle that was to last about three hours. 

The Scharnhorst was badly hit. At least 13 hits of 35.6 cm caliber and at least 14 torpedo hits meant the sinking of the battleship.

 After the Scharnhorst was unable to maneuver and burned, a heavy explosion occurred around 7:30 p.m., which destroyed the bow of the ship. Presumably the ammunition chambers were hit by a torpedo.

Of the 1,968 crew, only 36 survived that were rescued by the British.

The photo shows a    commemorative plaque in the Laboe Marine Memorial near Kiel, Germany. The text means: