Scharnhorst. ©Warshipsresearch.blogspot.com
An item reported that durent recent bombings by the British Royal Air Force at Brest, France the German battleship Scharnhorst was hit by 2 bombs forward.(1). The German heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen was also hit suffering a damaged hull.(2) The German battleship Gneisenau was not serviceable. The British efforts to destroy the ships proved extremely costly and asking much of her strength regarded other missions. The German anti aircraft defence at Brest estimated to count more as A.A. guns asked a heavy toll for each daylight raid.
Notes
1. Scharnhorst-class preceded by planned L20e a-class and realized Bayern-class succeeded by Bismarch-class, laid down at the Kriegsmarinewerft Wilhemshaven, Germany on 15 June 1935, launched on 3 October 1936, commissioned on 7 January 1939 and sunk while in battle off the North Cape on 26 December 1943 by the British battleship HMS Duke of York with just 36 survivors of a crew of 1,968 men. Her sister ship was the Gneisenau. The Scharnhorst was to replace the old dreadnought Elsass and so she became first know in official documents and newspaper as the Ersatz Elsass and in the contracts as “D”.
2. Of the Admiral Hipper-class heavy cruisers, preceded by Deutschland-class. Laid down by Germaniawerft, Kiel on 23 April 1936, launched on 22 August 1938, commissioned on 1 August 1940, decommissioned on 7 May 1945, surrendered on 8 May 1945, handed over to the USA and sunk on 22 December 1946 during nuclear tests.
3. Scharnhorst-class preceded by planned L20e α-class and realized Bayern-class preceded by Bismarck-class, laid down by Deutsche Werke, Kiel, Germany on 6 May 1935, launched on 8 December 1936, commissioned on 21 May 1938, decommissioned on 1 July 1942, scuttled as block ship on 23 March 1945 and broken up in 1951.
Source
Map Room Papers (Roosevelt Administration), 1942 - 1945. U.S. Joint Intelligence Committee. Daily summary No. 45 dated 24 January 1942.
