Location of German battleship Scharnhorst unknown according to the U.S. Joint Intelligence Committee. Daily summary dated 21 August 1942

An item reported that the German battleship Scharnhorst (see Summary No. 216) was repaired and seemed to be departed from Kiel, Germany between 28 July and 17 August. Her position was yet unknown probably in the Baltic executing post repair trials and shaking down.(1)

Note

1. 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”.

Source

Map Room Papers (Roosevelt Administration), 1942 - 1945. U.S. Joint Intelligence Committee. Daily summary No. 254 dated 21 August 1942.