Unit Descriptions: Air, Naval, Land

[Froonp]

ORIGINAL: warspite1
[4996 Pola - by Robert Jenkins]
.B Engine(s) output: 95,000 hp
.B Top Speed: 32 knots
.B Main armament: 8 x 8-inch (203mm), 16 x 3.9-inch (100mm) guns
.B Displacement (full load): 14,133 tons
.B Thickest armour: 6-inch (belt)

Zara cruiser :

[Froonp]

ORIGINAL: warspite1
[4304 Anahuac - by Robert Jenkins]
.B Engine output: 6,800 hp
.B Top Speed: 14 knots
.B Main armament: 2 x 9-inch (240mm), 4 x 4.7-inch (120mm) guns
.B Displacement (full load): 3,162 tons
.B Thickest armour: 14-inch (belt)

[Mike Dubost]

In Post 1337, the reference to the Battle of Cape Matapan gives me a chance to boast about having met a woman who helped win that battle without ever leaving the UK.

The Italians used an Enigma machine to send out ciphered orders for the naval sortie. Mavis Batey (nee Lever) was able to perform one of Ultra's first successful Enigma decipherments on this message, and as a result, the RN knew what the RM was planning. By skillful use of this knowledge and superior seamanship/gunnery, the RN won. Is there enough room to add a sentence about Ms Lever's success to this description? It would be a nice "shout out" to a woman I found to be a charming elderly lady in 2002.

I have often remembered her remark "In my day, women knew how to get what we wanted and still have the door held open for us", as it sounds like something my mother's aunt (of the same approximate age as Mrs. Batey) would say. [:)]

I guess I have a slight case of hero worship where the WWII generation in general are concerned, and those I have met in particular.

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: Mike Dubost

In Post 1337, the reference to the Battle of Cape Matapan gives me a chance to boast about having met a woman who helped win that battle without ever leaving the UK.

The Italians used an Enigma machine to send out ciphered orders for the naval sortie. Mavis Batey (nee Lever) was able to perform one of Ultra's first successful Enigma decipherments on this message, and as a result, the RN knew what the RM was planning. By skillful use of this knowledge and superior seamanship/gunnery, the RN won. Is there enough room to add a sentence about Ms Lever's success to this description? It would be a nice "shout out" to a woman I found to be a charming elderly lady in 2002.

I have often remembered her remark "In my day, women knew how to get what we wanted and still have the door held open for us", as it sounds like something my mother's aunt (of the same approximate age as Mrs. Batey) would say. [:)]

I guess I have a slight case of hero worship where the WWII generation in general are concerned, and those I have met in particular.

Warspite1

Mike, I would look at any suggestion you have. I am not sure exactly what you have in mind - mentioning that the British knew in advance or actually mentioning the lady in question?? If the later, I think difficult to know how that would fit but willing to have a look.

"I guess I have a slight case of hero worship where the WWII generation in general are concerned, and those I have met in particular." - Yes me too [&o]

[Mike Dubost]

ORIGINAL: warspite1

ORIGINAL: Mike Dubost

In Post 1337, the reference to the Battle of Cape Matapan gives me a chance to boast about having met a woman who helped win that battle without ever leaving the UK.

The Italians used an Enigma machine to send out ciphered orders for the naval sortie. Mavis Batey (nee Lever) was able to perform one of Ultra's first successful Enigma decipherments on this message, and as a result, the RN knew what the RM was planning. By skillful use of this knowledge and superior seamanship/gunnery, the RN won. Is there enough room to add a sentence about Ms Lever's success to this description? It would be a nice "shout out" to a woman I found to be a charming elderly lady in 2002.

I have often remembered her remark "In my day, women knew how to get what we wanted and still have the door held open for us", as it sounds like something my mother's aunt (of the same approximate age as Mrs. Batey) would say. [:)]

I guess I have a slight case of hero worship where the WWII generation in general are concerned, and those I have met in particular.

Warspite1

Mike, I would look at any suggestion you have. I am not sure exactly what you have in mind - mentioning that the British knew in advance or actually mentioning the lady in question?? If the later, I think difficult to know how that would fit but willing to have a look.

"I guess I have a slight case of hero worship where the WWII generation in general are concerned, and those I have met in particular." - Yes me too [&o]

Well, we could try something to the effect of "Unfortunately for the Italians, the Enigma message they had sent out with the order for the naval movement had been intercepted. In one of the Ultra program's first major successes, Mavis Lever had decrypted the message."

[Shannon V. OKeets]

ORIGINAL: Mike Dubost

ORIGINAL: warspite1

ORIGINAL: Mike Dubost

In Post 1337, the reference to the Battle of Cape Matapan gives me a chance to boast about having met a woman who helped win that battle without ever leaving the UK.

The Italians used an Enigma machine to send out ciphered orders for the naval sortie. Mavis Batey (nee Lever) was able to perform one of Ultra's first successful Enigma decipherments on this message, and as a result, the RN knew what the RM was planning. By skillful use of this knowledge and superior seamanship/gunnery, the RN won. Is there enough room to add a sentence about Ms Lever's success to this description? It would be a nice "shout out" to a woman I found to be a charming elderly lady in 2002.

I have often remembered her remark "In my day, women knew how to get what we wanted and still have the door held open for us", as it sounds like something my mother's aunt (of the same approximate age as Mrs. Batey) would say. [:)]

I guess I have a slight case of hero worship where the WWII generation in general are concerned, and those I have met in particular.

Warspite1

Mike, I would look at any suggestion you have. I am not sure exactly what you have in mind - mentioning that the British knew in advance or actually mentioning the lady in question?? If the later, I think difficult to know how that would fit but willing to have a look.

"I guess I have a slight case of hero worship where the WWII generation in general are concerned, and those I have met in particular." - Yes me too [&o]

Well, we could try something to the effect of "Unfortunately for the Italians, the Enigma message they had sent out with the order for the naval movement had been intercepted. In one of the Ultra program's first major successes, Mavis Lever had decrypted the message."

Perhaps, "played an important role" or "participated in". As I understand the Enigma decryption process it involved a lot of people (starting with work done by the Poles - before the British ever got involved).

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: Mike Dubost

ORIGINAL: warspite1

ORIGINAL: Mike Dubost

In Post 1337, the reference to the Battle of Cape Matapan gives me a chance to boast about having met a woman who helped win that battle without ever leaving the UK.

The Italians used an Enigma machine to send out ciphered orders for the naval sortie. Mavis Batey (nee Lever) was able to perform one of Ultra's first successful Enigma decipherments on this message, and as a result, the RN knew what the RM was planning. By skillful use of this knowledge and superior seamanship/gunnery, the RN won. Is there enough room to add a sentence about Ms Lever's success to this description? It would be a nice "shout out" to a woman I found to be a charming elderly lady in 2002.

I have often remembered her remark "In my day, women knew how to get what we wanted and still have the door held open for us", as it sounds like something my mother's aunt (of the same approximate age as Mrs. Batey) would say. [:)]

I guess I have a slight case of hero worship where the WWII generation in general are concerned, and those I have met in particular.

Warspite1

Mike, I would look at any suggestion you have. I am not sure exactly what you have in mind - mentioning that the British knew in advance or actually mentioning the lady in question?? If the later, I think difficult to know how that would fit but willing to have a look.

"I guess I have a slight case of hero worship where the WWII generation in general are concerned, and those I have met in particular." - Yes me too [&o]

Well, we could try something to the effect of "Unfortunately for the Italians, the Enigma message they had sent out with the order for the naval movement had been intercepted. In one of the Ultra program's first major successes, Mavis Lever had decrypted the message."

Warspite1

I may add something general about the intelligence, but I think the naming of an individual looks out of place here - so I`ll pass on that, but thanks for the suggestion [:)].

[warspite1]

Please see the write-up for the battlship Bismarck, and the story of her one and only voyage.

[4765 Bismarck - by Robert Jenkins]
.B Engine(s) output: 138,000 hp
.B Top Speed: 29 knots
.B Main armament: 8 x 15-inch (381mm), 12 x 5.9-inch (150mm) guns
.B Displacement (full load): 50,900 tons
.B Thickest armour: 12.5-inch (belt)
.P The Bismarcks were the first battleships built for the German Navy after
World War I. The first ship was ordered in November 1935, after the conclusion of
the Anglo-German Naval Treaty. Both ships were laid down in 1936, although
neither were completed by the start of the Second World War.
.P Their design was based upon the First World War vintage Baden-class and this
brought with it limitations to their defensive capability. The main problem being
the lack of deck armour that made the ships vulnerable to plunging shell fire.
They were however, very difficult ships to sink, courtesy of their extensive
watertight compartments.
.P They were powerful ships with a 15-inch main armament that, combined with a
speed of 29 knots, made them at least equal to anything the Royal Navy could
offer. They also featured an excellent fire control system, but the effects of
this were frequently hampered by problems with the German shells, that on many
occasions failed to explode. The Bismarcks provided a stable gun platform thanks
largely to their wide beam. They could have benefitted from a dual purpose
secondary armament that would have negated the need for separate anti-aircraft
(AA) guns, but the Germans had other priorities during the inter-war years.
.P The class also had a much greater range than their British contemporaries,
ideal for the commerce raiding activity that they were expected to carry out.
This gave these Kriegsmarine ships more flexibility in their dealings with the
battleships of the Royal Navy.
.P The largest ships ever completed for the Kriegsmarine were named, fittingly,
after two of the country`s most prominent characters of the late 19th and early
20th centuries; Otto von Bismarck, the first Chancellor of the unified Germany,
and Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, who helped in the building of the Kaiser`s
Navy in the lead up to the First World War.
.P Bismarck was completed in August 1940. From then until December, was a time of
crew training and the testing of her weaponry and propulsion systems to ensure
she was fully worked up for active service. She re-entered the dockyard at the
end of the year to have further work carried out, and from then until April 1941,
she was back in the Baltic under-going intensive work-up.
.P Bismarck took part in her one and only operation in May 1941; Rheinübung.
Following Operation Berlin (see Gneisenau), the Kriegsmarine intended to launch a
much bigger surface raiding operation in the Atlantic. Ideally this would mean
Bismarck and one or two other vessels sailing from Germany and meeting up with
the battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau; the latter two having sailed from
Brest, France at around the same time. As it turned out, Scharnhorst was under-
going maintenance for wear and tear incurred during Berlin, and Gneisenau was
torpedoed while at Brest and so also unavailable. Bismarck`s sister Tirpitz was
not combat ready and the heavy cruisers Admiral Hipper and Lützow were being
refitted after their recent commerce raiding activities. As a result, Rheinübung
would take place with only the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen available to accompany
Bismarck.
.P For this operation, Admiral Lütjens was put in charge of the German force and
naturally Bismarck was his Flagship. The battleship was commanded by Captain
Lindemann. The operation should have commenced at the end of April, but Prinz
Eugen was damaged by a mine and she required repair work that took three weeks.
.P Rheinübung finally got underway on the 18th May, when the two ships sailed
from Gotenhafen (Gdynia) and headed for Bergen, southern Norway, where they
refuelled. Whilst at Bergen, they were spotted by a Royal Air Force (RAF)
reconaissance aircraft and their whereabouts reported to Admiral Tovey, in
command of the Royal Navy`s Home Fleet. As a result, the RAF were ordered to
attack, but by the time the bombers arrived off Norway, the Germans had sailed.
.P Now heading north, Lütjens had three break-out alternatives; the Denmark
Strait, the Iceland - Faroes Gap or even the Scotland - Faroes Gap. He chose the
same route that had been used by all surface raiders successfully to date; the
Denmark Strait, between Greenland and Iceland. Although the Strait was narrow and
contained British laid mines, it did offer the furthest distance from the British
fleet base at Scapa Flow.
.P Meanwhile, in response to hearing the news that the German ships had sailed,
Tovey had ordered a strengthening of the patrols along the two most likely break-
out routes. A total of five cruisers were at sea, two of them in the Denmark
Strait. These were the heavy cruisers Suffolk and Norfolk under the command of
Rear-Admiral Wake-Walker. In addition, he had ordered the new battleship Prince
of Wales and the battlecruiser Hood to sea to sail south of Iceland to await firm
intelligence on where the Germans were. Tovey remained at Scapa Flow on board the
battleship Duke of York, along with the aircraft carrier Victorious and four
cruisers.
.P In the early evening of the 23rd May, Suffolk`s look-outs spotted the German
ships and there then followed a game of cat-and-mouse as the British ships tried
desperately to keep contact with Bismarck, while at the same time staying out of
range. Bismarck had opened up with her main armament for the first time in anger
when Norfolk had got too close, but the cruiser managed to hide in the fog and
she was not hit. Norfolk`s radar was rather limited, but thanks to the more
modern radar fitted to Suffolk, Wake-Walker was able to provide a report of
exactly where the Germans were, their course and their speed and as a result,
Vice-Admiral Holland in the Hood was able to set a course to intercept.
.P Initially, Lütjens could not shake off the cruisers, but eventually he managed
to do so, and at a critical point in the proceedings. Had Holland continued to
know Lütjens whereabouts, he could have ensured that battle took place on the
most favourable terms for his ships. Unfortunately for the British, Holland had
to launch his own search mission and so when, at 0530hrs on the 24th May he came
across Bismarck and Prinz Eugen to the northwest of his force, the positioning of
his ships was less than ideal.
.P Hood, with eight 15-inch guns, was the lead ship at the time, with Prince of
Wales roughly 800 yards to the right and rear of her. The two German ships were
on a roughly parallel course but, importantly, at enough of an angle that all of
their guns could be brought to bear. Holland ordered the range to close as fast
as possible in order that Hood would be less at risk of plunging shell fire. He
would then turn to port once his ships were sufficiently close to the Germans.
Although the Royal Navy ships only had their front turrets able to fire, they did
present the smallest target possible during this phase.
.P Hood opened the firing at 0552hrs at a range of just over 25,000 yards, but
mistakenly fired at Prinz Eugen, while Prince of Wales, quickly realising the
error, switched fire to Bismarck. Lütjens now had a choice to make; should he
engage the capital ships or try and withdraw? With the range reducing fast it is
reported that Captain Lindemann shouted "I will not let my ship get shot out from
under my arse!". Three minutes, and what must have seemed like an age after the
British began the firing, Lütjens ordered both German ships to concentrate their
fire on the Hood.
.P It is believed that the first hit on Holland`s Flagship came from the 8-inch
shells of Prinz Eugen rather than from Bismarck, whose first three salvoes all
missed. The hit on Hood started a fire that spread across the boat deck and
reached the ready-use ammunition lockers. The boat deck soon became an inferno as
4-inch shells began detonating, but the fires could not be put out until the
exploding ammunition had been expended. A second hit was then made on Hood`s
spotting top. By this time, despite major mechanical problems with the main guns
on the Prince of Wales, three of her shells had struck Bismarck. Two were of
little importance, but the consequences for Bismarck of the third will be seen
later.
.P The Germans superb fire control now ensured that the two Kriegsmarine ships
were finding their target regularly, and the Royal Navy ships, particularly the
Hood, were in serious trouble. As soon as Holland believed it safe to do so, he
gave the order to turn his ships to port and so allow the rear turrets of each
ship to come into the action. But just as Hood was commencing her turn, disaster
struck. Bismarck’s 5th salvo had hit around Hood`s mainmast area and within a
second or two a thin funnel shaped flame shot out from the ship. This was
followed by an explosion and her being covered in smoke. The Hood rolled to port
and began to sink very quickly, breaking in at least two places as she did so. It
was less than nine minutes since the battle had started.
.P Those on board Bismarck, Prinz Eugen and the Prince of Wales that had
witnessed what had happened, were left in stunned silence. The "Mighty Hood" had
quite simply blown up, taking all but 3 of her crew of 1,418 with her to the
bottom of the sea. However, there was no time to dwell on this. For the Germans,
a change of target to Prince of Wales was required; for Prince of Wales, the
first task was to avoid the wreckage of the sinking Hood, as the battleship
executed her turn to port.
.P All ships achieved their initial tasks and the Prince of Wales was now being
hit regularly by the German ships. She was lucky to survive a 15-inch hit
underneath her armour belt when, not for the first time, Bismarck`s shells failed
to explode. She also took a direct hit against her bridge that killed all men
there with the exception of two, one of whom was her commander, Captain Leach.
With continued problems affecting her guns, Leach felt he had no choice but to
withdraw and Lütjens decided not to chase after her, the battle finishing at
0609hrs.
.P Lütjens then had to decide what to do next. The conclusion he came to was to
try and detach Prinz Eugen, which would continue with a limited Rheinübung, while
Bismarck would make for the nearest friendly port, which was at Brest. Why did
Lütjens not continue the operation with Bismarck? One of the three hits scored by
Prince of Wales on Bismarck had holed her below her armour belt and in the
process had flooded one of the oil storage tanks. This in itself was not too
serious, although it also meant that the oil further forward could not be used
either. Even so, she still had sufficient fuel on board to either get home or to
get to one of the tankers stationed in the Atlantic for the purpose. More serious
was that any high speed manoeuvres or violent shifts to port or starboard would
mean adding further pressure to the already strained bulkheads in the flooded
section. In addition, she was laying a thick trail of oil in her wake that was
seeping from the holed area.
.P Lütjens was also acutely aware that his ships were once more being shadowed as
the Prince of Wales and the dogged Norfolk and Suffolk had joined up after the
earlier battle and were clinging onto the German ships. However, the Germans
managed to detach Prinz Eugen successfully when, in the early evening of the
24th and taking advantage of fog, the Bismarck turned first west, then north and
finally east, completely wrong footing the British. During this turn there was a
brief exchange of fire between Bismarck and the cruisers, but with no damage to
any ship. Bismarck then began the long journey home.
.P Although Wake-Walker had lost contact with Prinz Eugen, his force of three
ships were still shadowing Bismarck on her new south-easterly course. The
Admiralty had also ordered Force H, the aircraft carrier Ark Royal, the
battlecruiser Renown and the cruiser Sheffield, to sail north from Gibraltar.
Meanwhile, Tovey was continuing to try and close the gap in order to bring
Bismarck to battle. The battleship`s sudden change of course now meant that the
Royal Navy ships could catch the Bismarck. However, if they lost her again or she
changed course, there was every possibility that the British ships, with their
much lesser range, would run out of fuel before they were able to catch the
German battleship. In desperation, Tovey decided to launch an air strike using
the nine available Swordfish aircraft on Victorious. This despite the fact that
the aircrew were mostly inexperienced and could be considered unready for such an
operation.
.P Victorious and the four cruisers were detached from King George V, and the
carrier aircraft launched an attack just before midnight on the 24th. One torpedo
hit was achieved, although no damage was done. However, the violent manoeuvres by
Bismarck to avoid the torpedoes had resulted in further damage to the previously
torpedoed bow area. This damage required further repairs and Bismarck had to
reduce speed while these were effected. However, only a few hours later, in the
early hours of the 25th, Bismarck escaped the shadowing ships once more while all
the Royal Navy ships were zig-zagging as a defence against U-boats.
.P For the British, this could have been game-over; Tovey continued on a south-
westerly course, while Bismarck continued southeast to France. Both the Prince of
Wales and the Repulse, which had joined Tovey previously, now had to return to
base to refuel. Later, Victorious too would have to refuel. Tovey`s options were
becoming ever more limited; even if he found Bismarck. The British were left with
King George V, heading in the wrong direction, the battleship Rodney (which had
been heading to the United States for a refit when the Bismarck broke out) was
now some miles to the east, and Force H, still heading north from Gibraltar.
.P But then came an incredible stroke of fortune. Lütjens must have believed that
the British were still shadowing Bismarck many hours after they had actually lost
contact. This is the only possible explanation for why he then sent a long
message to headquarters. The message recounted the story of the breakout to date,
including the sinking of the Hood, but its length gave the British the
opportunity to plot from where the signals were coming from. Even then, the exact
location remained a mystery as Tovey and the Admiralty calculated different areas
where they believed Bismarck to be transmitting from. Tovey now believed Bismarck
to be heading for Norway and turned his ship northeast accordingly. Meanwhile,
Rodney and Force H were ordered by the Admiralty to assume Bismarck was heading
for France. By the time that Tovey`s mistake was confirmed, there was no chance
that King George V could catch Bismarck before she reached France. The British
finally made visual contact with Bismarck in the mid-morning of the 26th. A
Catalina flying-boat had been tasked with looking for the battleship in the area
she was now believed to be in. She was.
.P Having confirmed her position, there was now just the matter of sinking the
German vessel. For this, there was just one hope remaining, one ace left for the
Royal Navy to play. That ace came in the form of Ark Royal. If a torpedo strike
could be launched and Bismarck could be sufficiently damaged, then the remaining
Royal Navy ships left in the chase, King George V, Rodney, Renown, Sheffield,
Norfolk and Dorsetshire, could possibly catch her before she reached Brest.
.P Fifteen Fleet Air Arm Swordfish took off in the afternoon of the 26th May to
attack the battleship, but inadvertently attacked the cruiser Sheffield that had
raced ahead of Force H and was now shadowing Bismarck. Fortunately none of the
torpedoes struck and disaster was avoided, however, the Bismarck continued her
passage to France; and every minute saw her inching closer to safety. A second
wave of Swordfish from 810 and 818 Naval Air Squadrons was ordered to take off
early that evening and at 2100hrs they attacked. This time there was no mistake
and two hits on Bismarck were achieved. One of these caused little problem as the
armour belt did its job. However the second hit sealed the fate of the Bismarck.
.P The torpedo struck the stern of the ship and caused the rudder to jam at an
angle; Bismarck was now involuntarily travelling away from the safety of the
French coast and toward the British battleships. The Germans tried everything in
order to free the jammed rudder, but the damage caused by the torpedo to the
stern, hampered efforts to get at the problem. That night the British launched a
torpedo attack using Captain Vian`s 4th Destroyer Flotilla that had been diverted
from convoy escort duty previously. The attacks proved futile and the accuracy of
the Bismarck`s counter-fire surprised the destroyers, however these efforts had
done nothing to assist the repair efforts going on all night and the further
violent manoeuvring did more damage to the hull. Facing up to the grim reality of
the situation, during the night, Lütjens sent a message that he addressed to
Adolf Hitler, confirming that Bismarck would fight to the death. Hitler responded
that Germany would do all it could to help.
.P The battle began the next morning at 0847hrs, when the 16-inch guns of the
Rodney opened fire at just over 27,000 yards. King George V followed immediately
afterwards and finally Bismarck opened her account. Rodney found the range
quickly, as did Bismarck, although she was not to maintain this level of accuracy
as a result of earlier damage to the ship that affected her gunnery calculations.
.P King George V had problems finding the target initially but this problem was
soon rectified. Within a few minutes the range had reduced sufficiently that
secondary armament could be employed. The 8-inch guns of Norfolk began to open
up, and soon afterwards the similarly gunned Dorsetshire entered the battle. Just
over half an hour into the battle, Bismarck`s main armament was silenced. The
range was progrssively closed and by the end the British were effectively firing
at point blank range. Shell after shell tore into the hulk of what was once a
battleship and the pride of the Kriegsmarine.
.P Eventually, at 1021hrs the British battleships ceased firing. Frustrated that
the Bismarck could not be sunk with gunfire, but at the same time satisfied that
the damage was so great that she could never be repaired, Tovey ordered the
Dorsetshire to sink Bismarck with torpedoes.
.P There is debate as to whether it was these torpedoes or the scuttling charges
set by Bismarck`s crew that sank her. Maybe it was a combination of the two.
Either way, Bismarck rolled over and sank, taking Lütjens, Lindemann and almost
2,100 of her crew with her. There were just 115 survivors, almost all of whom
were picked up by the Dorsetshire and the destroyer Maori. There would have been
more saved but a U-boat was spotted by look-outs on the cruiser and the British
ships vacated the area.

[PDiFolco]

Just some info upon the Bismarck death : I saw recently a very interesting documentary with divers filming the wreck on the ocean bottom, the conclusion was that a torp penetrated a non-armored stern side location and generated massive flooding which caused the sinking, or at least was sufficient to...

[morgil]

You are probably refering to the documentary funded by a British TV channel in 2001, where they filmed the wreck using ROVs.
Most of their theories have been dismembered by other expeditions, using much better equipment and enlisting experts on the matter.

There is a really good Wikipedia article on the Bismarck, and even though she had a structural flaw that made the stern break of just before sinking, it is highly probable that unless she had been scuttled by her crew, she would have been afloat for several days.

[warspite1]

The Kriegsmarine surface units are coming on a pace. Please see Gneisenau below.


[4768 Gneisenau - by Robert Jenkins]
.B Engine(s) output: 165,000 hp
.B Top Speed: 32 knots
.B Main armament: 9 x 11-inch (280mm), 12 x 5.9-inch (150mm) guns
.B Displacement (Full Load): 38,900 tons
.B Thickest armour: 13.75-inches (belt)
.P The two-ship Scharnhorst-class are sometimes classified as battlecruisers
and sometimes battleships; certainly the German Navy classified them as the
latter. However, they were the opposite of what a battlecruiser was traditionally
designed to be; lightly armoured but powerfully armed, and were in fact lightly
armed and heavily armoured. They are referred to as battlecruisers in these write
-ups. They were built for the Kriegsmarine between 1935 and 1939.
.P The Scharnhorst and her sister Gneisenau were originally intended to be better
armoured versions of the Deutschland-class pocket-battleships. However, to avoid
the ships becoming un-balanced (too heavy armour protection for too little
hitting power) a third 11-inch turret was added to their design. As such, the
revised specification of these ships made them less like pocket-battleships and
more like battlecruisers.
.P Then, after the signing of the Anglo-German Naval Agreement in June 1935,
Adolf Hitler wanted to increase the main armament to a 15-inch (381mm) gun in
order that the battlecruisers main armament would compare with that of British
capital ships. This would mean their introduction would be delayed by up to two
years and this was not something Hitler could afford to do, given his territorial
ambitions.
.P The two ships were therefore completed with the smaller gun with a plan to
upgrade their main armament at the first opportunity. As it turned out, the
upgrade never happened and the two ships remained with their original main
armament throughout their life.
.P Both ships were named after important Prussian military figures from the
Napoleonic war era.
.P Gneisenau was completed in May 1938 and was made the Flagship of the
Kriegsmarine just before the outbreak of the Second World War. In October, the
Germans launched an offensive sweep in the North Sea in an unsuccessful effort to
lure the Royal Navy onto a line of U-boats and to bring them within range of land
based aircraft (see Koln).
.P At the end of November, Gneisenau and her sister tried to break into the North
Atlantic but they came across the British armed merchant cruiser HMS Rawalpindi
and after sinking her, they took the option of returning to Germany rather than
risk being found by the Royal Navy (see Scharnhorst). Her next operation,
Nordmark, came in February (see Admiral Hipper). Nordmark was an uneventful
operation that lasted just three days.
.P Beginning on the 6th April 1940, almost the entire Kriegsmarine were deployed
for Operation Weserübung; the attack on Norway. For this audacious operation, the
Germans employed six main groups (Marine Gruppe) each with a specific destination
on the Norwegian coast. Gneisenau and Scharnhorst were deployed to cover the two
northern most groups; Narvik-bound Marine Gruppe 1 (see ASW Counter 4811) and
Marine Gruppe 2, tasked with taking Trondheim (see Admiral Hipper). The two
Gruppe and their escorts sailed from Germany late on the 6th April 1940. They
were spotted by Royal Air Force (RAF) reconnaissance aircraft the following day,
but subsequent attacks yielded no damage to the invasion fleets and they were
able to continue north, shielded by cloud.
.P Meanwhile, the British had designs of their own on Norway and while the German
forces were commencing Weserübung, a Royal Navy force led by Vice-Admiral
Whitworth aboard the battlecruiser Renown with four destroyers, was covering a
minelaying operation off the Norwegian coast near Narvik. Another group was also
operating further south. When the British heard that a German force had been
located, they feared an Atlantic break-out and ordered Renown further north to
intercept. Then, when he was told that the break-out was in fact an invasion of
Norway, Whitworth was ordered back to Narvik. Although Renown failed to stop
Marine Gruppe 1 reaching the northern port, the British ship did come into
contact with the covering Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, early on the 9th.
.P Visibility was poor and the weather conditions atrocious and the first the
German ships knew that Renown was in the vicinity was when the British
battlecruiser opened up her six 15-inch guns. Gneisenau and Scharnhorst were
quick to respond and the three ships fought a dual at long range. Renown was hit
twice but with little damage. However, a hit on Gneisenau had knocked out her
fire-control system and this convinced Vice-Admiral Lütjens that he should
withdraw, and the battle came to an inconclusive end.
.P At the beginning of June, Gneisenau took part in Operation Juno, which was
originally designed to attack British supply lines between the UK and northern
Norway. However, although the convoys were not located, the aircraft carrier HMS
Glorious and her destroyer escorts were found and destroyed (see Scharnhorst).
Scharnhorst was damaged during the attack and so when Admiral Marschall put to
sea the next day for a second go, only the heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper and four
destroyers were able to accompany Gneisenau. The sortie took place in extremely
poor weather conditions and as a result, once again no enemy vessels were
located.
.P The same two ships left Norway on the 20th and sailed north in order to divert
British attention away from the Scharnhorst that was returning to Germany in
order to get repairs for her torpedo damage. However, this operation ended in
more problems for the Kriegsmarine as the British submarine Clyde was able to
score a torpedo hit in Gneisenau`s bow. As a result the operation was terminated
and Gneisenau limped back to Norway and ultimately to Germany.
.P Once fully repaired, Gneisenau and Scharnhorst put to sea on the 22nd January
1941 in order to begin Operation Berlin. The two battlecruisers sailed under the
command of Admiral Lütjens, and he originally tried to get his ships into the
Atlantic via the quickest possible route; through the Iceland-Faroes gap. As it
turned out, he only narrowly avoided being found by units of the Royal Navy`s
Home Fleet and so he sailed back north to refuel from a waiting tanker. When he
tried to break-out again a few days later, it was via the Denmark Strait.
.P This time the Germans were successful and they began looking for enemy convoys
from the 7th February. However, their efforts were met with little success, at
least initially. Convoy HX106 was sighted on the 9th, but this convoy had the old
battleship Ramillies as escort. Lütjens orders were not to engage enemy warships
and there was no question of his battlecruisers taking on the 15-inch guns of the
British battleship.
.P It was not until the 22nd February that an unescorted convoy presented itself
to Lütjens, although this was not ideal as the ships were homeward bound. Lütjens
attacked anyway and a total of five ships were sunk during this engagement. After
this, he ordered his ships to the south-east, refuelling on the way, in order to
attack any convoys on the UK-Freetown route. They came across another battleship
escorted convoy, SL-67, at the start of March. This time the escort was HMS
Malaya. Although the German battlecruisers could not engage the British ship,
Lütjens was able to shadow the convoy, and thus led a number of U-boats to the
area; one of which later torpedoed Malaya.
.P Lütjens then left the area and began to turn to thoughts of home, or at least
France, where the two ships were to return to once Berlin was over. Before then
however, the Germans were to enjoy their most productive time of the operation.
In order to assist the Admiral Hipper and the Admiral Scheer return to Germany,
Lütjens was ordered to provide a diversion. After refuelling once more, he
ordered his ships to sail for an area east of the Canadian coast, sinking a lone
merchantman on the way. Once there, the two battlecruisers deployed with the two
tankers from which they had refuelled, in the renewed search for shipping. Six
merchant ships fell victim before Lütjen`s four ships headed east for Brest,
France. On the journey back, another sixteen vessels, totalling almost 114,000
gross registered tons were either sunk or captured as prizes. The last of these
was the Chilean Reefer. She managed to send out a signal which brought the
British battleship HMS Rodney to the area. However, Rodney was simply too slow to
give chase once the Germans retired at speed.
.P The two battlecruisers safely entered Brest harbour on the 22nd March. However
their stay in Brest was not uneventful. Gneisenau was due to take part in the
forthcoming Operation Rheinübung (see Bismarck) but on the 6th April she was
torpedoed during an attack by the RAF on the port. A Canadian, Kenneth Campbell
was postumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his attack and hit on the German
ship. Four days later, a high level bombing raid caused further damage to
Gneisenau; she would play no part in Rheinübung.
.P It was clear that the ports of western France were no longer safe for the
Kriegsmarine`s heavy units. In addition, Adolf Hitler wanted his heavy units back
in Germany, and so came up with a plan to bring Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and the
heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen home from Brest through the English Channel. Operation
Cerberus was a most audacious plan and one that caught the British napping (see
Prinz Eugen). Although Gneisenau struck a mine during Cerberus, she got back to
Germany on the morning of the 13th February.
.P Her days were numbered though. She was taken to Kiel to receive repairs for
the earlier mine damage and was placed in the floating dock there. However, in a
costly oversight, her ammunition was not removed prior to her entering the dock.
When, on the 26th February, the RAF launched a raid on Kiel, Gneisenau took a
bomb hit in her bow. The bomb pierced the armoured deck and exploded, igniting
ammunition in Anton turret that blew her bow section off. Remarkably, she was
still able to sail under her own steam to Gotenhafen where she was to be rebuilt.
.P She was to have got her 15-inch main armament at last, but sadly for the
elegant battlecruiser, work that had proceeded slowly, was finally abandoned
after the sinking of her sister ship in December 1943. She remained at Gotenhafen
and was sunk as a blockship in March 1945 as the Red Army advanced upon the
crumbling Reich.

[Mike Dubost]

ORIGINAL: warspite1

ORIGINAL: Mike Dubost

ORIGINAL: warspite1


Warspite1

Mike, I would look at any suggestion you have. I am not sure exactly what you have in mind - mentioning that the British knew in advance or actually mentioning the lady in question?? If the later, I think difficult to know how that would fit but willing to have a look.

"I guess I have a slight case of hero worship where the WWII generation in general are concerned, and those I have met in particular." - Yes me too [&o]

Well, we could try something to the effect of "Unfortunately for the Italians, the Enigma message they had sent out with the order for the naval movement had been intercepted. In one of the Ultra program's first major successes, Mavis Lever had decrypted the message."

Warspite1

I may add something general about the intelligence, but I think the naming of an individual looks out of place here - so I`ll pass on that, but thanks for the suggestion [:)].

Thanks for considering it. I understand that you can't accept all my suggestions. I am impressed with the quality of the work you are doing. Please keep it up.

[Mike Dubost]

Warspite1:

I was just re-reading one volume of Morrison's History of US Naval Operations in WWII, and I came across a mention of a Japanese sub that has to be the "flying sub" taking part in the Midway/Aleutians operation. Do you already have this info in the write up? If not, would you like me to try to briefly summarize it?

This same volume includes overviews of a small sample of US sub patrols. Would you like me to take a stab at writing up a couple?

[michaelbaldur]

The Scharnhorst and her sister Gneisenau were originally intended to be better
armoured versions of the Deutschland-class pocket-battleships. However, to avoid
the ships becoming un-balanced (too heavy

it is the write up for Gneisenau so :
The Gneisenau and her sister Scharnhorst

sound better

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: michaelbaldur

The Scharnhorst and her sister Gneisenau were originally intended to be better
armoured versions of the Deutschland-class pocket-battleships. However, to avoid
the ships becoming un-balanced (too heavy

it is the write up for Gneisenau so :
The Gneisenau and her sister Scharnhorst

sound better

Warspite1

You are right thank-you - master file amended [:)]

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: Mike Dubost

Warspite1:

I was just re-reading one volume of Morrison's History of US Naval Operations in WWII, and I came across a mention of a Japanese sub that has to be the "flying sub" taking part in the Midway/Aleutians operation. Do you already have this info in the write up? If not, would you like me to try to briefly summarize it?

This same volume includes overviews of a small sample of US sub patrols. Would you like me to take a stab at writing up a couple?

Warspite1

Mike - any help on the US and Japanese subs would be welcome. Having a quick look at the master list, it looks like the following Japanese subs have been written about to any extent:

Type B1
KD6a
KD5
KD4
Kd3a

[Shannon V. OKeets]

ORIGINAL: warspite1

ORIGINAL: Mike Dubost

Warspite1:

I was just re-reading one volume of Morrison's History of US Naval Operations in WWII, and I came across a mention of a Japanese sub that has to be the "flying sub" taking part in the Midway/Aleutians operation. Do you already have this info in the write up? If not, would you like me to try to briefly summarize it?

This same volume includes overviews of a small sample of US sub patrols. Would you like me to take a stab at writing up a couple?

Warspite1

Mike - any help on the US and Japanese subs would be welcome. Having a quick look at the master list, it looks like the following Japanese subs have been written about to any extent:

Type B1
KD6a
KD5
KD4
Kd3a

Do you mean have NOT been written about?

[ItBurns]

ORIGINAL: warspite1


.P Both ships were named after important Prussian military figures from the
Napoleonic war era.

I don't know if it merits a mention but both Gneisenau and Scharnhorst were famous comerce raiders at the begining of WWI so the names symbolised what their main purpose was going to be.

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets

ORIGINAL: warspite1

ORIGINAL: Mike Dubost

Warspite1:

I was just re-reading one volume of Morrison's History of US Naval Operations in WWII, and I came across a mention of a Japanese sub that has to be the "flying sub" taking part in the Midway/Aleutians operation. Do you already have this info in the write up? If not, would you like me to try to briefly summarize it?

This same volume includes overviews of a small sample of US sub patrols. Would you like me to take a stab at writing up a couple?

Warspite1

Mike - any help on the US and Japanese subs would be welcome. Having a quick look at the master list, it looks like the following Japanese subs have been written about to any extent:

Type B1
KD6a
KD5
KD4
Kd3a

Do you mean have NOT been written about?

Warspite1

Steve - no, I mean have been written about. Mike was asking about a Flying Sub and because I know nothing about submarines, I mentioned those classes that have a write-up. This is because for all I know one of the above may be a Flying Sub.

[Mike Dubost]

While following up a vague recollection of having heard about a Japanese plan to use the "Flying Sub" to attack the Panama Canal, I came accross a fascinating article on the I-400 class subs. I have incorporated the information into the draft write up. I was apparently wrong about the Midway operation involving THE flying sub, since the Japanese had a bunch of them, mostly smaller.

See below.

Length approximately 400 feet
Displacement 6560 tons (submerged)
Belt Armor N/A
Maximum dive depth 330 feet
Draft 23 feet
Maximum speed surface 18.75 knots
Maximum speed submerged 6.5 knots.
Armament: 8*21 inch tubes for Type 95 torpedoes, one 5.5-inch rear- facing deck gun, three triple-barrel 25mm anti-aircraft guns and a one 25mm gun
Special features: hanger containing 3 float planes with a compressed air catapult for launch.

The “flying submarine” counter represents a series of Japanese subs constructed before and during the war to carry seaplanes for reconnaissance and naval attack. At the beginning of the war, Japan had 11 submarines carrying one catapult-launched reconnaissance plane each.

During the preparations for the Midway/Aleutians operation in May 1942, Japanese naval planners worried that the US was preparing significant forces for operations in the North Pacific. Accordingly, one of the single-plane submarines, I-26 was sent to conduct a reconnaissance of Seattle's harbor. The plane reported no capital ships in the harbor, thus helping convince the Japanese that it was safe to begin the Aleutians phase of the operation.

The statistics given above are for the last and largest class (designed and constructed during the war), the I-400 class. Each of the I-400s was designed to carry three float planes, model M6A1 Seiran, which was originally intended to attack the U.S. mainland. The Seiran had a liquid-cooled engine for faster warm-up, and the aircraft carried either a 551-pound bomb with its floats attached or a 1,764-pound bomb (or torpedo) without floats.

In the late spring of 1945, the crews of two I-400s and the associated float planes began training for an attack on the Panama Canal. The plan called for the float planes to be painted with US markings and then launched off the coast of Ecuador. The planes were to fly over Columbia, and attack the Gatun Locks from the north.

However, due to the Japanese concerns regarding the US buildup for the invasion of Japan, the mission was scrubbed in favor of using them to attack US Navy ships preparing for the invasion. Due to a series of accidents, the mission was postponed and the surrender of Japan occurred while the submarines were in route to their attack positions.

The I-400s were surrendered to the USN and were removed from Japanese service in September of 1945. In December 1945, two of them were sailed to Pearl Harbor for examination by the USN. When the Soviets demanded access to the subarines, they were scuttled by the US.

The information on the I-400s is from an article by John Geoghegan found on historynet.com. The information on I-26 is from Volume IV (Coral Sea, Midway, and Submarine Actions, May 1942 - August 1942) of Samuel Eliot Morison’s History of US Naval Operations in WWII.