Summary of John Winton's Death of the Scharnhorst

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 The German battlecruiser Scharnhorst was sunk in the last action of its life, by a group of British ships led by Admiral Sir Bruce Fraser. The German admirals were easily depressed, as they were constantly being urged onwards to victory for Fuhrer and Fatherland, while at the same time being cautioned against taking any risks with their ships.

#2 The Royal Navy has always known that the price of Admiralty is very high indeed, in blood and treasure. But one setback does not lose a war. In Bruce Fraser, the Home Fleet had a commander who knew who his opponent would be, and he had had ample time to prepare for it.

#3 In 1941, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were used to carry out a raid on commerce. They successfully sank 22 ships, of 115,622 tons, and totally disrupted Allied convoy schedules. They had also tempered valor with discretion, having adroitly withdrawn when they sighted an opposing capital ship with a convoy.

#4 Scharnhorst was a German ship that had suffered many reverses and damage. But her crew was extremely proud of her, and they developed a great pride in their ship. They were lucky in their commanding officer, Kapitan zur See Kurt Caesar Hoffman, who had relieved Ciliax in September 1939.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Jul 7, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822543775

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Insights on John Winton's Death of the Scharnhorst

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 8

Insights from Chapter 9

Insights from Chapter 10

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The German battlecruiser Scharnhorst was sunk in the last action of its life, by a group of British ships led by Admiral Sir Bruce Fraser. The German admirals were easily depressed, as they were constantly being urged onwards to victory for Fuhrer and Fatherland, while at the same time being cautioned against taking any risks with their ships.

#2

The Royal Navy has always known that the price of Admiralty is very high indeed, in blood and treasure. But one setback does not lose a war. In Bruce Fraser, the Home Fleet had a commander who knew who his opponent would be, and he had had ample time to prepare for it.

#3

In 1941, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were used to carry out a raid on commerce. They successfully sank 22 ships, of 115,622 tons, and totally disrupted Allied convoy schedules. They had also tempered valor with discretion, having adroitly withdrawn when they sighted an opposing capital ship with a convoy.

#4

Scharnhorst was a German ship that had suffered many reverses and damage. But her crew was extremely proud of her, and they developed a great pride in their ship. They were lucky in their commanding officer, Kapitan zur See Kurt Caesar Hoffman, who had relieved Ciliax in September 1939.

#5

The Arctic convoys were extremely successful, and by and large safe, despite their sombre reputation. The first news of the convoy’s escape came from the Allied side, not what Hitler wanted to hear.

#6

Hitler was furious with the German Navy, and he made it clear to them that he considered them utterly useless. He demanded that they remove all their guns and mount them on land for coastal defenses.

#7

In January 1943, the Allied decrypting service, ULTRA, revealed that Scharnhorst had returned to Gdynia after exercising in Danzig Bay.