Customer Reviews

THE BATTLE OF NORTH CAPE: The Death Ride of the Scharnhorst, 1943 (Campaign Chronicles)

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While much has been written about the pursuit and sinking of the Bismarck in 1941, the story of the Scharnhorst's last gallant sortie has received less attention. Mr. Konstam fills the gap with this accurate, compelling, and fast-reading account. The Scharnhorst's final mission has all the elements of maritime drama. Eager to redeem itself from the disastrous New Year's Eve battle at the end of 1942, the German navy pressured Admiral Bey and Scharnhorst into making a dangerous mission to intercept one of the Murmansk convoys. Yet Bey was falling into a trap laid by the the British, under the astute Admiral Bruce Fraser. Bey managed to get Scharnhorst within 30 miles of Convoy JW55B, but from there on the mighty battleship's famous luck ran out. A dashing destroyer commander, Bey was out of his depth in charge of a capital ship task force.

Author Konstam argues that the separation of Scharnhorst from her escorting destroyers was not a deliberate decision by Bey, but more likely an error caused by the complications and pressures of command. Alone in a dark and stormy sea, Scharnhorst fell victim to a surprise attack by British cruisers equipped with far superior radar sets. When Fraser attacked shortly after with the battleship Duke of York, Scharnhorst's superior speed and decent protection almost canceled out the British advantages, until a lucky hit slowed the German dreadnought and left her open to simultaneous attack by an overwhelming British force.

While author Konstam gives careful attention to the strategy, tactics, weapon systems, and command personalities, he also provides telling glimpses into the lives of the British and German sailors caught up in this important and tragic story. Scharnhorst sailed on Christmas day, 1943, jettisoning holiday items as she went - Norwegian civilians found Christmas trees washing ashore afterward. When Admiral Fraser became convinced he had trapped Scharnhorst, he decided there was just enough time to give Duke of York's happy and excited crew tea time before the battle. Within a handful of hours, Scharnhorst was rolling over in brutally cold, storm-tossed waters, rent by as many as ten torpedoes and countless shell hits. Out of a crew of nearly 2,000, just 36 men survived.

There are a handful of errors in this title, probably owing to publishing haste - the author once or twice mixes up east and west in describing ship movements, and a photo of Admiral Fraser and his captains is labeled backwards (as one can tell from the ranks visible on the officers' uniforms). Most of the information is solid, however, and upholds the best standards of historical analysis.

This title is probably the most accurate, objective, and complete English-language account of the Battle of North Cape. It provides background into the convoy and task force movements leading up to the action I have not found elsewhere. The maps provided are helpful, and sixteen pages of illustrations give images of all the important commanders and vessels. Tables in front provide a summary of the capabilities of all the vessels, from battleships to destroyers, that participated. The book is informative, cogent, and concise, so that the reader reaches the end all too quickly.

The battle of North Cape, like so many naval battles, was fought in bad weather over a large area and with too many pieces on the chess board. Mr. Konstam does a fine job of bringing clarity to very confused situation.

The German battlecruiser Scharnhorst (nine 11" guns) sailed from Aletenfjord,Norway on 25th December 1943, accompanied by a flotilla of destroyers and supposedly supported by a U-boat group. Their mission, commanded by Admiral Bey, was to attack and destroy convoy JW55B enroute to the USSR. Unfortunately, Bey was leading his force into a trap.

Unknown to Bey, there were two convoys at sea, JW55B on the way to Russia and another homebound. These two convoys were sailing through the same area, with a total of 28 escorts. The British had learned of Bey's mission before he had even sailed and had attached a distant heavy escort to the Russia-bound convoy. This force, commanded by Admiral Fraser, included the battleship Duke of York (ten 14" guns)and three cruisers, augmented by destroyers detached from the convoys.

Admiral Bey arrived near the convoys in the middle of a storm, still ignorant of the forces against him. He located JW55B, but was driven off by the convoy escorts and lost contact with his destroyers. After a second attempt was also frustrated, Bey turned away from the convoy trying to regroup. Throughout these maneuvers, Admiral Fraser, being constantly informed by the convoy escorts, was preparing to intercept Bey's force.

After an inconclusive engagement between Fraser's cruisers and Scharnhorst on 26th December, Fraser finally brought Bey to action. Bey was taken by surprise by Duke of York's first salvo, which straddled and hit Scharnhorst. Nevertheless, Scharnhorst nearly was able to use her superior speed to escape until a lucky hit slowed her. After that the battle quickly became target practice for the British and Scharnhorst was finished off by torpedo fire.

Mr. Konstam has assembled a large amount of information gleaned from many sources. This information is presented in a logical manner, allowing the reader to understand not only the battle, but also why the various commanders acted as they did. His writing is lively and evokes the atmospherics of naval battle well for the landlubbers. The book includes excellent charts, orders of battle for each side, and technical data for the ships involved.

When I was a kid I had seen the movie "Sink the Bismarck" many times. I also read a book about that famous sortie. I later read an excellent book about the German navy in WW2 where I learned of many other legendary sea battles and the ships that fought in them. Decades have gone by since then, but my interest still remained alive. The Scharnhorst sortie is a most extraordinary tale. Campaign Chronicles found a wonderful author, Angus Konstam, to tell this unforgettable story. If you are interested in naval history and have wanted for a authoritative book about this particular vessel and it's fate, this is a perfect read for you. Like so many battles fought on the high seas, when a ship is sunk, the suffering and loss of life is staggering.
The strategic aspects and timeline of the subject are well explained. There are many personal accounts represented by both sides of the battle. There are a few that are given in vivid detail, explained as if they had happened yesterday. Background and character studies are given about the commanders involved in the story. The human element of the battle is effectively brought out. A list of all ships involved is included. There are maps and photographs.
"The Battle of the North Cape: The Death Ride of the Scharnhorst" vividly descibes the blunders, missed opportunities and extreme weather that created what was to be one of the last great sea battles involving ships of this kind. Five stars and kudos to Mr. Konstam.

There are a few technical errors in this volume that would otherwise be a 5 star effort (Force 1 is labelled Force 2 on one chart, and 235 degrees compass heading is termed Southeast - when it is actually Southwest). Angus Konstam can tell a very good tale, and like the best historian authors he knows that the personalities involved are more interesting than the machinery. It is a very fine read for those interested in the topic although I would have appreciated a bit more context on the status of the German surface forces at the time of the battle.

Konstam describes the final battles of the Scharnhorst in a gripping yet accurate and well founded narrative.