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Death of the Scharnhorst
An epic account of how the Royal Navy tracked down, cornered, and sank one of the most fearsome German warships of the Second World War.Ideal for readers of Craig L. Symonds, Max Hastings and Doug Stanton.The Scharnhorst was a state of the art capital ship of Nazi Germany’s navy. Launched in 1936 she had terrorized Allied shipping since the beginning of the war, famously destroying the aircraft destroyer HMS Glorious in June 1940. Since then she had made numerous sorties into the Atlantic to raid British merchant fleets and had evaded destruction in the Channel Dash of 1942 in order to interrupt convoys to the Soviet Union.The danger posed by the Scharnhorst to the Arctic convoys was monumental. Admiral Sir Bruce Fraser, commander-in-chief of the Home Fleet, devised a plan to lure their enemy from its Norwegian base and pound it with shells from the battleship HMS Duke of York and supporting cruisers and destroyers.John Winton’s comprehensively researched book, drawing on British and German eyewitness accounts, uncovers how the threat of the Scharnhorst was eventually brought to an end at the Battle of the North Cape in the freezing conditions of the Barents Sea.
Audio CD
Published May 16, 2023
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About the author
John Winton
57 books12 followersA former officer in the Royal Navy, John Pratt was the author of a variety of fiction and non-fiction works published under the pen name John Winton. Pratt also served for 14 years as an obituarist for The Daily Telegraph.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
July 17, 2023
Unfortunately, I dnf this book 10% in.
This is not due to the book, but to me not managing to connect with it.
The book is really technical, which is one of the pros! But not knowing much of ships and not being interested in knowing the specifics so in detail, it just wasn't for me.
Another big upside is the research that went not just in technicalities, but in historical facts as well... I really wanted to know more about those!!
Strongly recommended to ship aficionados, and historical ones as well if the technical talking doesn't turn you off.
This is not due to the book, but to me not managing to connect with it.
The book is really technical, which is one of the pros! But not knowing much of ships and not being interested in knowing the specifics so in detail, it just wasn't for me.
Another big upside is the research that went not just in technicalities, but in historical facts as well... I really wanted to know more about those!!
Strongly recommended to ship aficionados, and historical ones as well if the technical talking doesn't turn you off.
May 17, 2022
Royal Navy
As an ex RN Seaman Gunner it was good to read such a concise report of the battle,we all knew about the Bismarck destruction but not so much of the Scharnhorst.
To survive so many Torpedo hits showed how strongly she was built.
We are all men of the sea,to be told no Officers survived seems to me
Just Hitler fanaticism to a degree,which was common in German Service.
Excellent read and even in my 15 years service we hardly knew anything about the history of the battle to destroy her.
Once again the lower deck were mostly denied medals but that is the norm in the RN.to be in receipt of furious gunfire and still carry out superb Gunnery deserved more than just two medals IMO.
Well recommended.
As an ex RN Seaman Gunner it was good to read such a concise report of the battle,we all knew about the Bismarck destruction but not so much of the Scharnhorst.
To survive so many Torpedo hits showed how strongly she was built.
We are all men of the sea,to be told no Officers survived seems to me
Just Hitler fanaticism to a degree,which was common in German Service.
Excellent read and even in my 15 years service we hardly knew anything about the history of the battle to destroy her.
Once again the lower deck were mostly denied medals but that is the norm in the RN.to be in receipt of furious gunfire and still carry out superb Gunnery deserved more than just two medals IMO.
Well recommended.
October 21, 2022
Desperation on German Naval Leadership Lead to Scharnhorst’s Destruction
An excellent recounting of the naval engagement between the British Navy against the German Battle Cruiser Scharnhorst. I found the backgrounds of the principal British and German Commanders were illuminating and helped me understand their motivations. The background information on the convoys to the USSR, I found invaluable to understand the actions on both sides. A truly excellent rendering of a great naval battle.
An excellent recounting of the naval engagement between the British Navy against the German Battle Cruiser Scharnhorst. I found the backgrounds of the principal British and German Commanders were illuminating and helped me understand their motivations. The background information on the convoys to the USSR, I found invaluable to understand the actions on both sides. A truly excellent rendering of a great naval battle.
February 25, 2023
Naval carnage
This is a very detailed account of the sinking of the Scharnhorst in December 1943.
What struck me was the enormous loss of life.
Had the German ship been handled better the result might have been different.
Just about every detail is included and the book is very fair to the Germans.
Luck and crucially radar and Ultra.
The writing is a bit pedestrian but competent .
If you want to know what happened this is the book to read.
This is a very detailed account of the sinking of the Scharnhorst in December 1943.
What struck me was the enormous loss of life.
Had the German ship been handled better the result might have been different.
Just about every detail is included and the book is very fair to the Germans.
Luck and crucially radar and Ultra.
The writing is a bit pedestrian but competent .
If you want to know what happened this is the book to read.
March 17, 2022
This is the worst book I ever finished.
I read the whole thing only because I had agreed to read and review it in exchange for access to a pre-publication copy, but after completing it I’m not sure how it ever got published in the first place. The book drops the reader in the middle of the narrative with absolutely no introduction. I was completely confused with the many proper names, acronyms, and lack of narrator.
The British sink the German ship. That’s it. There’s no character development. There are a lot of details about which kind of bullets and how many by which destroyer. I have no idea if these other goodreads ratings are real but I can’t imagine how other people could like this book. What a waste of my time and total disappointment.
I read the whole thing only because I had agreed to read and review it in exchange for access to a pre-publication copy, but after completing it I’m not sure how it ever got published in the first place. The book drops the reader in the middle of the narrative with absolutely no introduction. I was completely confused with the many proper names, acronyms, and lack of narrator.
The British sink the German ship. That’s it. There’s no character development. There are a lot of details about which kind of bullets and how many by which destroyer. I have no idea if these other goodreads ratings are real but I can’t imagine how other people could like this book. What a waste of my time and total disappointment.
June 7, 2022
I came across this on Amazon and decided to give this a try. That was a good decision, as John Winton has chronicled a fascinating tale of the German battleship Scharnhorst and its loss in the Battle of the North Cape on 26 December 1943. He weaves the story of the Scharnhorst and its task force commander with that of its British opponents. It helps to be familiar with naval terminology and with British expressions to fully enjoy this book. Still, a very nice account of a Second World War naval battle. Recommended for WWII and naval history buffs.
June 9, 2022
Wonderful History
A great version of Winton’s book. Based on this, I will enjoy others in the series. I believe this book was written a number of years ago, (I could be wrong,) but it holds up well and fast moving and enjoyable. The Battle of the North Cape told expertly by someone with naval experiences. Although I have not read heavily in this area of WWII, I found this work a great introduction and useful resource. Especially regarding a resource for someone with an interest in the Royal Navy in WWII.
A great version of Winton’s book. Based on this, I will enjoy others in the series. I believe this book was written a number of years ago, (I could be wrong,) but it holds up well and fast moving and enjoyable. The Battle of the North Cape told expertly by someone with naval experiences. Although I have not read heavily in this area of WWII, I found this work a great introduction and useful resource. Especially regarding a resource for someone with an interest in the Royal Navy in WWII.
May 22, 2025
this book was a DNF for me. The audiobook seemed to start in the middle of the narrative and leap around constantly in time, location, and topic. Even enjoying history books, I could not engage enough with the narrative to even keep track of of the author was speaking about the British or the German navy.
lots of research evident, but not a lot of reasons to engage with the history.
lots of research evident, but not a lot of reasons to engage with the history.
May 1, 2022
Great!
The author was very thorough with the events leading up to the sinking and after. Even though you knew the ending it was exciting to read.
The author was very thorough with the events leading up to the sinking and after. Even though you knew the ending it was exciting to read.
May 29, 2022
Excellent
This was a very detailed account of a little known battle of the war. I would recommend it to anyone interested in WW II or naval history.
This was a very detailed account of a little known battle of the war. I would recommend it to anyone interested in WW II or naval history.
October 12, 2022
A fact filled and informative history of the battle that sunk the Scharnhorst.
January 1, 2023
Interesting read, very heavy with navy terminology. I almost stopped reading the book when I got to the chapter on the activities of the personnel at Scarpa Flow, but glad I persevered.
January 7, 2023
Interesting and detailed review of the tracking and sinking of Scharnhorst.
August 21, 2022
The Scharnhorst was one of Nazi Germany's battleships, or battle cruisers. The British fleet under Admiral Fisher was despatched to hunt it down and sink it, as it was an enormous hazard to the convoys supplying Russia to support the war effort. This book retells the hunting down and sinking of the battleship.
Beautifully written by John Winton, he brings to life in great detail how the operation took place from the perspective of the participants. You feel the cold, fear and exhilaration of the chase and the battle.
The participants are described in great detail on both sides, explaining both the personalities involved and their actions. By the end I felt that I knew many of the crew as if I'd met them.
A masterful piece of history, superbly described.
Modified due to comment
Beautifully written by John Winton, he brings to life in great detail how the operation took place from the perspective of the participants. You feel the cold, fear and exhilaration of the chase and the battle.
The participants are described in great detail on both sides, explaining both the personalities involved and their actions. By the end I felt that I knew many of the crew as if I'd met them.
A masterful piece of history, superbly described.
Modified due to comment
May 24, 2016
As someone interested in the history of the Royal Navy I found this book by John Winton compelling reading. He must have researched the field extensively: he cites over 50 published sources in the bibliography and he evidently studied about 11 boxes of Admiralty records in the Public Records Office as well as acknowledgeing access to many private letters and unpublished memoirs. The details in the book give an immediacy to the minute-by-minute account of signals, personal conversations, manouvres, radar tracking and sightings that culminated in the battle between the 770 foot-long 'panzerschiffe' ("one of the most beautiful warships") and two squadrons of RN warships.
It is compelling reading, but not an easy read. It unfolds like a Greek Tragedy, moving inexorably to the inevitable dreadful finish in which almost two thousand men died in the freezing waters of an Arctic midwinter. I have a few minor nit-picking criticisms. There are a few 'typos', the very useful charts give inaccurate labels to the convoys, and the author gives the calibre of the Sharnhorst's guns in inches rather than the correct metric measurements. It is churlish to pick on these small defects.
This is such a disturbing account of war that all politicians and senior military commanders should be required to read it carefully before committing their forces to war (I have my little list of past culprits - no doubt you have your own!).
It is compelling reading, but not an easy read. It unfolds like a Greek Tragedy, moving inexorably to the inevitable dreadful finish in which almost two thousand men died in the freezing waters of an Arctic midwinter. I have a few minor nit-picking criticisms. There are a few 'typos', the very useful charts give inaccurate labels to the convoys, and the author gives the calibre of the Sharnhorst's guns in inches rather than the correct metric measurements. It is churlish to pick on these small defects.
This is such a disturbing account of war that all politicians and senior military commanders should be required to read it carefully before committing their forces to war (I have my little list of past culprits - no doubt you have your own!).
June 11, 2017
While the book is fairly short (160 pages plus appendixes) it is very technical and can get very hard going at times.
The author clearly used a vast array of sources to get as clear a picture of the event as possible. Sometimes it appears he tries to cram as much detail as possible and a reader can easily loose track but overall the book is a great read into a very significant Naval Battle of World History.
The author clearly used a vast array of sources to get as clear a picture of the event as possible. Sometimes it appears he tries to cram as much detail as possible and a reader can easily loose track but overall the book is a great read into a very significant Naval Battle of World History.
February 21, 2012
I had a paperback book from Scholastic Magazine back in the late 50's that was about the sinking of the Scharnhorst. This book? I forgot the exact title and none of the covers rings a bell. Easy to confuse with the story of the Bismarck. Date read is a guess.
February 16, 2022
A terrific novel about the pursuit of one of the most famous German warships in WW2. The story is told from the viewpoint of survivors from both sides and really gives you the feeling you were there. A great read.
Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
July 10, 2018
You only get remembered in big navy stories if your a Captain or the author's steward. No one else ever get named. *SPITS*
April 22, 2022
A good, very readable account of the sinking of this mighty ship.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews