Battleships of the Scharnhorstclass: The Scharnhorst and Gneisenau : The Backbone of the German Surface Forces at the Outbreak of War

by Koop, Gerhard

• ISBN13: 9781557500458
• ISBN10: 1557500452
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-05-01
• Publisher: Naval Inst Pr

Summary

Superbly illustrated with hundreds of rare photographs and outstanding diagrams and maps, this study makes an important contribution to the technical history of the German Navy between 1930 and 1945. The Scharnhorst and the Gneisenau represent Germany's first attempts at battleship construction after World War I and the relaxation of the Treaty of Versailles, and this book provides a complete chronology of the service of the two ships from keel laying to final destruction. It also gives complete details of each ship's major components, including hull, armor, compartmentation, main armament, secondary armament, and more. Readers learn that the class was a key part of Germany's struggle to wrest control of the sea at the outbreak of World War II and quickly come to appreciate how superbly equipped and armed each battleship was. Designed to use high-speed and good gunnery for maximum disruption to Allied shipping, the ships enjoyed extraordinary service records, which are fully detailed. Recognized experts on German battleships, the authors offer facts and insights not previously available to English-language readers. This concise technical reference will prove particularly useful to ship model builders as well as naval historians and enthusiasts.

Author Biography

Gerhard Koop served in the Kriegsmarine in World War II. Klaus-Peter Schmolke is well known for the detail and accuracy of his technical drawings. They are the authors of the companion volume Battleships of the Bismarck Class.

Table of Contents

Foreword	7	(2)
Development and Construction	9	(27)
Scharnhorst Class: Technical Specifications	12	(19)
Scale Plans: Scharnhorst	31	(3)
Camouflage Schemes	34	(2)
The Battleship Gneisenau	36	(59)
Origin of the Name: August Wilhelm Anton Graf Neidhardt von Gneisenau	54	(41)
The Battleship Scharnhorst	95	(67)
Origin of the Name: Gerhard Johann von Scharnhorst	117	(45)
Conclusions	162	(7)
Appendices	169	(2)
Bibliography	171	(2)
Index of Ships	173	(2)
About the Authors	175