Original subtitles

it's December 26th

1943 boxing day and deep in the baren

sea icy Blackness even darker shapes

move through the night the mighty

British Battleship Duke of York is

sailing with a mixed force of Cruisers

and destroyers to meet a deadly foe in

combat her commander has carefully set a

trap and now he steams his ship onward

through the driving wind and heaving

Seas hoping to catch a glimpse of his

prey all on board are tense as the

moment draws near any second now the

enemy should come into

view Duke of York fires a star shell

High into the air to illuminate the

surroundings and see through the

impenetrable

Blackness and there the light reveals it

the German battleship

[Music]

shanor for hours now shanor has played a

deadly game of cat and mouse hunting a

convoy of vulnerable Allied Merchant

ships and dodging the warships of the

royal Navy but now she's been caught

German battleship is forced to make a

stand her guns Traverse and The Dark

Knight wrapped into

[Music]

flame in her time shanor was one of the

most feared battleships on the North

Atlantic together with her sister

recognizer now she hunted Allied

Shipping and inflicted a terrible toll

putting shanor out of commission became

one of the principal goals of the Royal

Navy's surface Fleet after careful

planning and a turn of Good Fortune the

British enacted a scheme to lure shanor

into the open ocean once and for all the

stage was set for one of the most brutal

engagements in the battle for Europe's

oceans it would leave the pride of the

German Fleet a flaming wreck with only

36 bedraggled surviv

ladies and gentlemen I'm your friend

Mike Brady from ocean liner designs and

this is the story of the Shan host the

German Navy's lucky

ship this is vilhelms half in Germany

today the nation's primary military Port

it has C CES of proud military tradition

because it is Germany's only deep water

Port but while today's ships only dock

here 80 years ago they were actually

built

here

[Applause]

think what today stands as an Arsenal

for the bundas marina Germany's modern

day Navy was once a shipyard which had

once constructed military vessels since

the

1870s in 193 5 the kill plates had been

laid for a special ship a class leader

of a new generation of German battleship

she was named for a Prussian General

killed in the Napoleonic Wars and the

vessel would go on to become one of the

most feared Hunters of the North

Atlantic Ocean she was called

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

shanor born out of Germany's ambition to

rebuild its Naval prowess after World

War I the Treaty of Versa had imposed

stringent restrictions on the postwar

German Navy Not only was its Personnel

limited to just 15,000 across all rolls

but ships displacement were also

restricted to 10,000 tons with a gun

caliber cap at 11 in or 280

mm in the late 1920s Germany

strategically designed the deuts land

class a trio of capital ships that aimed

to maximize on the stipulations of the

treaty though officially listed as

displacing 10,000 tons these ships in

reality exceeded the treaty

specifications by nearly 50% they were

equipped with six powerful 11-in main

guns but they emerged as a hybrid class

technically heavy Cruisers but

colloquially known in the

English-speaking world as pocket

battleships because their Battleship

great Armament was mounted on a cruiser

siiz frame it was the shot heard around

the world the Inception of the deuts

land class ignited a fierce European

Naval arms race learning of the German

plans the French initiated the

construction of two 13in armed fast

battleships as a counter and then

Germany had to answer back but 1933 The

Creeks Marina Germany's Navy began

envisioning a superior class of fast

Battleship of their own the result was a

pair of well equipped

hunters shanor and her sister G now

originally would have been completely

illegal their size the massive

displacement of 32,000 tons flew well in

the face of the Treaty of versailes but

then in 1935 everything changed Hitler

had signed an agreement with the British

known as the anglo-german naval

agreement the Accord allowed Germany a

naval tonnage up to 35% that of

Britain's with individual battleships

not surpassing now 35,000 tons the

agreement legitimized the construction

of shanor and ganen now but the British

weren't to know that the formal ordering

process had begun already a year

earlier shanor was Germany's debut in

the fast Battleship category and and for

that task she was well equipped her main

Armament featured three huge turrets

each fitted with a triple upgraded 11in

or 280 mm guns the caliber was an

interesting one as far as battleships

went it was relatively small and not

much bigger than those found on heavy

cruisers opting for these guns ensured

construction remained on schedule the

1935 treaty meant Hitler could have

ordered them to be upgunned but it would

have delayed the sister's introductions

as larger guns were being built H hor

also employed lessons taken from the

earlier deuts Land class while Forward

Thinking the diesel engines of deuts

land class had been problematic thanks

to teething troubles shanor employed the

more trusted high- press steam turbine

plant combining the benefits of weight

saving and

reliability the ship was launched in

October 1936 and commissioned just over

2 years later her Dimensions were

nothing short of impressive steaming out

for her first SE trials she must have

been a proud sight for the workers of

vilhelms halfen shanor spanned a length

of 771 ft or 235 m with a beam of 98 ft

or 30 m and a full load displacement

surpassing 37,000 tons this was the new

generation of Warship Germany had been

looking

[Music]

for during the Spring and early summer

of 1939 shanor and ganis now underwent a

rigorous period of training and working

up but by June tests unveiled several

issues with the ships the most serious

was their tendency to take on water they

had been designed with a low slim

silhouette it made them difficult

targets but it meant that the forward

end would often be half submerged in the

ocean the bows had been straight stemmed

and squat they were totally reshaped

with a Clipper style curve and a sharp

upward flare and then the anchors were

moved to sit on top of the deck but it

still wouldn't totally fix the issue for

the rest of the ship's careers and

conditions even slightly choppier than a

calm sea the forward turrets of both

vessels frequently got drenched and they

were often trained afterward or pointed

backwards in a futile attempt to avoid

the onslaught of water despite these

slight issues the ships were a huge

boost to German's relatively small

surface Fleet their introduction to

Service couldn't have been better timed

the modification were finished and the

ships were ready just 2 months after the

Nazi war machine commenced its assault

on Poland Britain France and their

allies stood against them the costliest

conflict in modern history had begun and

shanor would go immediately to war but

the steel Leviathan would need an

equally Steely Commander if she would

ever do any damage to the enemy but

fortunately the German Navy had just the

right man Shan's first Commander had

been beloved by the crew Auto celiacs

deeply respected his ship and her crew

and they respected him back but the

demands of the war effort needed him

elsewhere and he'd been promoted to rear

Admiral it left a vacancy for the right

man to step in and assume command of the

ship on her maid in Wartime sorty and in

late September 1939 A confident figure

strowed onto the ship's decks for the

first time he was a veteran of the sea

an old hand who had started out way back

in 1912 as a midshipman and climbed the

ranks through the years of hard service

he had big shoes to fill but if anyone

could do it it was him his name was Kurt

Caesar Hoffman transitioning from the

leadership of a revered figure like

Celiac might have been challenging for

many but Hoffman Rose to the occasion

while there were initial reservations

among the crew about how Hoffman would

compare to celiacs his strong leadership

skills dedication to duty and genuine

concern for his crew quickly won them

over Hoffman not only managed to uphold

the standards set by celiacs but also

carved out his own esteemed place within

the ranks of the shanor crew

he would oversee 56 officers and over

1,600 ratings Engineers Gunners Cooks

Sailors they all combined to turn shanor

from an impressive engineering

achievement into a living breathing

thing a floating town and a terrifying

weapon Allin

one they set out for the first time in

November 1939 with orders to slip

through the British blockade and into

the North Atlantic where they could hunt

with virtual impunity

[Music]

shanor and Ganer now slipped out of

wilhelm's halfen on November 21st 1939

with a simple goal their Fleet mate

Admiral graph was being hunted in the

South Atlantic the pair of newer German

ships would slip through the British

blockade and out into the North Atlantic

Ocean news of their escape would draw

British units out and ease the pressure

on Graf Bay the paids Steam and Hoffman

knew it was a dangerous exercise one

wrong move could put them on a course to

meet the formidable Royal Navy's home

Fleet head on for all their strengths

shanor and ganis now would be hopelessly

outgunned by the larger warships of the

royal Navy their strength laying their

speed and the danger they posed to

Allied Merchant shipping it would force

the Royal Navy to take them seriously as

a threat but make them incredibly

difficult to catch as they sailed for

the first time for the open ocean

Hoffman and his crew couldn't have known

that they would blood their guns much

sooner than they

expected that first day steaming between

Iceland and the Pharaoh Islands they

chanced upon a British vessel it was the

armed Merchant Cruiser Royal pindy the

glorified passenger liner fitted with

6-in deck guns from the first World War

War she didn't stand a chance on Shan's

Bridge Hoffman hoped to capture the ship

and give her crew a chance at life the

Germans flashed a series of warnings

ordering Royal pindy to stop and be

abandoned but to their surprise the

British vessel turned and faced them the

captain Edward Kennedy had decided to

stand and fight despite Royal pendy

Valiant resistance she stood little

chance against the German powerhouses

within 40 minutes the duo had

obliterated role pindy who to her credit

had managed to actually score a single

hit on shanor which did little to no

damage Shan host's guns had been blooded

but it had been an in glorious Victory

Hoffman ordered his ships stop to

retrieve survivors but the approach for

a British warship rised an alarm it was

the approach of the British home Fleet

alerted to Royal pin's calls for help a

leading force of Cruisers had arrived on

station to tail the German ships until

the main Force could catch up hunt them

down and destroy them Hoffman sensed the

danger but Fortune was on his side a

rain Squall blew in and covered shanor

and G now as they made Full Steam for

cover the British forces just couldn't

hope to catch them and the Germans had

escaped but the inclement weather proved

just as damaging to the Germans as it

had to the British in the North Sea the

sister ships encountered Seas so heavy

they both took on damage and had to

steam home for repairs

[Music]

during the chilly winter of 1939 to 1940

shanor remained mostly dormant

undergoing maintenance and overhaul but

by April the next year she alongside

most of the Craigs Marina's surface

fleet was mobilized to support the

occupation of Norway and Denmark in

operation vess ruong under the command

of Admiral G luchin shanor and GIS now

were designated to provide distant cover

for The Landings they were accompanied

by The Heavy Cruiser Admiral hipper and

13 destroyers nine of which were

transporting troops for navik in the

North

Sea the British royal Navy quickly

detected this formidable German Force

prompting the home Fleet to intercept on

April 9th after a skirmish with Admiral

hipper the British battle cruiser HMS

Renown engaged shanor and gisen now for

90 minutes the ships exchanged fire and

challenging weather resulting in minor

damage on both sides with shanor

experiencing turbine problems though the

Germans disengaged returning to vilhelms

halfen that

evening in June 1940 shanor and GN now

were hunting together again steaming off

the coast of Norway when they suddenly

encountered an unexpected force the

British aircraft carrier HMS glorious

was steaming with two Destroyer escorts

ardant and a Caster this would prove a

devastating engagement for the British

and serve as a good demonstration of

what these two ferocious German warships

were actually capable of ardant rushed

to cover glorious with a smoke screen

screen fire Torpedoes and poor

supporting gunfire onto the German ships

she even managed to hit shanor with a

shell but it simply bounced off the

ship's thick armor the Germans 11-in

guns fired back and the effect was

devastating ardant was shattered by

gunfire that left her dead in the water

before she sank with only two

survivors shanor then trained her guns

on glorious and got to work just an hour

and a half later the carrier was Blazing

from stem to stern listing in the water

she finally sank a Caster had tried to

maintain a smoke screen with some decent

effect but now she was the only British

ship left with nowhere to run the

combined Firepower of shanor Ander now

reduced her to scrap metal and she sank

soon after but not without biting back a

Caster had fired a volley of torpedoes

which nearly all missed but one it

slammed home into shanor and exploded

badly damaging her from the engagement

only 40 British Sailors survived and

proved a devastating embarrassment for

the Royal Navy years later it would come

to light that the code Breakers at

Bletchley Park had intercepted German

messages and learned that shanor and

gyen now had broken out for the open

ocean but their warnings weren't taken

seriously because they were mostly

civilians and glorious was never

notified for Hoffman and his men it was

a resounding Victory but their ship had

been nearly crippled by the torpedo they

limp for home and Hero's welcome despite

the torpedo hit shanor had inflicted

terrible toll on the British and it

began to earn a reputation as the Cs

Mariner lucky ship the next summer the

two sister ships repaired and refreshed

were ready to break out into the open

ocean once again as part of operation

Berlin once more under Admiral luch

chun's command the two ships could now

at last focus on hunting down Allied

Merchant ships and show what they were

truly capable of from January 22nd to

March 22nd 1941 the sister ships wed

havoc in the Atlantic

sinking or capturing 22 Merchant vessels

totaling over 115,000 tons their

presence heavily disrupted the vital

Allied convoy system despite their

strength they consistently avoided

engagements with British battleships

with luchin opting for caution and

disengaging on three distinct

occasions by late March both vessels

reached the safety of breast in occupied

France docking on the 23rd under cover

provided by the German air force

but being stationed in breast posed

significant challenges over the

subsequent months the British launched a

lot of attacks attempting to neutralize

the German battleships docked there in

June 1941 shanor and G now were joined

by The Heavy Cruiser Prince oen which

are docked after her ill- faded Mission

accompanying the German battleship

bismar to ensure the ship's safety and

get them within range of Defending

against a possible British attack on

Norway it was decided to relocate them

all to Germany but this would be no easy

task they would need to sail right under

the noses of the British through the

English Channel in February 1942 during

what the Germans termed operation

Cerberus but what has since been called

the Channel Dash all three vessels

daringly navigated through the English

Channel despite sustaining some minor

damages they successfully reached

Germany and for the Germans it was a

Triumph for the British it was another

Monumental

embarrassment this audacious move led to

public outrage in Britain especially

given that these ships had been

operating so close to British Shores

prime minister Winston Churchill ordered

an inquiry but in some ways for the

British it was a blessing in disguise

because once back in German Waters

shanor and GIS now's threat to the

Atlantic convoys had diminished

significantly soon after docking in Keel

that same month ganen now suffered heavy

damage from British bombers and though

there were plans to repair her she was

relocated to occupied Poland in April

never to sail again and shanor was on

her

[Music]

own by 1942 the crew of the shanor had

formed a strong bond they viewed their

ship as lucky a kind of Talisman

adopting the personal Mantra shanor

imaran shanor ever on on Woods during

this period Captain Hoffman's reputation

soared amongst the crew but also made

him a target for promotion in the spring

it finally happened he became a rear

Admiral and had to leave his beloved

ship for Shan hor me it was a blow but

they could only hope his replacement

would be as good a fit but sadly for

them it wasn't to be Capon Z Friedrich

huffmire became the warship Skipper but

in contrast to Hoffman he was viewed

very critically by the crew his tenure

was marred by several mishaps once he

ran shanor to ground at a blistering 26

knots later entangled a boy wire around

a ship's shaft and even collided with

the submarine U 523 during a training

exercise in August

1942 each incident had resulted in

extensive Repairs by the end of the year

with British and American Air power

growing in its strength and danger

shanor received orders to make for

Norway and the cover of the fjords

[Music]

after multiple attempts to break out

shanor finally docked on March 14th

1943 alongside the newcomers Norway

already sheltered the formidable

Battleship tail pits bismar sistership

as well as a selection of Cruisers and

destroyers all mored in the face of

Allied air assaults and fuel shortages

docked in cure F shanor was mored close

to tail pits but the camaraderie between

the two Crews was non-existent shanor

seasoned crew perceived the

inexperienced Sailors of the turits as

novices the latter despite being the

flagship was deemed the unproven vessel

on top of that TI Pit's Captain Hans KL

Meyer was known for strict discipline it

earned him little respect from both

Crews many viewed him as a subpass

sailor and overly authoritarian

despite tensions with the flagship moral

aboard shanor stayed relatively good but

as summer progressed a sense of

isolation began to rise the Region's

tepid days and melting ice gave way to

muddy terrain and the persistent

sunlight fostered swarms of biting

insects news both from home and the

front lines became scared the crew's

weariness grew made only worse by the

absence of nearby entertainment the

closest town was a track of over 3 Mi or

about 5 kilometers away inevitably

boredom began to take hold to counter

the tedium the crew found diversions

illegal gambling was widespread and many

sailors honed their skiing skills The

Limited movie collection on the ship's

projectors got some work out and the

library filled with Adventure Tales was

always a popular

destination then finally in September

1943 a brief operation provided some

relief shanor turits and a group of

Destroyers would attack Allied Shore

facilties on spit Bergen Island they

shelled it but they quickly realized the

station only housed a modest group of

British and Norwegian meteorologists and

a tiny military

Detachment the operation had been

designed as a swift propaganda Victory

the combined weight of the ship's

artillery had absolutely devastated the

island and medals were quickly handed

out but shor's crew were outraged to

find out that tet's crew received nearly

400 iron crosses in contrast to their

160 September 1943 taitz was attacked by

British submarines which heavily

damaged the huge Battleship shanor had

still been mored nearby but British

efforts to attack her had failed and she

remained unscathed with the Heavy

Cruiser luto having returned home to

Germany this left shanor as the last

remaining operational heavy German unit

stationed in Norway Shan host's crew

didn't know it yet but events would soon

transpire that would see their

monotonous routine interrupted for good

in November 1943 the Arctic convoys

recommenced the British had decided to

operate one Convoy a month to the Soviet

Union from November 1943 until February

the next year and each Convoy would

consist of approximately 35

ships as the German forces faed setbacks

on multiple fronts the pressure

intensified for The Creeks Marina to

provide assistance however fuel

shortages the absence of Air Force

support and the persistent Arctic

Darkness hindered German efforts sign

significantly with t pits damaged in

September and sidelined the onus of

disturbing the Arctic convoys fell

solely upon shanor and a handful of

Destroyers it was a huge task but which

ship could be more Adept than the Creeks

Mariner's own lucky ship aboard Spirits

were high she'd received a new captain

Fritz Hiner had been fascinated by the

Sea since he was a child in 1920 he had

rushed to join the reformed German Navy

and Rose quickly through the ranks

assuming command of shanor was for him

the culmination of a childhood dream hin

had odd Tendencies including staying in

bed until well past 10:00 in the morning

every day and also requiring a nap

between 1: and 3:00 p.m. the crew was

forbidden from even walking near his

cabin while the captain had his

afternoon nap however as odd as he was

to the crew of shanor and while never

reaching the status of their favorite

Captain Hoffman hin went a long way to

restore Morale on board after the poor

leadership of

HFM for the upcoming operation though a

vice admiral was needed to take command

of the entire task force of Battleship

and destroyers the Natural Choice would

be Oscar kumetz from turits but he had

returned to Germany on sick leave after

his Flagship was put out of action con

Admiral Eric Bay stepped in to take the

Reigns born in Hamburg baay entered the

German Navy in 1916 and served AB board

various torpedo boats and

destroyers over the years his Naval

career saw him attain the rank of frotan

Capen the middle officers rank among

senior officers of the German Navy by

the onset of World War

2 ba had quickly made a name for himself

when April 1940 had arrived marking the

German invasion of Norway he was

entrusted with leading the fourth

destroyer filla and on both the 10th and

13th of that month he fearlessly led

that ftill against the mighty Royal Navy

including the Fearsome Battleship HMS

War spite despite their Valor the

Germans suffered significant casual

including the loss of Ba's commanding

officer recognizing Ba's exceptional

Valor and Leadership he was honored with

the knight's Cross of the Iron Cross in

May

1940 the subsequent day heralded his

promotion to full Captain replacing his

Fallen former Commander at the Helm of

the German Destroyer Force by February

1942 ba once again demonstrated his

strategic Talent leading the Destroyer

screen that was part of operation

Cerberus the channel Dash B was promoted

to cont Admiral or rear Admiral on the

1st of March

1943 he was a capable leader but now

replacing rear Admiral Oscar kumt to

oversee shanor and the Destroyer force

in intercepting the Arctic convoys he

faced a daunting challenge ba was

undeniably a skilled Admiral but the

situation was far from ideal for his

expertise nevertheless the German Force

began to prepare for their mission this

would be a different world to the good

old days back in 1939 through 1940 now

the Germans were the underdog in the

battle for the Atlantic and the Arctic

shor's men were Keen to prove that the

German Navy was not yet defeated but

most of them lose their lives trying to

do

it in their preparations for the

intricate dance of protecting the Arctic

convoys the British now held a

considerable Edge over 6 months of

planning coupled with invaluable

insights from Ultra the covert British

codebreaking operations at Bletchley

Park which by now were taken extremely

ser seriously by the admiralty ensure

that the British were constantly one

step ahead the intelligence allowed them

to preempt the movements of shanor when

considering the Superior radar

technology of the British Fleet shanor

faced an extremely daunting task for

whenever she would venture from her fed

refuge in

Norway the German force would be under

the Keen leadership of Eric Bay he'd

lead his small but dangerous group in

hunting Allied Merchant ships fending

him off was a task assigned to a veteran

British commander Admiral Bruce

Frasier his Naval Journey had begun Way

Back In 1902 at Dartmouth his Ascent

through the ranks had been rapid with a

specialization in Naval Gunnery he

served during World War I and even had a

notable role during The Darden ell's

operation although training commitments

caused him to miss the Battle of Jutland

his expertise in Naval Gunnery had made

Waves by 1938 Frasier had achieved flag

Rank and demonstrated his strategic

capabilities as the commanderin-chief of

the home Fleet during World War II he

distinguished himself as a strategic

thinker particularly favoring radar

directed Gunnery a tactic especially

effective during the pitch darkness of

the Polar nights and amidst the blinding

Arctic snow squalls and while Admiral

Bay was a respected leader in his own

right Frasier had the advantage of a

competent staff and was better

positioned with the experience to handle

larger warships and battle groups his

Flagship was a monster HMS Duke of York

a King George vth class Battleship

commissioned in November 1941 she was

equipped with 104in 356 mm guns and boed

a full load displacement of over 42,000

tons Duke of York was well suited to

challenge shanor not just because she

was bigger and newer crucially she was

capable of firing her guns using radar

Guidance the British home fleet's

Advanced radar systems brought Bruce and

his men a significant Edge her gun

batter were also enhanced with dedicated

Fire Control Radars enabling accurate

fire even beyond the visible Horizon

impressively her type 273 radar could

detect targets nearly 25 nautical miles

away Duke of York could see the Germans

coming and hit them accurately and

reliably in full Darkness but that

wasn't all the other British vessels

such as Cruisers and the majority of

their destroyers were equipped with

radar technology Superior to that of the

shanor as well the Germans would be up

against a dangerous foe but battleships

and cruisers of the British Fleet didn't

directly escort the convoys this role

was designated to smaller vessels like

destroyers and Corvettes however in the

event of any German surface unit

threatening the Arctic convoys the most

formidable British ships from their

Northern bases could swiftly intercept

they stood ready to offer distant

protection to the Convoy's circumstances

demanded ready and waiting soon they'd

get their chance given the reactivation

of the Arctic convoys Grand Admiral KL

duritz sought Hitler's permission to

deploy shanor against the next Convoy

navigating the baren sea because a few

convoys had already crossed Northern

Norway without interference the Germans

felt compelled to take action the tides

of War were turning badly against Nazi

Germany the nation had already felt

defeat first in the Skies over Britain

then in North Africa and even more

Dangerously in Russia now in 1943 Alli

bombers were smashing the German

Homeland day and night the German people

needed victories and attacking

vulnerable convoys had always been an

easy propaganda Win In deliberations

with Admiral Otto sneen the leader of

group North responsible for Creeks

Mariner operations in Norway it became

clear that in action would invite

Hitler's ey despite Shen's reservations

about the situation he and donuts agreed

that a response was necessary on

December 22nd 1943 a German aircraft on

a routine weather observation flight

chanced upon a massive outbound Convoy

heading to the Soviet Union

approximately 350 Mi or 563 km west of

navik armed with this information Bay

assembled a force that included shanor

five destroyers and a wolf pack of six

OTS led by Captain Rudolph Peters

stationed in

narvik the uots would attempt to form a

line along the predicted route of the

Convoy and intercept the British would

be sailing into a trap with deadly

Hunters stalking them both above and

below the

surface the German Target was Convoy JW

55b traveling from Loch u in Scotland to

Cola Inlet in the Soviet Union the

Convoy was escorted by various Allied

warships while they were adequately

equipped to handle the familiar old ubot

threats it was totally vulnerable to an

assault by a warship like

shanor JW 55b was actually the second

half of a much larger Convoy which moved

further ahead the first half of the

Convoy JW 55A had sailed earlier and was

arriving in the Soviet Union as 55b was

to pass the danger area posed by the

German

warships Donuts gave the go-ahead it

would be called operation OST front

operation Eastern front and he sent this

cable to Bay a critical enemy Convoy

delivering supplies to the Russians

poses a further threat to our Valiant

forces on the Eastern Front it's impera

ative we intervene Engage The Convoy

with shanor and accompanying destroyers

utilize tactical prowess and exhibit

audacity do not abandon the battle

prematurely commit fully to the mission

shanor Superior Firepower is your

Paramount Advantage and her role is

crucial position the Destroyers as

deemed necessary withdraw if the

situation warrant it and Retreat

immediately upon encountering Superior

enemy forces brief your Crews on this

strategy

my confidence in your capabilities is

unwavering hail and victory Donuts Grand

Admiral but the grand pretentions did

not come as welcome news to rear Admiral

Bay he along with his predecessor vice

admiral kumetz believ that success

hinged on waiting for the repair of the

turits if they ever intended to deploy

shanor the track record of solo

battleships was more than discouraging

bismar had been sunk in 1941 after a

similar attempt at

operation they proposed using only

Destroyers for greater flexibility

arguing that the inclusion of shanor

would demand several destroyers as a

protective screen reducing those

available for direct Convoy engagement

but Admiral schne saw things differently

and maintained the shanor had to take

part in the

operation Ba's apprehensions didn't come

from nowhere for one thing the radar

capabilities of shanor were notably

inferior to those of the British

constraining its Effectiveness to the

brief Twilight hours which were merely a

few around noon during the Arctic

Winter by December 1943 shanor was

equipped with the fu 26 radar which had

a range of 12 to 15 nautical miles

that's around 20 to 25 km but

unfortunately this radar wasn't suitable

for blind firing of a main guns it often

proved unreliable especially in

challenging weather conditions which

were typical of the Arctic Winter

crucially though to even stand a chance

at success B needed timely intelligence

regarding the location and the British

fleet's positioning however this was

unlikely thanks to communication

disconnects between him the ubot command

and the LOF vafer based in Norway ba had

no choice he had his orders and his ship

would set to sea but even as

preparations were being made Keen eyes

ashore noticed the activity and logged

it upon receiving intelligence from the

Norwegian resistance about Shan horse's

potential sorty Admiral Fraser began to

formulate a plan with a numerically and

technologically Superior Fleet he was

suddenly presented with a unique

opportunity shanor would be drawn to the

Convoy like a moth to a flame and if

frasia played his cards just right he

could destroy her his timing was crucial

and with precise information from Ultra

code breaking about shanor departure

from Norway Frasier intended to

perfectly position his forces the

British Naval strength was divided into

three distinct units Force One the the

cruiser Force headed by vice admiral

Robert Bernett comprised the light

Cruisers HMS Belfast and Sheffield and

The Heavy Cruiser HMS Norfolk Force 2

was under Bruce Frasier's direct

leadership it was led by his massive

Flagship Duke of York supported by the

Heavy Cruiser HMS Jamaica and the

Destroyers HMS sarez Savage Scorpion and

the Norwegian St then there was the 36th

Destroyer division accompany in Convoy

JW 55A commanded by Commander Ralph

Fischer including an ocean escort of

seven destroyers led by HMS

enlo Convoy JW 55b would be the bait

forces 1 and two would need complete

surprise to lure the shanor in close to

the Convoy before springing a deadly

trap employing their Advanced radar

systems and Ultra intelligence these

impressive forces would work together to

snare the German warship and Destroy her

once and for all but British victory was

not guaranteed single miscalculation

could delay the heavy British units and

spell disaster for the Convoy shanor and

her supporting destroyers would be able

to hunt freely and syn dozens of ships

bringing not only material and human

losses but also handing a resounding

propaganda Triumph to the Germans or if

forces one and two were spotted before

the Trap could be sprung shanor might

slink away back to Norway and Escape

Fraser was relying on his technological

advantages and Central to it all was the

accurate Intelligence on whether the Tor

had indeed taken the bait and when she

would sail the mission was a foot and

the trap would be set now Frasier had to

wait and see if the Germans would bite

the British were on a tight schedule

primarily due to fuel concerns for the

escorting destroyers a window of just 30

hours Frasier was tasked with ensuring

his sailing coincided perfectly with the

Convoy's most vulnerable Point departing

at 10 p.m. on December 23rd Fraser's

Force 2 travel at 15 knots they aimed

for a position where they could react at

the first possible siding of the German

ships meanwhile Admiral Burnett's Force

One had departed earlier they had

started out by escorting the Convoy JW

55A but their plan was to loot back for

Convoy 55b then Rondevu with Fraser's

forces the Strategic placement of these

British ships with varied fuel needs and

originating from different ports was

intricate but well executed the

concentration would Peak as the Convoy

approached the baren sea near the ubo

bases Lu raffer airfields and the Shan H

herself meanwhile the Germans were

already off to a bad start in the baren

sea deteriorating weather conditions

battered the uots of operation ostfront

preventing them from intercepting the

Convoy they could see it but

frustratingly an attack wasn't possible

a single fired torpedo had missed but

while the uots relayed the Convoy's

location the Germans liked a clear

picture of of JW 55 B's route all the

Wolfpack could do now was turn and

follow the Convoy nevertheless the

information from the uots proved

valuable on shanor B was relying purely

on exactly this kind of intelligence to

plot his next move as the OTS followed

them he got a clearer picture of where

they were going and began to formulate a

battle

plan board Duke of York Admiral Frasier

intended to position Force 2

advantageously close by but JW 55b still

remain vulnerable particularly as bait

for

shanor their entire plan was nearly

revealed when the Germans picked up a

British radio signal they thought it had

come from a straggling Convoy merchant

ship but it had actually originated from

the massive Battleship Duke of York had

the German air force decided to

investigate they might have discovered

Force 2's presence and Frasier's trap

would be ruined but they didn't a

straggler in a convoy was nothing to

worry about and the message went

unheeded

on Christmas day while docked in Alford

shanor began to prepare for her

departure any remnants of the festive

season including Christmas decorations

were discarded overboard later to be

discovered by local Norwegians when they

washed

ashore for both Admiral Bay and Admiral

Frasier timing was always of the essence

however unforeseen delays set Admiral

Bay back and by 7:00 p.m. that day

shanor finally set sail for operation OS

front already 2 hours behind schedule

she was accompanied by five destroyers

led by cap Ral Johansson aboard the

z29 to regain the timetable Admiral Bay

directed Captain Hiner to push his ship

speed to 17 knots but as they ventured

into the baron sea shortly before 11:00

p.m. on Christmas Day shanor speed

surged to 25 knots in the teeth for

Raging Gale taking a course nearly due

north for the Convoy the Gale tailing

the German force made navigation

challenging especially for the top heavy

Destroyers

approaching Bay Island with Convoy JW

55b roughly 250 nautical miles ahead Bay

anticipated contact by 930 a.m. the next

morning that night all the forces Bay

and the Germans and the British forces

Frasier Force 1 and two were zeroing in

on Convoy JW 55b under appalling weather

conditions the weather did not relent

the conditions were so severe that

Captain Peters head of the Norwegian

newo Force voiced his concerns to

Admiral schne at group North

headquarters about The Destroyer

abilities in such heavy

Seas Peters believed OS front should be

aborted and schind agreed he sought

cancellation approval from Grand Admiral

Donuts and at the same time Bay reached

out to group North 2 highlighting the

challenges that his destroyers were

facing in aiming their weapons in the

turbulent weather the response was not

heartening Donuts decided that the

mission would have to proceed a hesitant

Bay was updated to stay the course

equipped with the latest Convoy position

shanor and the Destroyer Force battled

through the Seas to make their intercept

but while the UB boats pursued the

Convoy and maintained their contact and

the massive German battleship surged

onward Bay remained completely unaware

that he and his men were steaming into a

British

Ambush early on the 26th the dark early

morning brought no real easing of the

Heavy Seas Bay checked with his

Destroyer Commander Captain Johansson

board z29 about the destroyer's

condition in the current weather

Johansson assured him that if the wind

remained favorable they could press on

it was not easy going the small warship

struggled Dex a wash through the heaving

waves then the Germans finally got some

good news Johanson received a

transmission from the submarine U 716

revealing that early information had

been wrong and the Convoy was actually

30 nautical miles west of their previous

estimate this positioning actually set

shanor up perfectly for an intercept the

delay in departing from Norway had

initially seemed disadvantageous but now

it had worked in the Germans favor

capitalizing on this baay intended to

deploy his destroyers as Scouts near the

Convoy's anticipated location it would

allow them to engage and tie down the

Convoy Escorts until Shan horse could

arrive on scene move in and destroy the

Convoy it was a simple enough plan and

at last it seemed like operation

ostfront might be a success uccess but

the British were one step ahead around

this time Admiral Frasier on Duke of

York was informed via Ultra code

breaking about the Germans movements and

their reactions to the bait Convoy JW

55b traveling at approximately just 6

knots due to the weather was around 50

nautical miles south of beay Island

moving Northeast vice admiral Burnett's

Force 1 was roughly 150 nautical miles

east of JW 55b but was rapidly closing

the gap Fraser's Force to lagged by over

200 nautical miles but was also swiftly

catching up now this positioning

suggested that Bernett would Rondevu

with JW 55b before both Frasier and

shanor likely around 9:00 a.m. now this

timing was ideal for the British

Bernette could strategically position

the cruiser Force One between the Convoy

and shanor potentially obstructing B's

path and buying enough time for Force 2

and the Duke of York to close in for the

kill aboard horse's Bridge as the ship

rocked and rolled Under Foot ba decided

it was time to begin his intercept he

veered the German Force slightly East to

outpace its expected route his chief

concern was the storm enabling JW 55b to

elude him by 5:00 a.m. Bay resumed a

northward trajectory anticipating an

encounter with the Convoy in the coming

hours around this time Captain hins sent

his men to action stations ba enacted

his plan he deployed his destroyers to

scout out about 10 nautical miles ahead

to keep an eye out for The Telltale

smoke from the Convoy now positioned the

fleet reduced speed to just 12 knots to

better handle the weather but then ba

made a baffling decision he redirected

his entire battle group Southwest moving

directly away from the Convoy's

predicted location if he had persisted

on the original course his destroyers

would have soon detected the Convoy with

JW 55b only 30 nautical miles west of

both Shan and the Destroyers the German

Destroyer screen continued searching

ahead likely thinking they'd bypass the

Convoy their distance made visual

signaling between the Destroyers and

shanor

impossible at around 8:30 in the morning

possibly rethinking his choice ba

ordered shanor to turn northward but due

to the distance Johansson's destroyers

remained unaware and they kept their

Southwestern Direction it was a strange

Mission but it would not be the last

time that ba would seem to forget about

his

destroyers given this unexpected course

change if B had relayed his decision in

the Destroyers reposition north of the

advancing shanor the Germans could have

found themselves strategically placed

between the Convoy and Force One

surprising the British and nearly

ensuring an encounter with the Convoy

but it wasn't to be the blunder kept the

Germans away from a successful intercept

Burnett's Cruiser force force one was

now situated 20 nordal miles east while

JW 55b was about 20 nordal miles north

Northwest after 8:00 a.m. on December

26th Bernett steered Force 1 Northwest

in the direction of the Convoy at the

same time shanor kept moving North and

the German destroyers under turd still

sailed

Southwest then at 8:34 a.m. HMS norfol

detected a large northward moving Target

approximately 16 nautical miles away

soon after that the other Cruisers

identified the significant contact too

Burnett's anxiety stand from the

realization that if this target was

shanor which seemed highly probable it

now lay between him and JW 55b and could

potentially confront the Convoy within

the hour his concerns were not unfounded

the contact was Shan

H but then the Germans made another

perplexing move upon detecting the

German ships HMS Belfast report reported

that the contact had veered Southeast by

8:50 a.m. shanor had shifted Direction

she was now trailing her destroyers ba

was probably searching for the Convoy

surely they should be in sight by now

the Destroyers had got far away and he

couldn't communicate with them where was

everyone well undern notes to Bay he was

inadvertently distancing himself from

the Convoy and force one was now

stealthily tailing him the Germans had

taken the bait and fallen into the first

part of the Trap all the while missing

the Convoy Force One maintained its

Pursuit strategically positioning itself

to intercept at 9:21 a.m. the imposing

silhouette of Shan H emerged from The

Darkness at a mere distance of 13,000

yard or 11.8 km away from Force One

Belfast promptly launched a star shell

High into the air which like a flare

illuminated the German battleship the

British were ready for the fight and the

Germans were not

Shan horse's crew caught completely off

guard hadn't employed their radar for

fear of revealing her location if it was

active they might have detected the

approaching British forces British

onlookers observed that while shanor

turrets remained trained uselessly for

and after their own weapons were primed

and ready they had the element of

surprise and shanor had been caught

alone acting swiftly baay commanded a

Southeast in turn while the British

continued Northwest just minutes later

HMS Norfolk with an unobstructed view

due to Bay's maneuver fired her 8 in

guns from about 10,000 yards

away they were the first shots of the

battle but even then norick's first

Salvo managed to strike shanor killing

one and injuring several others but the

hits had dealt a devastating blow to

shanor already her forward radar already

inferior to that of the British but

crucial in engaging warships in this

kind of harsh weather was was knocked

out shanor turns South to slip away

making Full Steam and although the

British Cruis was fired on shanor did

not fire back the British halted their

offensive by 9:38 a.m. as shanor sailed

away at full speed and Bernett force one

followed her from afar with shanor now

heading Southeast at a swift 24 knots

and Force One strategically positioned

between her and the Convoy the British

now held the upper hand Bernett hoped he

could tail the German warship until

Force 2 could arrive but shanor speed

far surpassed the British Cruisers which

struggled to maintain 16 knots through

the punishing Waves by 10: a.m. shanor

had vanished from the British Cruisers

radar Bernett now had a choice to make

to keep up the chase or head back to

protect the Convoy he was concerned that

shanor would make a second try now with

his Cruisers outpaced he had no hope of

catching the German battleship

protecting JW 55b was burn top priority

he ordered the cruiser Force to head

back and protect

[Music]

it on shanor bridge ba grappled with

what had just happened he had

anticipated only a meager British

Destroyer Escort the presence of larger

vessels caught him completely off guard

although he strongly suspected he faced

Cruisers the enveloping darkness left

room for doubt about the exact size of

his

adversary ba then contacted Johansson

and the Destroyer Force By Radio

and realized that there was a

significant distance separating them

from each other they were now heading in

opposite directions puzzlingly ba

delayed recalling them allowing the gap

between them to expand to over 40

nautical miles before finally ordering

them to return now the distance made the

German Destroyer support highly

improbable then baay received a report

from U 277 claiming that the Convoy was

spotted moving East around 9:30 a.m. now

this report was incorrect in reality the

ubot had observed Commander Fisher

destroyers on route to join Force One

while the Convoy shifted

northward ba decided he'd have another

crack at the Convoy he deduced that the

Cruisers that he had just encountered

were shielding the Convoy and thought

that the merchant ships now lay

Northwest of his position he remained

optimistic about bypassing the Cruisers

on his next attempt to converge with the

Convoy and set a course for a second

attempt at an intercept by 10:30 a.m.

Fraser and Force 2 were still at a

considerable distance away patiently

awaiting more

intelligence while Shan horse's exact

location was unknown frasia had

fortified Force One with four destroyers

from the Convoy and then redirected JW

55b northward Fisher's destroyers having

joined Force One shortly before 10:30

a.m. were positioned in the Vanguard to

screen the

Cruisers Bernett detected the Convoy

moving northward on his radar

strategically placing him to intercept

shanor potential approach if she tried

again Frasier's tactics ensured that his

forces would be between the shanor and

the Convoy Come What May and that the

heavy Force to would be able to knock

the Shan Hors out but then his cover was

suddenly blown at around 1:40 p.m. on

the 26th a trio of German flying boats

spotted Frasier's Fleet and relayed this

information to Captain Peters in narck

intended for Admiral schind at group

North in K the Germans figured that this

British fleet was a distant screen for

the Convoy possibly containing a

battleship Frasier had hoped that the

presence of Force 2 would remain a

secret it was intended to be The

Knockout blow that would kill shanor but

now the Germans had seen them it should

have been the end news of a heavy a

British presence might have persuaded ba

to disengage but then the Germans made

another mistake this crucial

intelligence wasn't communicated to Bay

for hours to come allowing Force 2 to

inch even closer undetected

by noon Bay sensed that the Convoy was

near and altered his course from North

to

Southwest he also directed Johansson and

the Destroyer Force to a specified

rendevu point to reach by 12:20 p.m.

this meeting spot would situate the

Destroyers approximately 20 nautical

miles Southwest of shanor offering a

chance for a unified assault on the

Convoy this time Bay was adamant the

Convoy would not get away and the

Germans would be able to inflict some

serious damage

just afternoon HMS Belfast again

detected a radar contact to the

Northeast approximately 13 nautical

miles away this blip was swiftly

identified by both Sheffield and Norfolk

and the four destroyers It could only be

shanor moving in for a second try as the

distance between the ships narrowed over

the subsequent quarter hour Bernett

strategically positioned his Fleet to

ensure unobstructed firing lines and

then at 12:21 p.m. he commanded a star

shell be launched and for the second

time that day shanor was fully

illuminated and caught completely

unprepared with less than six nautical

miles separating them Bernett directed

his ships to commence

[Music]

firing the oceans roared around them and

Shan horse's crew desperately rushed to

swing their main gun turrets around to

meet the threat but it was again the

British who had the essence of

surprise despite the tumultuous seize

the British assault was remarkably

accurate both norick and Sheffield

registered hits and only 10 miles away

Sailors aboard ships in Convoy JW 55b

could see the muzzle flashes lighting up

the dark

sky shanor however wasn't destined to

sit idly by and be fired at without

response as the gap between the

adversaries shortened to about two

nautical miles she finally retaliated

with a barrage of 11in shells inflicting

significant Splinter damage on

Sheffield although norfol was the

intended target shanor recalibrated her

aim by 12:37 p.m. delivered deadly blows

to norick knocking out one of her

turrets and causing

casualties another shell penetrated

deeper igniting fires within the ship

the Germans had drawn blood shanor

successfully found the range but at such

a close distance it was hardly a

challenge ba had instructed Captain

Hiner to accelerate to 28 knots allowing

shanor to distance herself from

Burnett's Fleet and disengage once again

by 12:40 p.m. the Gap had widened to

almost 7 miles but amidst the

challenging weather and choppy Seas

accurate firing became increasingly

difficult for both sides Fisher

destroyers initially intended to launch

a torpedo assault but they had to

abandon their plans because the Shan

horse was Now quickly outpacing them

Bernett signal a cease fire at 12:41

p.m. concluding an intense albeit brief

20-minute

Skirmish after the second Clash ba

reassessed his situation he had been

ambushed twice and on both occasions he

had to retreat

swiftly while he had inflicted damage on

both Sheffield and Nori shanor hadn't

emerged

unscathed recognizing his compromised

position and noting his crew's

exhaustion ba doubted the feasibility of

another attempt on the Convoy he wanted

to turn his ship for home so he radioed

back to narvik exaggerating his

encounter with quote several heavy units

with radar guided fire although he was

aware that he only faced Cruisers he

hoped that this would justify his return

by 1: p.m. Bay directed shanor Southeast

towards the familiar fjords of Norway in

his view operation ostfront was over

spoiled by Superior British radar and

poor weather he steamed away Bound for

the North Cape of

Norway the last time this had happened

shanor had got away and Bernett had

decided to return to the Convoy but this

time things were different Bernett was

confident the Germans had abandoned

their attack on the Convoy now he opted

to pursue miraculously now his ships

could actually match shanor 28 knot pace

and keep her within their radar range

Fischer initially doubted his Destroyer

ability to keep up but he was pleasantly

surprised when they could with the wind

at their backs it wasn't easy but it was

possible to keep up with the German

warship Ba's decision not to turn

Southwest into the Gale proved crucial

if he had done so Bernette would have

had to reduce his speed allowing shanor

to escape but instead he turned directly

for Norway not realizing that he was

actually being followed by Force One by

1:30 p.m. Lu far for intelligence

finally informed Bay of force 2's

presence and it was not welcome

news in continuous communication with

Bernett frasia knew Shan horse's precise

location and he steered East to

intercept her route to

ord conversely ba had only a vague

notion of where this apparent formidable

Fleet might be remarkably B seemed to

have again forgotten his destroyers

having reached the Rond view point

around 12:20 p.m. Johansson's Destroyer

Force positioned in a search Line near

the Convoy around 1: p.m. but they

didn't detect it only eight nautical

miles separated them making it a

harrowingly close encounter by 1:40 p.m.

they were significantly distant from

shanor finally remembering his

destroyers ba directed them towards

Norway by 2:30 p.m. hoping that they

would all reach safety the following day

as the Destroyers set course for home

Shan horse Captain Hiner informed his

crew that their mission was aborted and

they'd be returning to doorway but

unbeknownst to all they were being

tailed and Admiral Fraser's trap was

about to Spring shut around 2:30 p.m.

Shan horse feared South and Frasier

deducted that the ship was effectively

cornered alerting his officers to

anticipate action by 4:30 p.m. and his

estimate was remarkably accurate at 4:17

p.m. on December 26th

1943 HMS Duke of York's radar detected a

Target 23 nautical miles away to the

Northeast it was of course

shanor with forces one and two closing

in frasia realized the Germans would

soon be within the firing range of Duke

of York's formidable 14-in guns

precisely at the time that he had

anticipated this positioning also

allowed the British to cross the tea of

the Germans a tactical Advantage where

they could unleash their full broadside

while the Germans ship would only be

limited to its forward Weaponry this

Bleak stretch of ocean was set to become

a killing fi

aboard Duke of York Gunners refined

their aim ensuring the radar guided

14-in weapons stood ready to strike

ahead of the battleship destroyers

assumed positions ideal for a subsequent

torpedo assault following closely behind

the flagship was the cruiser HMS Jamaica

soon after radar aboard Duke of York

detected Force One converging for The

Intercept nearing 445 p.m. shanor surged

Southward at full speed they were coming

closer and closer were into range with

no idea what was about to hit them and

then it

happened at around 4:47 p.m. from just

over 6 nautical miles or 11 km away Duke

of York launched star shells High into

the sky caught off guard for the third

and final time baay and shanor crew were

suddenly exposed under the stark white

light of the star shells Duke of York

already had the German ship's range and

speed calculated with perfect accuracy

they got to their deadly

work deafening Roar the 14-in gun spewed

Hellfire and shells weighing as much as

small cars smashed home shanor crew were

just reeling under the shock of this

sudden in danger when the first shells

landed bursting clean through steel and

armor to detonate inside with horrifying

results shanor forward main gun turret

was hit and almost immediately

incapacitated with most of its crew

killed as Duke of York fired on the

crews of Jamaica got to work too the

shell straddling the German ship and

sending up great gouts of

water shanor crew had been caught

unprepared but now they finally

responded at 4:53 p.m. the ships two

remaining Main turrets fired furiously

back their smaller 11-in shells surging

through the air to straddle Duke of York

it was a near Miss but the first Salvo

damaged the British Flagship with

splinters and knocked out the delicate

search radar Duke of York answered this

indignity with Salvo after Salvo of

devastating fire this was exactly the

kind of action shanor been designed to

evade and now the ship had been caught

out in a killing field surrounded by

powerful enemies but things were only

getting worse out of the Darkness came

Force One which had tailed the Germans

since the earlier engagement HMS Belfast

opened fire at 459 followed quickly by

Norfolk but shanor answered back and her

artillery proved accurate she engaged

the two Cruisers from Force One with her

smaller secondary battery the Germans

ship's Maneuvers increased her distance

from Force 2 effectively drawing her

parallel to force one with only her half

turret engaging Duke of York shanor

faced attacks from two fronts Bay

urgently radioed to group North they

were being engaged by a heavy Battleship

a somewhat understated scenario because

in reality shanor was under assault from

a battleship three Cruisers and several

destroyers amidst the fry two of

Fraser's destroyers ventured so close to

shanor that they retreated to evade

Friendly Fire by 5:15 p.m. as the

distance between shanor force one and

force two was growing Frasier commanded

his four destroyers to prepare for

torpedo strike but the increasing Gap

paired with Shan's high speed hinted

their approach and they couldn't get

into an effective firing position for

the moment the main combatants would

remain the larger

vessels the guns roared on and now

obscured from view Duke of York relied

on her radar guided

Weaponry the Skirmish lasted for another

30 minutes while shanor widened the Gap

by 5:45 p.m. with German ship outpacing

its pursuers Jamaica ceased firing due

to the range followed shortly by the

Cruisers from Force

One although Duke of York's radar had an

effective range of about 15 nautical

miles the absence of visual contact made

accuracy challenging as shanor

maneuvered to disrupt Duke of York's

targeting both ships resorted to Blind

firing in the deepening

darkness by 6: p.m. with shanor

significantly ahead and the radar on

Duke of York no longer effective at that

range both battleships blindly engaged

one another firing in the direction of

the muzzle flashes that they could see

Fraser realized that shanor was on the

verge of getting away but fate had a

different plan at about 6:20 p.m. Duke

of York landed two nearly impossible

hits on Sha horse while the initial

shell which pierced the area just

forward of the bridge killed several men

but otherwise inflicted minimal damage

the subsequent shell proved catastrophic

this burst ruptured steam lines and

compromised boilers for reducing shanor

speed from 28 to 22 knots immediately

and then it continued to drop eventually

the speed settled at 20 still far too

slow to outrun the British the

implications were clear to Bay if his

ship speed wasn't restored the British

would close in it took a while for

Frasier and the Duke of York to figure

out that his enemy was suffering

problems it appeared to the British in

that moment that they'd been

unsuccessful in bringing the shanor to

heal but then soon after the functioning

radar sets aboard Duke of York indicated

the range to the German ship was

actually decreasing the British were

gaining and Frasier could clearly see it

with his own eyes Shan horse's prize

speed Advantage was gone and the British

were now in with a

charts as Duke of York and Jamaica

started narrowing the Gap they remained

Beyond visual range of the German

battleship to the Northwest Bernett and

Force One were also making ground

Bernett detached his four destroyers

ordering them into position to Ambush

Shan horse with Torpedoes and at the

same time Frasier had ordered his four

destroyers to move in as well and they

would arrive first as they discreetly

closed the Gap to within 4 miles shanor

detected the threat an 11in shell hit

sers but didn't detonate instead it

passed straight through the ship three

Torpedoes connected with shanor starbard

side it was a devastating blow the

resulting flooding crippled the German

battleship and reduced her speed to just

10 knots she would now completely be at

the mercy of the heavier British

warships that were steaming straight for

her the British destroyers pulled back

and out of The Fray because now with the

German ship virtually crippled the job

of finishing her off was left to Duke of

York just after 7:00 p.m. having

repaired her Fire Control radar the

British Battleship turned to unmask her

after turret Duke of York Unleashed a

Relentless assault on shardor from just

just six nautical miles away from

effectively Point Blank Range over the

next 30 minutes Duke of York reigned a

destruction on the German vessel

launching salvos every 45 seconds to a

minute many found their target at such

close range it would be almost

impossible to Miss Jamaica with her 6-in

guns and Belfast having closed the Gap

by 715 joined the

bombardment although Duke of York's 14in

sh largely couldn't breach Shan host's

armored belt they devastated her super

structure inflicting heavy casualties

shanor was being demolished from the top

down as Duke of York Drew nearer shanor

retaliated once she came into visual

range however with her forward 11-in

turret destroyed and her second 11-in

turret firing only under local control

she could only answer

lamely the second turret was knocked out

itself at 7:20 p.m. and now shanor could

only rely on her after final turret to

answer the murderous British fire 10

minutes later those guns fell silent too

after exhausting their ammunition Supply

the defense was left of the small 150 mm

secondary guns but with Fire Control

destroyed and Cruiser and Battleship

caliber shells raining down around them

they were of little

use the German commanders had known for

some time that the game was up Captain

Hiner had once dreamt of commanding a

heavy warship of Shan's caliber now she

was was being shot out from underneath

him his 7:20 p.m. message to group North

resonated with desperation and Defiance

we shall fight to the last shell Long

Live Germany long live the

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furer by this time shanor which was

damaged burning en listing to starboard

traced a slow Wide Circle the ship was a

flaming wreck but a wreck that remained

afloat the British would not be content

to let Shan H remain they were avenging

hundreds of merchant ships sunk and

their brothers had been aboard ships

like glorus and Royal pindy lost to

German guns in the brutal battle for the

Atlantic Frasier observed the baguer

shanor her super structure battered and

her formidable guns rendered useless and

he saw an opportunity to deliver the

final blow just before 720 he instructed

the crews of Jamaica to advance and

launched a torpedo strike as Jamaica

moved into position Duke of York held

her fire providing the cruiser a clear

path Belfast which had closed the range

began a torpedo run of her own fiser

leading four destroyers from Force One

also steered his flotilla Towards the

bed Battleship to make his run after the

Cruisers had made

theirs it was a turkey shoot more like

putting down a mortally wounded animal

than anything else in a meticulously

coordinated attack Jamaica neared shanor

starboard side to a mere mile and a half

distance and launched two Torpedoes

shortly before

7:30 but almost immediately after

Belfast Unleashed three more Torpedoes

from a slightly greater distance but

shanor despite her condition wasn't

finished yet because remarkably Hiner

managed to evade all five Torpedoes

showcasing the battleship nimbleness and

hinson's skill even in spite of his

ship's badly compromised state but

tragically the onslaught was far from

over

as those Torpedoes sped past Shan H

Commander Fishers destroyers entered The

Fray and just after 7:30 p.m. HMS

opportune launched two Torpedoes from a

mere mile away both of course finding

their Mark in Shan horse's

flank the others followed suit releasing

seven Torpedoes two of which struck the

battleship within this brief but intense

window Shan horse sustained four torpedo

impacts on her starboard side soon after

HMS Musketeer Unleashed four more

claiming two more hits on Shan horse's

port side the end had at last come with

his vessel burning and Flooding at 7:40

p.m. Captain Hiner relayed the somber

order to abandon ship but for many of

Shan horse's crew escape was a fantasy

the ship's Rapids sinking in the icy

waters consumed many as shanor rolled

onto her starboard side her propellers

still turning she began her descent into

the abyss but below decks countless

Sailors found themselves inomed their

escape rots cut off for the few who

Brave the exterior the arctic's

merciless embrace awaited them as

hypothermia rapidly took hold swimming

became a herculan feet of its own with

only the occasional life raft or a piece

of Flom offering a fleeting hope of

reprieve only a handful of her crew

managed to flee the ship and evade the

powerful suction as she sank the one

Mighty Battleship along with most of her

crew vanished beneath the freezing

churning waves and it was over Shan hor

the lucky ship was gone

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the British destroyers scoured the scene

for survivors and were met with a

haunting spectacle an expanse of oil

slicked Waters strewn with wreckage and

lifeless bodies the only remnant of the

once Majestic shanor was the 36

shivering survivors that they plucked

from the chilling grip of the baren sea

notably missing among them were Conor

Admiral Bay and Captain H sir given the

frigid conditions survival Beyond 10

minutes was improbable Fraser's succinct

message to the admiralty in London was

clear shanor sunk the response was

equally crisp Grand well done a classic

example of British

understatement no crew of a fighting

warship are happy to see their sailor

Brethren even their enemies subjected to

the horrors of a sinking Frasier spoke

with his officers later and said

gentlemen the battle against shanor has

ended in Victory for us I hope that if

any of you are ever called upon to

leadership into action against an

opponent many times Superior you will

command your ship as gallantly as Shan

host was commanded

today estimating the German casualties

aboard shanor presents challenges a

conservative count suggests at least

1,930 men perished while other estimates

inch closer to

2030 we'll never know the true

toll the fall of shanor signaled a

pivotal shift in the north with tpit

sideline the Convoy route saw the demise

of their last formidable surface threats

outmaneuvered by a superior adversary

Shan's fate was sealed not just by

British tactical expertise but also by

their Superior intelligence weaponry and

notably Advanced radar the odds

compounded by overwhelming British

numbers rendered operation ostr front's

outcome nearly

inevitable still Shan host's Valiant

resistance echoed the resilient stand of

the Bismark both ultimately outmatched

by the Royal Navy's

might Convoy JW 55b proceeded safely to

the Soviet Union reaching its

destination on December 29th the

triumphant British vessels returned to a

hero's welcome their achievements

resonating globally Praises for Admiral

frasia flowed in from luminaries such as

Churchill Roosevelt and Stalin it was a

defining Victory but Germany was

confronted with the Grim news of the

lucky shanor on the same day December

29th Grand Admiral donits who had

fervently championed the mission blamed

ba for the debacle it was easy because

ba wasn't alive to defend

himself the cards were stacked against

him from the outset the might of the

British forces left him

outplayed speculation remains rif about

the outc come had the Duke of York not

landed that fateful blind shot in the

Arctic Darkness it had effectively

sealed Shan horse's fate the world may

never truly know but it's likely she

would have escaped just like bis Mark

before her the fate of Shan horse had

come down to a lucky hit regardless

shanor and the lives of a valiant crew

had been simply thrown away on a mission

that had been doomed from the start it

was a sad end to what had once been the

German Navy lucky ship and today she

rests on the floor of the baren sea a

tomb for the hundreds of men who never

made it

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out oh