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The Battle of the North Cape: The Death Ride of the Scharnhorst, 1943
On 25 December 1943 the German battlecruiser Scharnhorst slipped out Altenfjord in Norway to attack Artic convoy JW55B which was carrying vital war supplies to the Soviet Union. But British naval intelligence knew of the Scharnhorst's mission before she sailed and the vulnerable convoy was protected by a large Royal Naval force including the battleship Duke of York. In effect the Scharnhorst was sailing into a trap.
One of the most compelling naval dramas of the Second World War had begun. Angus Konstam's gripping account tells the story of this crucial and under-studied naval battle, and explains why the hopes of the German Kriegsmarine went down with their last great ship.
One of the most compelling naval dramas of the Second World War had begun. Angus Konstam's gripping account tells the story of this crucial and under-studied naval battle, and explains why the hopes of the German Kriegsmarine went down with their last great ship.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2009
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81 people want to read
About the author
Angus Konstam
221 books62 followersAngus Konstam is a Scottish writer of popular history. Born in Aberdeen, Scotland and raised on the Orkney Islands, he has written more than a hundred books on maritime history, naval history, historical atlases, with a special focus on the history of piracy.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
October 29, 2020
Excellent book about the efforts of the Royal Navy to sink the Scharnhorst during WWII. Not as well known as the struggle to take out the Bismarck, this sea battle between surface ships such as the Duke of York and the Scharnhorst, finished off one of the battlecruisers that threatened the Murmansk convoys in 1943. Hitler and many German naval officers feared using these behemouths as their numbers declined due to British efforts. As a result, many of their large ships did not leave their homeports. To get at the Scharnhorst Admiral Fraser and the Royal Navy set a trap to lure the battle cruiser to sea. Even so, it almost didn't work until a lucky shot caused a devastating loss of speed.
It's not a long book, but does have some good maps and fine photos.
Nearly 2,000 men sailed aboard the Scharnhorst on her last mission; 36 survived its demise. The oldest survivor was in his early 30s. The Kriegsmarine, U-boats and surface ships alike, paid a high price for their loyalty.
It's not a long book, but does have some good maps and fine photos.
Nearly 2,000 men sailed aboard the Scharnhorst on her last mission; 36 survived its demise. The oldest survivor was in his early 30s. The Kriegsmarine, U-boats and surface ships alike, paid a high price for their loyalty.
January 28, 2021
I approached this one with some nervousness. Konstam's book on Jutland (Jutland 1916: Twelve Hours That Decided The Great War) is excellent, but a friend with an intense interest in North Cape was quite sniffy about his Scharnhorst. No preconceptions, then.
The subtitle, Death Ride of the Scharnhorst, is presumably a deliberate invocation of Hipper's sacrificial charge against the Grand Fleet in 1916. A better image might be that of a cornered tiger. As with the best stories of a hunt for a vicious predator the book is pacey and well-written.
Konstam, a retired naval officer, has lost none of his talent for getting inside the heads of the rival commanders. Much of this must necessarily be speculation but it is informed and plausible. He comes up with a useful account of the poor seakeeping of the German 'Narvik' class destroyers - a significant factor - and brings out the unusual indiscipline of Convoy JW55B which I hadn't come across before. He also lays to rest the allegation that many more lives could have been saved.
The book (I read the paperback edition) is generally well produced with a useful plate section in the middle. I felt the 'Order of Battle' section would have been better as an appendix.
Quibbles are relatively minor. When discussing radar and anti-submarine warfare it wouldn't have hurt to mention that the mountainous seas of an Arctic winter would seriously degrade its value against a surfaced U-boat, and this might have affected Fraser's thinking. There were a couple of times when I looked at bearings and course changes and thought, 'Is that right? Nah, has to be me.' Even in a short book, 'Aftermath' could have used a bit more attention.
I originally gave this three stars but upgraded it to four while writing the review. In terms of what it sets out to do, the book succeeds well.
The subtitle, Death Ride of the Scharnhorst, is presumably a deliberate invocation of Hipper's sacrificial charge against the Grand Fleet in 1916. A better image might be that of a cornered tiger. As with the best stories of a hunt for a vicious predator the book is pacey and well-written.
Konstam, a retired naval officer, has lost none of his talent for getting inside the heads of the rival commanders. Much of this must necessarily be speculation but it is informed and plausible. He comes up with a useful account of the poor seakeeping of the German 'Narvik' class destroyers - a significant factor - and brings out the unusual indiscipline of Convoy JW55B which I hadn't come across before. He also lays to rest the allegation that many more lives could have been saved.
The book (I read the paperback edition) is generally well produced with a useful plate section in the middle. I felt the 'Order of Battle' section would have been better as an appendix.
Quibbles are relatively minor. When discussing radar and anti-submarine warfare it wouldn't have hurt to mention that the mountainous seas of an Arctic winter would seriously degrade its value against a surfaced U-boat, and this might have affected Fraser's thinking. There were a couple of times when I looked at bearings and course changes and thought, 'Is that right? Nah, has to be me.' Even in a short book, 'Aftermath' could have used a bit more attention.
I originally gave this three stars but upgraded it to four while writing the review. In terms of what it sets out to do, the book succeeds well.
March 19, 2020
The "Death Ride" that nearly wasn't.
Compact, but deft, re-telling of the of the final action of the battlecruiser Scharnhorst. Despite the massive advantage given the British due to "Ultra," the Scharnhorst still nearly got away using her superior speed. Gun spotting radar, far superior to that of their German counterparts, enabled the British battleship Duke of York to score a critical hit on the Scharnhorst, just as she was making good her escape. The book also traces the German command failures - particularly that of the German Fleet Commander - who fails to alert Admiral Bey on Scharnhorst that a British task force is in a position across his line of retreat. Bey himself is taken to task for not punching his way through the cruiser screen & attacking the convoy earlier, when he might have succeeded. Yes, he might have. But he elected to use Scharnhorst's speed advantage to not risk a damaging hit & attack the convoy from a different direction. One can hardly fine fault with a commander who tries to utilize his ship's qualities to their best advantage. More problematical are the operations of the German destroyers. One gets the impression that they would have preferred to never have left port. They report nothing but troubles, and ultimately Bey orders them back to port. Yes, the sea was very rough. But the British destroyers seemed to manage OK. And, in the end, it is they who deliver the coup de grace to the Scharnhorst and her brave crew.
Compact, but deft, re-telling of the of the final action of the battlecruiser Scharnhorst. Despite the massive advantage given the British due to "Ultra," the Scharnhorst still nearly got away using her superior speed. Gun spotting radar, far superior to that of their German counterparts, enabled the British battleship Duke of York to score a critical hit on the Scharnhorst, just as she was making good her escape. The book also traces the German command failures - particularly that of the German Fleet Commander - who fails to alert Admiral Bey on Scharnhorst that a British task force is in a position across his line of retreat. Bey himself is taken to task for not punching his way through the cruiser screen & attacking the convoy earlier, when he might have succeeded. Yes, he might have. But he elected to use Scharnhorst's speed advantage to not risk a damaging hit & attack the convoy from a different direction. One can hardly fine fault with a commander who tries to utilize his ship's qualities to their best advantage. More problematical are the operations of the German destroyers. One gets the impression that they would have preferred to never have left port. They report nothing but troubles, and ultimately Bey orders them back to port. Yes, the sea was very rough. But the British destroyers seemed to manage OK. And, in the end, it is they who deliver the coup de grace to the Scharnhorst and her brave crew.
March 17, 2026
Very well-written. A British admiral concocts a trap to lure out the German battlecruiser Scharnhorst, and the Germans walk right into it. Pretty simple. The first half is all set-up, the shooting doesn't start until the halfway point, but I found it all interesting. The actual battle itself wasn't as interesting as I had thought it to be, it was very straightforward, not a lot of twists or surprises, other than the usual mind-boggling mistakes people always seem to make in warfare. For example, when Scharnhorst left her harbor to attack the convoy, she was accompanied by five destroyers. But pretty early on, the destroyers somehow did not get a message to make a course change that Scharnhorst made, so that was it, they were not involved in the engagement after that (it was dark and storming intensely, but they didn't even receive a radio message). Scharnhorst made a right turn, the destroyers didn't, and they sailed blithely off into the sunset and were not a factor at all in the battle to come. Almost too ridiculous to believe. The Scharnhorst did almost manage to escape the trap at one point, but once the battle was engaged, it was fairly one-sided, and the Scharnhorst was dispatched in a few hours, with only 30 of her 2000 man crew surviving the frigid arctic waters. Aw, the poor Nazis.
August 6, 2024
An interesting account of the battle
This is a battle that is, unfortunately, less well known than it should be. Whilst the outcome, once the main event began was to prove inevitable, it wasn't a foregone conclusion. KMS Scharnhorst was handled with great skill against overwhelming force and, almost, got away!
The skill, planning, training and execution of Admiral Frasers' plan was impeccable and this is reflected here by the research the author has put in to tell the story. 80yrs after the battle, the vital role of ULTRA can be explained. The fact that both Fraser and Burnett were in the "club" can't be overstressed. This is a classic naval action, one might even say a "Boys Own" story of extraordinary determination by crews on both sides. However, just as in that other incredible tale of the hunt
for KMS Bismarck, you feel the sadness for the thousands of brave sailors and the loss of a beautiful ship.
I like the way comments are included from both sides, giving a unique eyewitness perspective to the various stages of this campaign. The ultimate fate of which was to have such a profound effect on the length of the war.
Excellent book, very readable style, I can happily, highly recommend it!
This is a battle that is, unfortunately, less well known than it should be. Whilst the outcome, once the main event began was to prove inevitable, it wasn't a foregone conclusion. KMS Scharnhorst was handled with great skill against overwhelming force and, almost, got away!
The skill, planning, training and execution of Admiral Frasers' plan was impeccable and this is reflected here by the research the author has put in to tell the story. 80yrs after the battle, the vital role of ULTRA can be explained. The fact that both Fraser and Burnett were in the "club" can't be overstressed. This is a classic naval action, one might even say a "Boys Own" story of extraordinary determination by crews on both sides. However, just as in that other incredible tale of the hunt
for KMS Bismarck, you feel the sadness for the thousands of brave sailors and the loss of a beautiful ship.
I like the way comments are included from both sides, giving a unique eyewitness perspective to the various stages of this campaign. The ultimate fate of which was to have such a profound effect on the length of the war.
Excellent book, very readable style, I can happily, highly recommend it!
June 7, 2022
While the book's fairly objective and depicts the grim reality of an Arctic gun battle, with excerpts of personal accounts giving it a more humane touch, it still falls a bit short from being really good.
Knocked off a star for the perceived indecisiveness and hesitation between a dry, clear-cut but detailed monograph on a naval engagement on one hand, and a Walter Lord-style retelling of the same on the other. A bit more on either side of the scale would mark the book a 3* at the least, possibly even a 4*.
The setup and explanations of the situation prior to the Scharnhorst's last sortie are clear and concise enough, giving a good overview of both German and British plans and personnel. Unfortunately this first part of the book skewed my expectations a bit higher than they should have been.
For some weird reason, the events of the actual sortie and battle feel somewhat lacklusterly described, and the lack of some maps or other visual aids is, to me, rather off-putting. Especially since not long before reading the book I watched a naval history channel video on this exact topics, and there were/are charts depicting the ship movements during that fateful day.
Knocked off a star for the perceived indecisiveness and hesitation between a dry, clear-cut but detailed monograph on a naval engagement on one hand, and a Walter Lord-style retelling of the same on the other. A bit more on either side of the scale would mark the book a 3* at the least, possibly even a 4*.
The setup and explanations of the situation prior to the Scharnhorst's last sortie are clear and concise enough, giving a good overview of both German and British plans and personnel. Unfortunately this first part of the book skewed my expectations a bit higher than they should have been.
For some weird reason, the events of the actual sortie and battle feel somewhat lacklusterly described, and the lack of some maps or other visual aids is, to me, rather off-putting. Especially since not long before reading the book I watched a naval history channel video on this exact topics, and there were/are charts depicting the ship movements during that fateful day.
July 5, 2019
I had often heard of this remarkable sea battle that took place in 1943 involving a superior German battlecruiser, the Sharnhorst, and Great Britain's battle ship The Duke of York with convoy escorts. They were escorting supply ships making their way to the Soviet Union to aide in the war against Germany. The German Scharnhorst was a legend and an "unsinkable" ship. It hid in the entrance of the Altenfjord off the coast of Norway with its mission to prevent supply ships reaching the Soviet Union. The ultimate battle was fought in extremely cold and bitter gale force winds. . The bravery of the men on the ships, both sides, is legendary. Few of the Germans survived and were sent as prisoners of war to America. The story was well written, easy to understand for a "lay person" exciting and hard to put down. I could almost put myself aboard the ships and see/feel the anticipation, and preparation for the ultimate battle. Very good read, wonderful photos, and for any WWII affectionatus an unusual read.
January 16, 2021
The title says it all, so I won't worry about spoilers. This is a solid and accurate recounting of the German attempt to trap and destroy the Russia-bound convoy JW55B, which became the Royal Navy operation to trap and destroy the battlecruiser Scharnhorst. Unless one is a naval history buff, this is probably one of those stories that may have flown under the radar. Between Christmas and Boxing Day of 1943 a game of cat and mouse was played out in dreadful weather and almost constant darkness. At the end of it after a brutal fight, the Scharnhorst foundered with the loss of over 1900 of her crew. We are left with the respectful words of Admiral Fraser as he addressed officers on the battleship Duke of York: "Gentlemen, the battle against Scharnhorst has ended in victory for us. I hope that if any of you are ever called upon to lead a ship into action against an opponent many times superior, you will command your ship as gallantly as Scharnhorst was commanded today". This is well worth reading, and owning.
June 6, 2022
Front row seats
This book puts you in the thick of the action from the word go, a factual, historical account, based on eye witness reports, ships logs, and put together so cleanly it reads like an action adventure tale.
Cheers through this book so easily, I may well read it again, it's as if I'd had a front row seat at the battle.
Awesome
This book puts you in the thick of the action from the word go, a factual, historical account, based on eye witness reports, ships logs, and put together so cleanly it reads like an action adventure tale.
Cheers through this book so easily, I may well read it again, it's as if I'd had a front row seat at the battle.
Awesome
November 14, 2025
A good overall synopsis of the battle, and interesting structured into the different watches on Royal Navy warships. Some inaccuracies around German radar and what really slowed the Scharnhorst in the Battle of North Cape. Not a bad read if you don’t know anything about the battle, but experts will be squirming!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 11, 2020
My father was involved in this battle
My father never told me about this it is very humbling to read what they want they had to do
My father never told me about this it is very humbling to read what they want they had to do
December 14, 2023
Great book.
January 10, 2026
Would read again and would like to see/read physical version vs audio. Nice overview and details of battle.
January 16, 2016
Very good book
It was a quick read but very enjoyable. I don't think the details regarding the sinking of the scharnhorst gets much coverage in most general history's.
I like the authors style of using the personal stories to assist and provide more details to the story, not making the personal stories the story itself. Of course due to the outcome the the German view isn't covered as well as the British.
Strongly recommended if interest in naval combat. Probably one of the first and last combats between solo capital ships.
It was a quick read but very enjoyable. I don't think the details regarding the sinking of the scharnhorst gets much coverage in most general history's.
I like the authors style of using the personal stories to assist and provide more details to the story, not making the personal stories the story itself. Of course due to the outcome the the German view isn't covered as well as the British.
Strongly recommended if interest in naval combat. Probably one of the first and last combats between solo capital ships.
October 27, 2015
A gripping and detailed account of the sinking of the Scharnhorst
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews