Text 36013, 67 rader
Skriven 2006-08-06 02:18:38 av Ward Dossche (2:292/854)
     Kommentar till en text av Bob Ackley
Ärende: Re: Israel
==================
Bob,
 
> In any case, Germany had at least *four* modern heavy
> surface units (Scharnhorst, Gneisnau, Tirpitz and Prinz Eugen) at the
> time, six if
> you count the two remaining 'pocket' battleships (Scheer and Lutzow -
> which was originally christened 'Deutschland').
 
... because Hitler did not want to risk a vessel with the name "Deutschland" to
be sunk. ;-)
 
Anyway, Scharnhorst Gneisenau and Prinz Eugen were locked-up in
western-Atlantic ports and made their famous breakthrough home through the
Channel by day. Scharnhorst ran on a mine and went into dry-dock. Gneisenau was
hit several times in its home port by British bombers and never saw action
again. Eventually towards the end of the war it was scuttled.
 
Prinz Eugen saw considerable action, mainly in the Baltic sea where it
functioned as a successful gun-platform supporting the German army on land. It
also aided in the rescue of German civilians of the uncoming Russian army. It
is then that the greatest sea-catastrophy of all time occured when a Russian
sub torpedoed the German liners 'Wilhelm Gustlof' (estimated 10,000 casualties,
compare that to Titanic) and "General Von Steuben" (estimated 4,500
casualties). At the end of the war it was the only remaining German heavy
surface-unit afloat and was seized by the Americans. Transfered to Bikini Atol
it was part of the fleet anchored there during the Bravo-test. Eventually Prinz
Eugen sank. Now it is a diving object and since it is in excellent condition
there is a German venture to try and raise it.
 
Scharnhorst had some minor successes. It sank an aircraft carrier and a number
of other smaller vessels. Eventually it was sunk on Christmas Eve 1943 during
what is now known as the "Battle of the North Cape" by the battleship "Duke of
York" (which completely outgunned it but yet also needed a lucky hit first) and
the cruisers Jamaica and Belfast. Belfast survived the war and was not
scrapped. It is now anchored on the Thames in London, open for the public and
on the bridge are the original maps on display which were used while hunting
for scharnhorst.
 
Tirpitz (Bismarck class) hid for its complete career in a Norwegian fjord and
made only one outing to Spitsbergen where it shelled a Norwegian radio-station
in Longyearbeyen and a Russian radio-station in Barentzburg. In the latter
there is a small museum which I could visit in 1999 and they have there a
defused unexploded shell of Tirpitz.
 
As for the "Scheer" and "Lutzow", I don't think they saw much action at all. As
a matter of fact, they were alot more vulnerable than the Allies believed. Very
heavy armament, propulsion was by diesel engines and not turbines which made
them faster than the average cruiser. They looked quite a thing (same class as
Graf Spee) but their deck and side armour was insufficient which made them
sitting ducks for heavy enemy units.
 
It explains why in the Battle of the La Plata, the Graf Spee was so severely
damaged by the Ajax and the Achilles which both had only 6-inch guns chased it
in port. The rest is history.
 
As we speak there is a salvage operation underway to raise the wreck because it
has become a shipping-hazard. Plans are to refloat her, restore her and turn
her into a museum. Quite dangerous ... one of the 3 scuttling-charges failed to
fire and there is still a considerable amount of artillery shells with a charge
in her hold.
 
Take care,
 
 \%/@rd

--- D'Bridge 2.55
 * Origin: "Leonard will be free" - http://www.leonardpeltier.org (2:292/854)