|
The Battle of the North Cape was a Second World War naval battle which occurred on 26 December 1943, as part of the Arctic Campaign. The German battleship , on an operation to attack Arctic Convoys of war matériel from the Western Allies to the USSR, was brought to battle and sunk by Royal Navy forces—the battleship plus several cruisers and destroyers—off Norway's North Cape. The battle was the last between big-gun capital ships in the war between Britain and Germany. The British victory confirmed the massive strategic advantage held by the British, at least in surface units. It was also the second-to-last engagement between battleships, the last being the Battle of Surigao Strait in October 1944. ==Background== Operation ''Ostfront'' was an attempt by the German ''Kriegsmarine'' to intercept the expected Arctic convoys. In late December 1943, these would be the Russia-bound convoy JW 55B and the Home-bound convoy RA 55A. On 22 December 1943, a ''Luftwaffe'' aircraft sighted JW 55B and commenced shadowing. Three days later, on 25 December, ''Scharnhorst'' (Captain Fritz Hintze) with the ''Narvik''-class destroyers , , , and left Norway's Alta Fjord under the overall command of ''Konteradmiral'' Erich Bey. JW 55B consisted of 19 cargo vessels under the command of the Commodore, retired Rear-Admiral Maitland Boucher, accompanied by a close escort of two destroyers and three other vessels, and an ocean escort of eight Home Fleet destroyers led by the destroyer . Also in the area was convoy RA 55A, returning to the United Kingdom from Russia. RA 55A consisted of 22 cargo ships, accompanied by a close escort of two destroyers and four other vessels, and an ocean escort of six Home Fleet destroyers led by the destroyer . Escorting the convoys to Russia was the responsibility of the Home Fleet and its Commander-in-Chief, Admiral Sir Bruce Fraser. Fraser wished to neutralise ''Scharnhorst'', a major threat to the convoys, and planned a confrontation over Christmas 1943 in which convoy JW 55B would be used to draw the enemy out. The previous convoy, JW 55A, had arrived safely at Murmansk with its normal escorts and additional protection from Force 1 commanded by Vice Admiral Robert Burnett in his flagship light cruiser with the cruisers and . Fraser expected and hoped that ''Scharnhorst'' would attempt to attack JW 55B. At a conference of the captains of the ships in his force Fraser described his plan to intercept ''Scharnhorst'' at a position between the convoy and the enemy's Norwegian base before approaching the enemy within in the Arctic night, illuminating with star-shell, and opening fire using fire-control radar. Convoy JW 55B had left Loch Ewe on 20 December, and by 23 December it was clear from intelligence reports that it had been sighted and was being shadowed by enemy aircraft. Fraser then put to sea with Force 2 consisting of his flagship the battleship , the cruiser and S-class destroyers , , , and HNoMS ''Stord'' of the exiled Royal Norwegian Navy. Fraser was anxious not to discourage ''Scharnhorst'' from leaving its base, so did not approach before it was necessary to do so. As JW 55B and its escorts approached the area of greatest danger on the same day, the 23rd, travelling slowly eastward off the coast of north Norway, Burnett and Force 1 set out westward from Murmansk while Fraser with Force 2 approached at moderate speed from the west. ''Scharnhorst'' sailed from its base at Altenfjord on the evening of 25 December and set course for the convoy's reported position as a south-westerly gale developed. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Battle of the North Cape」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|