In December 1943, in the darkest years of the Second World War at Christmas time, one of the Kriegsmarine's few lethal remaining surface warships was sent on the hunt to win a propaganda victory for the German war effort. Arctic convoy JW55B was headed for Murmansk but was being stalked by Scharnhorst, 5 destroyers and 6 UBoats. The Germans closed in for the kill but they didn't know they were steaming straight into a trap. Admiral Bruce Fraser had brought the might of the British Royal Navy to bear including the guns of his flagship HMS Duke of York. Together with the cruiser HMS Belfast, Norfolk, Jamaica and others the German warship would be engaged and destroyed after years of wreaking havoc in the Atlantic. This is the remarkable true story of the battleship Scharnhorst, her sister Gneisenau and the remarkable events that led to the legendary ship's sinking.

Please note: this film is not intended to glorify the Third Reich nor any of its genocidal political motivations but rather to serve as a tribute to the sailors of all nationalities who lost their lives at sea in those dark years 19391945. All imagery and material used in this film is within a purely historical and immersive context.

This film was written by Joseph Lavender and edited by Michael Brady.
Animated by Jack Gibson.
3D models by Thomas Beerens via Sketchfab.
Music via Epidemic Sound.
Archival footage including original German propoganda films digitised by 3dhistory.de: https://3dhistory.de/wordpress/histor...

Oceanliner Designs explores the design, construction, engineering and operation of history’s greatest vessels– from Titanic to Queen Mary and from the Empress of Ireland to the Lusitania. Join maritime researcher and illustrator Michael Brady as he tells the stories behind some of history's most famous ocean liners and machines!

0:00 Intro
2:52 Building Scharnhorst
10:42 First Engagements and Early Career 19401942
20:30 In the Fjords 1943
31:08 The Final Operation: Ostfront
42:20 First Encounter
53:55 Second Encounter
1:01:00 Final Stand
1:12:34 The End


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