The battleships "Scharnhorst" and her sister ship "Gneisenau" heralded the first large German warships ships since 1918. These newly developed craft represented a successful merging of the former liners and battle cruisers from the time of the First World War. The construction of the so-called "Fast Battleships" began with these two models in the middle of the thirties. The "Scharnhorst" took part in a variety of operations during the Second World War. Her most legendary exploit was, with her sister ship "Gneisenau" and the heavy cruiser "Prinz Eugen", the breakthrough of the Channel in 1942 (Operation Cerberus). The fate of this beautiful and proud ship was sealed on the 26th of December 1943. After a heroic battle with the British Navy - aimed at her alone - the German battleship sank. Out of the crew of 1,968 only 36 men could be saved. This film tells the story of the ship and her activities off the coast of Scandanavia, through to her sinking off North Cape in December 1943. It is dedicated to the German sailors, who carried out their duty in the best naval tradition.
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