The ship sailed to Norway shortly after she finished working up on 22 July. She took part in Operation Zitronella, the German raid on the island of Spitsbergen in September where she was hit by coastal artillery 33 times, killing 3 crewmen and wounding 25. "Z33" was one of the escorts for the battleship during Operation Ostfront on 25 December, an attempt to intercept the British Convoy JW 55B that was bound for the Soviet Union. All of the battleship's escorts were detached the following day to increase the likelihood of intercepting the convoy and did not participate in the ensuing Battle of North Cape. She remained in Norwegian waters through 1944. On 17 July 1944 "Z33" was strafed by Vought F4U Corsair fighters of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm during Operation Mascot, an attack on the battleship "Tirpitz", but only suffered superficial damage. Beginning in October, the ship escorted convoys during Operation Nordlicht, the evacuation of northern Norway. On 27 December "Z33" laid a minefield off Honningsvaag together with her sister . The two ships laid another minefield off Hammerfest on 3 January 1945.