Evening star., 1943-12-27
Sunk
In Convoy Battle Off
Northern NORWAY
British Home Fleet Unit,
Victorious Over Big
German BottIeship
picture on Page Az

ES the Associated Press.
LONDON, Dec. 27. - British
home fleet units sank the power
full, 26,000-ton German battle
ship Scharnhorst in a blazing
Arctic action off Norway last
night, the Admiralty announced,
sending her down after she
ventured from her lair pre-
sumably to strike at a convoy to
MurmanSk
Presumably the entire compile
ment of about l.4O0 men was lost
as there was no word of survivors.
The triumph-in apparently the
greatest fight with the German
Navy since the kill of the Bismarck
May q. l941-virtually crippled
Hitler's battle fleet, leaving as dam
aged kingpins only the great Tir-
pitz and the Scharnhorst's sister
ship the Gneisenau.
The Scharnhorst was sunk in the
Barents Sea off North Cape, Nor
ways northern tip. 1t was not dis
closed whether American ships.
sometimes reinforcing the home
! fleet, participated
! An Admiralty communiQue gave
j few deails, but Berlin broadcast
asserted the Scharnhorst went down
after firing all her ammunition in
heroic battle" with other Nazi ves-
sells against larger British forma-
| tions.
Convoy Damage Claimed.
The fight lasted a considerable
time" the Germans said, and con
siderable damage was inflicted on
the convoy and on the British escort
vessels"
Admiral Sir Bruce Fraser COM
manded the naval units which
brought the Scharnhorst to bay
after months of a cat-and-
game to lure the German surface
fleet out to battle.
1t was revenge for the 55-year-
old Admiral Fraser, for he formerly
was captain of the aircraft carrier
Glorious. sunk by the Scharnhorst
and Gneisenau off Norway June 9,
1940 with 1,074 of her crew missing
and 130 known dead.
The fact that Admiral Fraser COM
manded suggested that heavy Brit
ish ships were engaged, possibly in
cluding battleship of the 35,000-
ton King George v class armed with
ten 14-inch guns.
The Scharnhorst, bearing main
armament of nine 11-inch guns and
normal complement of 1851 men.
had speed of 20 knots, was
launched October 3, 1886, and went
into service January 7, 1899.
Had Been in Hiding.
At last reports she was hiding In
Alien Fjord in Norway near the
Murmansk supply route.
She, the Gniesenau and the
cruiser Prinz Eugen ran the gantlet
of the English Channel to the North
Sea on foggy February night in
1912, escaping from heavily bombed
berths in Brest. France.
Forty-two British planes were shot
down in a running fight, and the
Admiralty admitted destroyer casu-
alties. But British airmen expressed
confidence they had scored hits on
the warships, and the battle cost l8
German planes.
The TirpitZ. rated by experts as
10000 to $4,000 ton battleship, was
damaged by British midget sub
marines brilliantly invading Alien
Fjord last September.
The Gneisenau probably is out of
action for good" Admiral Sir Will
liam James, chief of the British
naval information, said in a survey
last October, while the Scharn-
horst, Luetzow Admiral Scheer,
Prinz Eugen and the Admiral Hip
per have all been damaged more or
less severely" The Luetzow and
Scheer are 10,000-ton pocket battle
ships.
Hipper in Baltic Port.
Advices from Stockholm month
ago said the 10000 ton cruiser Ad-
miral Hipper was laid up in a Baltic
port, the PrinZ Eugen had been
made over into training ship the
Gneisenau was in use as an anti
(see sCHARNHORsT, Page A-2J