Sinking Hitler's Second Capital Ship - The Battleship Gneisenau

The German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were the Third Reich’s attempt at building powerful vessels that could rival those of France and the United Kingdom. The sister battleships were laid down in 1935 under the naval treaties of the 1930s, which limited the weight, size, and armament of such warships. Although Gneisenau’s 11-inch guns were underpowered compared to the 15-inch armament of most battleships, she was faster and had more armor. Her strengths made her the ideal swift hunter of enemy commercial vessels that carried supplies to Allied nations in the Atlantic and the North Sea. During the first years of World War II, the duo ravaged the sea and excelled at their task. But soon the Allies took notice, and the British Royal Navy would do everything in their power to sink them.