The early afternoon of Christmas Day 1943 saw seasonal festivities well under way aboard the German battlecruiser Scharnhorst. The ship was secure in the Altafjord in Northern Norway, and her crew were making the most of a festive relaxation in normal routines. Some had even been ashore skiing that morning. The relaxed mood was abruptly interrupted when the unwelcome order to prepare for sea was relayed through the loudspeakers. Christmas decorations on the mess decks were quickly tidied away as Scharnhorst was readied for imminent departure.
The unforeseen urgency had been driven by the sighting of a British convoy of merchant ships bound for the Soviet Union. The life-and-death struggle in the east was going badly for Germany, making the prospect of disrupting the flow of allied supplies an attractive one. Recent convoys on the Arctic run had completed their voyages unscathed, adding pressure on Germany’s Kriegsmarine to make a decisive intervention. A plan – Operation Ostfront – had been drawn up to intercept the vital supply route.
That evening, with Konteradmiral Erich weighed anchor and proceeded out of the Altafjord into winds that were approaching gale force. Accompanied by five large destroyers, the battlecruiser was regarded as having a fair prospect of success against the Royal Navy cruisers and lighter forces that had been identified as the convoy’s immediate escort. Less certain was the nature of any additional opposition the German ship might face.
