70 years ago: Operation Cerberus/ Donnerkeil

[Capitaine Vengeur 263]

http://www.scharnhorst-class.dk/scharnhorst/history/scharncerberus.html

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channel_Dash

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Donnerkeil

 

Editorial in The Times of London: "Vice Admiral Ciliax has succeeded where the Duke of Medina Sidonia failed. Nothing more mortifying to the pride of our seapower has happened since the seventeenth century. [...] It spelled the end of the Royal Navy legend that in wartime no enemy battle fleet could pass through what we proudly call the English Channel."

[+Dave 2,321]

Truly a sad day for the Royal navy.

[Derk 265]

It was an amazing feat, so full of coïncidences, sheer good- and bad luck. Stirred up a lot of Luftwaffe activity in our country too.....

[macelena 1,070]

Emden, Schanhorst...those ships had their stories printed in History

[TX3RN0BILL 3]

It was Galland's first big ops if I'm not mistaken... though the low cloud-ceiling really helped keeping the air powers at bay... It really was fated to be!