The 3rd engagement in the Atlantic Campaign...
On 6 October 1939, the Kriegsmarine sortied Operation Anvil, battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, under the command of Vizeadmiral Wilhelm Marschall, to the Denmark Strait to assist the “pocket battleship” Deutschland in breaking through the British patrols on her return to Germany. Deutschland had prevailed in an engagement against HMS Berwick and HMS York back on 20 September off Prins Christianssund (see previous post), but she expended over 70% of her 11” ammunition and 50% of her 5.9” secondary ammunition, and was thus in no shape for another surface engagement. British intelligence failed to recognize/detect Operation Anvil, but on 11 October, the Admiralty elected to concentrate their patrol activity in the Denmark Strait anyway.
29 October 1939 saw Scharnhorst and Gneisenau steaming south at 24 knots, exiting the Denmark Strait some 150 miles southwest of Grindavík on the southwest tip of Iceland. The sea state was 4, with wind out of the south at 15 knots. The scattered clouds were in two layers, with bases of 1,000 and 5,000 feet. As a result of some sort of weird atmospheric lens effect, the visibility was an amazing 32,500 yards.
At 0930, smoke was sighted to the west. Hoping it was a merchant ship or convoy, the Germans altered course to investigate, accelerated to 29 knots, and both ships began preparing their Arado 196 floatplanes.
The smoke was not from a convoy or merchant ship. British battleships HMS Nelson and HMS Rodney were heading northeast at 20 knots. They spotted the German’s smoke to the east, and similarly altered course, accelerated to flank speed (22 knots), and Rodney began preparing her Walrus amphibian.
At 0942, lookouts on Scharnhorst and Nelson simultaneously made out the superstructures of enemy capital ships emerging over the horizon. Vizeadmiral Marschall immediately ordered a simultaneous 180o turn to the east and an increase to flank speed – 32 knots. Initial salvos by both sides were wide of the mark. Meanwhile, the incredible atmospheric phenomenon continued, as visibility increased to 35,000 yards.
At 0954, both sides launched their aircraft, and the Germans began making funnel smoke.
The Walrus closed to within 4,000 yards of the German ships to observe Rodney’s fall of shot at 1006, and was promptly shot down by German FlaK.
By this time, due to their superior speed, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau had disappeared over the horizon, though due to the persistent atmospheric marvel, which saw the visibility increase to an astounding 39,500 yards by 1036 hours, the British maintained pursuit by following the German’s smoke.
Unbeknownst the British, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau weren’t the only German warships in the vicinity. At 1100, they came within the sights of U-56, under the command of Kapitänleutnant Wilhelm Zahn. Kptlt. Zahn fired 3 torpedoes at Rodney, one of which hit and exploded, causing flooding that slowed Rodney to 20 knots (one hull box), and a fire that raged a few minutes before being extinguished (another ½ hull box).
The Germans meanwhile made their escape, and returned to Germany on 1 November 1939.
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