This book contains over 150 photographs from three of the Scharnhorst's crewmember's photo albums and is a must have for every serious student of naval history. More than 70 of these fantastic photos were taken by crew members themselves and have never been published before! There are over 60 official Kriegsmarine photos that were given to crew members to start their albums, including the sinking of the British aircraft carrier Glorious and photos from the famous Channel dash. In addition, several pages reproduce a set of model builder plans for the Scharnhorst and her sister Gneisenau. These plans were sold to model builders in Germany in 1941. More than a book of photos, the book gives a detailed account of the Scharnhorst's long cruise with her sister ship Gneisenau in the spring of 1940, including the battle with the Halifax convoys. Also is the story of the battle of North Cape, and the fateful decisions by the German High command that let to her sinking and the death of almost two thousand men.
The heart of the book are the photos from the Alfred Herman Rieger collection, the Max Henschler collection, and a stunning album of unknown ownership. Their photos show combat, the Scharnhorst fighting ice and heavy seas, an interesting series from Hitler's visit, as well as life on board. Many of the boys had some real talent as demonstrated by the artistic nature of their photos. While not part of the Technical Reference series, author Randall Shoker did add technical details in the captions describing the ships equipment in many of the photos. Model builders and historians alike will find the details in the photos and captions informative.
A compelling look at the struggle of the North Atlantic as seen through the camera lenses of the men who were there. If you are a student of the Kriegsmarine or the battle of the Atlantic, you must own this book. Book is in large format and is 128 pages long printed on heavy archival paper.
