Germany: Kriegsmarine

(Kriegsmarine Photo)

Scharnhorst was a battleship/battlecruiser that served with Nazi Germany’s Kriegsmarine during the Second World War. Commissioned in 1939, the ship mounted a main armament of nine 11-inch guns and was capable of 31 knots. During the early years of the war, Scharnhorst supported operations against Norway as well as raided Allied convoys in the North Atlantic. In December 1943, Scharnhorst was lured into a trap by the British and destroyed at the Battle of the North Cape.