Traces the early history of the ship, from the launch and sea trials to the dramatic dash through the English Channel back to Germany in 1942.
After the loss of her sister ship "Gneisenau", the good fortunes of the Scharnhorst ran out; while intercepting a Murmansk bound Allied convoy in December 1943, the Scharnhorst was attacked by two British warship groups. Putting up a valiant fight against hopeless odds, the Scharnhorst was finally sunk after sustaining 15 torpedo hits. Out of 1968 crewmen, only 36 survived.