| 21.05.1938: |
Commissioned, after that training and trials. |
| Aug - Nov 1938: |
Battle training in the North Atlantic. |
| 16.05.1939: |
Gneisenau
becomes flagship of the Kriegsmarine. |
| 07-09.10.1939: |
Raid to intercept Britain - Scandinavia trade together with CL Köln
and destroyers Wilhelm Heidkamp
,
Friedrich Ihn
, Diether von Roeder
, Karl Galster
, Max Schulz
, Paul Jakobi
, Bernd von Arnim
, Erich Steinbrinck
and Friedrich Eckoldt
. No results. |
| 21.11.1939: |
Together with Scharnhorst
, the Gneisenau
is sent south of Iceland to attack the Northern Patrol. |
| 23.11.1939: |
The two battlecruisers sink the British auxiliary cruiser Rawalpindi
. |
| 26.11.1939: |
Gneisenau
suffered severe sea damage during a heavy storm in the Shetland-Bergen Narrows. |
| 27.11.1939: |
Returns to Kiel. |
| 04.02.1940: |
Repairs completed, ship transfers to Wilhelmshaven. |
| 18-20.02.1940: |
Operation "Nordmark":
Scharnhorst
, Gneisenau
, CA Admiral Hipper
and the destroyers Wolfgang Zenker
, Wilhelm Heidkamp
and Karl Galster
are sent to intercept British convoys between Bergen and England, but no ships are
sighted. |
| 07-12.04.1940: |
Operation "Weserübung":
Flagship of the fleet commander Vice-Admiral Lütjens. Battle with British BC Renown
and cruiser Birmingham
west of the Lofoten, Gneisenau
was hit once. |
| 12.04.1940: |
Returns to Wilhelmshaven. |
| 07.05.1940: |
On its way from Wilhelmshaven to the Baltic Sea, the Gneisenau
is hit by a mine. |
| 04-10.06.1940: |
Operation "Juno":
Flagship in the Polar Sea operations together with Scharnhorst
, Admiral Hipper
and the destroyers Karl Galster
, Hans Lody
, Erich Steinbrinck
and Hermann Schoemann
. |
| 08.06.1940: |
Battle with British CV Glorious
and the DDs Ardent
and Acasta
. All British ships are sunk. |
| 10.06.1940: |
Returns to Drontheim. |
| 10-12.06.1940: |
Sailed into the Polar Sea with Admiral Hipper
. Operations canceled, ships return to Drontheim again. |
| 20.06.1940: |
Leaves Drontheim with Admiral Hipper
again for operations between Iceland, the Faroers and Orkney.
40 nautical miles north-west of the island of Halten, Gneisenau
is hit by a torpedo of the British submarine Clyde
. Emergency repairs at Drontheim. |
| 25.07.1940: |
Escorted by CL Nürnberg
, the Gneisenau
leaves Drontheim to return to Kiel. |
| 28.07.1940: |
Arrives at Kiel. |
| Jul - Dec 1940: |
In dock. |
| 28.12.1940-02.01.1941: |
Abandoned attempt to break out into the North Atlantic together with Scharnhorst
. Gneisenau
suffered storm damage. |
| 22.01.1941: |
Operation "Berlin":
Second successful attempt to break out into the North Atlantic together with sister ship Scharnhorst
. |
| 04.02.1941: |
Reached southern Greenland. |
| 08.02.1941: |
Unsuccessful attack on convoy HX-108 after the sighting of the BB Ramiles
. |
| 22.02.1941: |
Scharnhorst
and Gneisenau
sink four merchants east of Newfoundland. |
| 07-09.03.1941: |
Attack on convoy SL-67 is broken off as the British BB Malaya
is sighted. Two U-boats are ordered to attack the convoy and sink 5 merchants. |
| 15-16.03.1941: |
Scharnhorst
and Gneisenau
sink 16 merchants east of Newfoundland. Gneisenau
is sighted by the British BB Rodney
which requests identification of the German ship. Gneisenau
replies "H.M.S. Emerald
" and escapes. |
| 22.03.1941: |
Both ships enter Brest. They sunk a total of 22 ships with 115600t, Gneisenau
14 with 66300 t. |
| 06.04.1941: |
Hit by aircraft torpedo, put into dock. |
| 11-11.04.1941: |
The ship is hit by four bombs during British bomber attacks on Brest. |
| 11-13.02.1942: |
Operation "Ceberus":
Break through the English Channel: Scharnhorst
, Gneisenau
and CA Prinz Eugen
, escorted by 6 destroyers (Paul Jakobi
, Richard Beitzen
, Friedrich Ihn
, Hermann Schoemann
, Z25
, Z29
) and 14 torpedo boats (e.g. Kondor
, Jaguar
, T12
, T13
), return to Germany. Gneisenau
is hit by a mine on the Brunsbüttel Roads on its way to Kiel. |
| 26-27.02.1942: |
In the night ot the 26th to 27th, Gneisenau
is hit by a large bomb during an air attack. The complete bow section burns out and takes the ship out of action. |
| 04.04.1942: |
Sent to Gotenhafen (Gdynia) to be decommissioned and reconstructed. |
| 01.07.1943: |
Withdrawn from service. The 28 cm (11") triple turrets should be replaced with 38 cm (15") twin turrets. |
| 1943: |
After the sinking of the Scharnhorst
, conversion work is stopped. |
| 27-28.03.1945: |
Sunk as a blockade ship in Gotenhafen (Gdynia). |
| 1947-1951: |
Broken up and scrapped. |
