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Gneisenau

Schlachtschiff 1938 - 1945  Gneisenau  Class

   Info   History   Operational History   Technical Data   Reconstruction   Photos   1:1250 Model 
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.

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  Thanks to:  A. Berg  K. Aasen  S. Nørby  N. Okun  J. J Markowski  O. van Hoften  B. Biechowski  T. Krogh  A. Kyd-Rebenburg  L. R. Baker