26 December - German battleship Scharnhorst was sunk in the Battle of the North Cape

 

On 26 December 1943, during World War II, the German battleship Scharnhorst was sunk in the Battle of the North Cape. The Battle of the North Cape was part of the larger Arctic Convoys, where Allied forces were providing military aid to the Soviet Union.

The Scharnhorst, a German battleship of the Kriegsmarine, was part of the German Navy's surface fleet. In an attempt to intercept an Allied convoy, the Scharnhorst engaged British naval forces, including the battleship HMS Duke of York and other ships.

During the battle on 26 December 1943, the Scharnhorst was heavily damaged by British naval gunfire. Torpedoes from British destroyers further crippled the battleship. In the end, the Scharnhorst sank in the frigid waters of the Barents Sea. The engagement marked a significant victory for the Allies and was a blow to the German Navy.

The sinking of the Scharnhorst contributed to the reduction of German naval capabilities and increased the security of Arctic convoys supplying the Soviet Union. The Battle of the North Cape demonstrated the effectiveness of Allied naval forces in countering the German surface fleet during the later stages of World War II.