The Anatomy of the ship series has covered a wide range of ships from the Mary Rose to the Warspite and is described as being aimed at modelmakers, ship enthusiasts and naval historians. This latest edition on the Scharnhorst by Stefan Draminski, who also wrote the Anatomy series book on the Bismarck, is immediately impressive with a striking red cover, coffee table book size and over 600 drawings.
The sub title – the “Battleship” Scharnhorst and not “Battlecruiser” as some describe Scharnhorst and the author addresses this slightly contentious issue. Whilst she and her sister ship Gneiseau were fast, they carried only 11” main armament and hence the argument that they should be described as battlecruisers, but both the Kriegsmarine and Janes in 1940 called them battleships.
Originally built with a low straight bow and bow heavy, they were not good sea boats. Commissioned in early 1939, Scharnhorst was refitted with a clipper shaped “Atlantic” bow – a more attractive
