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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 look and significantly more seaworthy. Opening with descriptions of the ship’s design features, this is followed by details of her service record. Whilst these sections are relatively thin, they are more than adequate enough to support the main draw of this series - the drawings with detailed notes and photos of her features and what a feast they are. Everything from deck layouts and armament to fittings, boats and aircraft is covered in great detail including 3D colour illustrations.
The amount of research and subsequent painstaking work to produce the illustrations must have been a real labour of love but it has resulted in an extraordinary book. If you are a model maker, you would have no excuse for not getting the details perfect, including paint schemes! With some fascinating photos, Osprey book have published a quality book to match. She had a rather chequered service career from the action with the Rawlpindi to the Channel Dash ending at the Battle of North Cape on Boxing Day 1943 with the loss of all but 36 of her ship’s company.
