About this episode

This episode discusses the conclusion of Operation Berlin and the challenges faced by German naval forces in 1941.

Operation Berlin reaches its conclusion as Scharnhorst and Gneisenau continue their Atlantic cruise, repeatedly finding merchant shipping but also repeatedly being checked by the presence of British battleships. This episode follows Lütjens through further searches, missed opportunities, encounters with Malaya and Rodney, and the final run into Brest, before turning to the RAF attacks that badly damaged Gneisenau and disrupted the Kriegsmarine's plans for an even larger surface-raiding operation. The result is a look at both the promise and the fragility of Germany's surface-raider strategy in the spring of 1941. Credit Episode Image: ⁠⁠https://www.flickr.com/photos/state_library_south_australia/3331881750/in/album-72157623232407924 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Wesley Livesay

Topics covered

• Operation Berlin
• Naval Warfare
• World War II
• German Navy
• British Battleships
• Surface Raiding
• Military Strategy

Keywords

• Operation Berlin
• Scharnhorst
• Gneisenau
• British battleships
• RAF attacks
• Kriegsmarine
• surface-raider strategy
• World War II

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Kriegsmarine, RAF, Scharnhorst, Gneisenau

Places: Brest, Atlantic

More episodes of History of the Second World War

• 265: War at Sea '41 Pt. 3 - Operation Berlin · July 13, 2026 · 25 min
• Listener Question Pt. 5 · July 2, 2026 · 23 min
• 264: War at Sea '41 Pt. 2 - Cruisers Attack · July 1, 2026 · 24 min
• 263: War At Sea '41 Pt. 1 - The Surface Raiders · June 25, 2026 · 26 min
• 262: Crete Pt. 7 - Another Defeat; Another Victory · June 17, 2026 · 26 min

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