Naval History Forums

G'day all,

I recently ordered myself an apparently interesting book on Amazon. It was titled "Battleship Scharnhorst, crew photo album" by a chap named Randall Shoker. Although I don't put too much faith into an account that dates Operation Berlin to spring 1940 (editorial review) I decided to make a purchase nonetheless as I did see some unknown photos in here.

But this could perhaps be a book for you, Gary?

Btw, does anyone hold an opinion on the book "Naval operations of the campaign in Norway" by David Brown?

Did you obtain this book? What did you think oh it?

I got it!

Shoker's book holds a lot of photos taken aboard, from the Berlin-sortie as well as the icy winter of 1940. However, I found none from her visits in norwegian waters (as far as I can estimate location in these photos) Along with the photos, you'll find a brief account and at the end of the book you'll find a ship plan by Loef which I find very annoying since this plan is divided by book pages instead of making it as a fold-out section. Shoker write in his introduction that "...this is a photo book, not a historical or technical reference" and those few words would indeed sum up exactly what you get.

Fromm the standpoint of a modeler, I really liked this book. It had a lot of detail photos, better ones in my opinion than the koop or breyer books. I think I would rather have forgone the "model plans" in the back for more photos, but I think it was well worth the 20 or so USD I spent on it. I am certainly not the historian Terje is, I am not even much of a ship guy to be honest. I am actually a tank guy, so researching the Scharnhorst is rather oddball for me. That said you can take my opinion on the book with a grain of salt.

I actually had the luck to have a book published called 'On A Sailors Grave (No Roses Grow)' a direct reference to the song being sung by the survivors of the Scharnhorst waiting to be rescued by the Royal Navy. Indeed, one of the chapters is The Scharnhorst.

Is the book still in print and obtainable?

yes, from woodfield press sussex