Scharnhorst remained at Trondheim for temporary repairs after HMS Acasta torpedoed her while defending HMS Glorious on 8 June 1940. When Scharnhorst and Gneisenau attempted to return to Germany, HMS Clyde torpedoed Gneisenau off Norway and forced her back into port while her sister reached Kiel. Both battlecruisers then underwent repairs, and Admiral Hipper's Arctic sortie was abortive. RAF attacks on Kiel and Wilhelmshaven did not seriously damage the ships, yet accumulated battle damage still produced a three-month lull in major German surface activity. Submarine and destroyer attacks, followed by repair time, shaped the availability of the German surface fleet even though its capital ships survived.
Notable Point · 15:55-17:15
German heavy ships after the Norwegian campaign
Roskill's account follows Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, and Admiral Hipper through torpedo damage, repair, and the lull in German heavy-ship operations after Norway.