At the Battle of the Barents Sea, Sherbrooke led the destroyer escort of convoy JW 51B against Admiral Hipper and Lutzow. Four German approaches were disrupted by smoke, aggressive pursuit, and the threat of torpedoes. Sherbrooke continued directing the defense after a shell seriously wounded his face and yielded command only when he knew another officer had control. The formal Victoria Cross citation gives a restrained account of an exceptionally violent close action. The account instead treats the six-11-inch-gun Lutzow as a heavy cruiser, challenging the citation's 'pocket battleship' label and showing how classification can magnify apparent odds.
Chapter · 59:13-1:02:31
Robert Sherbrooke defends convoy JW 51B
Robert Sherbrooke's destroyers repeatedly threaten torpedo attacks to keep German heavy ships away from Arctic convoy JW 51B.