At the end of 1941 the big German battleships Gneisenau, Scharnhorst and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen were gathered at Brest, northwestern France, ready to attack Allied Atlantic convoys. The RAF launched relentless air raids on the ships without sinking them, but prevented them setting out to sea. And so the Germans planned a high-speed “Channel dash”, sending the ships to Germany through the Channel but risking attack from the British. The British realised the Germans’ plan and watched for ship movements out of Brest.

On this date, February 12, the German battleships slipped out of Brest at night escorted by destroyers, E-boats and night fighter planes. A Royal Navy submarine near Brest had withdrawn to recharge batteries and RAF coastal command aircraft returned to