The Kriegsmarine faced a dire dilemma: its vital battleships, docked in Brest, France, were under relentless RAF bombardment, yet they were urgently needed in Norway to deter British commandos.

Launched in 1939 and commissioned in 1941, the Tirpitz was one of the largest battleships ever built ... In the case of Hitler’s Germany, the Kriegsmarine made life difficult for the Royal ...