The Battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau vol. I: Volume 1 (Hard Cover Series)

This review covers both volumes. Volume 1 is nearly all Scharnhorst. Volume 2 is mostly Gneisenau but with some Scharnhorst.I agree exactly as Chris Hepworth wrote regarding inaccuracies, most notably the layout of the fore deck anchor system. These errors are a legacy from the earlier Kagero Super 3D books for Scharnhorst and Gneisenau (same publisher, one of the same authors) and are repeated in both these volumes in all CAD drawings and plans for both ships. It's a very poor error which should have been corrected and I see no reason for it (Anatomy of the Ship - Scharnhorst, which looks like it is based on the original official plans, does not have these errors). It calls into question the accuracy of the rest of the drawings which may be harsh as they do look good.It's a real shame because there's much to like. The histories are mostly quite well known although in Vol 2 there's a bit more information on the fate of Gneisenau, not the usual 'scuttled as a blockship at Gdynia'. I would have liked to see drawings of Gneisenau's new hangar installed in Brest. These are available on the official plans in Germany of Gneisenau's proposed new construction with 38cm guns.The english text is a bit dodgy at times but acceptable. I like the stereo images. For me some work well and some don't but the photos are historic and the CADs interesting.Overall still a worthwhile book for historians and modellers which must have taken an enormous amount of work to put together, a labour of love, which I appreciate. It's therefore very sad for me to offer these criticisms but because of the (perhaps very few) errors, unfortunately, the drawings cannot be fully trusted.I would like to see further similar comprehensive volumes on Bismarck/Tirpitz, the Panzer ships and the heavy cruisers.

Quite a good overall reference book but there do seem to be a few inaccuracies that even contradict the photos in the book. For example the ship didn’t have cable /chain stoppers on the forward anchor chains in 1943 , neither did she carry the two forward crew boats and Davits that are shown at the date . And the right hand anchor capstan when looking forward has the chain going around it the wrong way . Nothing major just inaccuracies that I wouldn’t have expected to see in a book that has been thoroughly researched.