Order of Battle
Battle of North Cape
26 December 1943
Contributed by Richard Hawes

British, Canadian and Norwegian Forces

    Vice Admiral (Acting Admiral) Sir Bruce Fraser, KCB, KBE, RN, C-in-C Home Fleet

JW55A (Westbound convoy, returning from Murmansk to Loch Ewe, departed Murmansk, 22nd December 1943)
JW55A Through Close Escort:
Minesweeper
HMS Seagull—Lt. Cdr. R.W. Ellis, DSC
Corvettes
HMNorS Acanthus
HMS Dianella—Temp. Lt. L.J.F. Tognola, RNR
HMS Poppy—Temp. Lt. D.R.C. Onslow, RNR
JW55A Fighting Destroyer Escort:
HMS Milne—Captain I.M.R. Campbell, DSO, Captain (D.3), Senior Escort Commander, JW55A
HMS Ashanti—Lt.Cdr J.R. Barnes
HMC Athabaskan—Cdr. J.H. Stubbs, DSO RCN
HMS Beagle—Lt. Cdr. N.R. Murch
HMS Meteor—Lt. Cdr. D.J.P. Jewitt
HMS Westcott—Cdr. H. Lampton

Force 2, from Murmansk, departed Murmansk 23rd December 1943
10th Cruiser Squadron—Vice Admiral R.B. Burnett, CB, DSO, OBE
HMS Belfast (F)—Captain F.R. Parham
HMS Norfolk—Captain D.K. Bain
HMS Sheffield—Captain C.T. Adis

JW55B (Eastbound convoy, Loch Ewe to Murmansk, departed Loch Ewe 1700 20th December 1943; 19 ships)—Rear Admiral Boucher
JW55B Through Close Escort—Lt. Cdr. F.J.S. Hewitt, DSC
Minesweeper
HMS Gleaner—Lt. Cdr. Hewitt
Escort destroyers
HMS Whitehall—Lt. Cdr. P.J. Cowell, DSC
KMS Wrestler—Lt. R.W.B. Lacon, DSC
Corvettes
HMS Honeysuckle—Lt. H.H.D. MacKilligan, DSC, RNR
HMS Oxlip—Lt.Cdr. C.W. Leadbetter, RNR

JW55B Fighting Destroyer Escort:
HMS Onslow—Captain J.A. McCoy, DSO, Captain (D.17), Senior Escort Commander, JW 55B
HMCS Haida—Cdr. G.de Wowlf, RCN
HMCS Huron—Lt. Cdr. H.S. Rayner, DSC, RCN
HMS Impulsive—Lt. Cdr. P. Bekken
HMCS Iroquois—Cdr. J.C. Hibberd, DSC, RCN
HMS Onslaught—Cdr. W.H. Selby, DSC
HMS Orwell—Lt. Cdr. J.A. Hodges, DSO
HMS Scourge—Lt. Cmdr G.L.N. Balfour

Force 1, from Scapa to Kola Inlet to Hvalfjord
    Vice Admiral Fraser
HMS Duke of York—Captain The Hon. G.H.E. Russell, CBE
HMS Jamaica—Captain J. Hughes-Hallett, DSO

Home Fleet Destroyers
36th Destroyer Division—Cdr. R.L. Fisher, DSO, OBE
To JW55B, to Force 1
71st Subdivision
HMS Musketeer—Cdr. Fisher
HMS Matchless—Lt. W.D. Shaw
72nd Subdivision
HMS Opportune—Cdr. J. Lee-Barber, DSO
HMS Virago—Lt. Cdr. A.J.R. White
1st Subdivision
HMS Savage—Cdr. M.D.C. Meyrick
HMS Saurmarez—Lt. Cdr. E.W. Walmsley, DSC
2nd Subdivision
HMS Scorpion—Lt. Cdr. W.S. Clouston
HMNorS Stord—Lt. Cdr. Skule Storheil, RNorN
 

German Forces

Operation OSTFRONT

Northern Battle Group
    Kontradmiral Erich Bey

KM Scharnhorst* (F)—Kapitän zur See Fritz Julius Hintze

4th Destroyer Flotilla:
Z.29—Kapitän zur See Rolf Johannesson, Korv. Kapitän Theodore von Mutius
Z.30—Korv. Kapitän Karl Heinrich Lampe
Z.33—Kapitän zur See Erich Holtorf
Z.34—Korv. Kapitän Karl Hetz
Z.38—Korv. Kapitän Gerfried Brutzner

Minesweeping Launches, Lange Fjord:
R.56—Kap. Lt. Wilhelm Macht
R.58—Ober Lt.z See Werner Haus
R.121

U-boat Group “Eisenbart”
U.277—Kap Lt. Lubsen
U.314—Korv. Kap. Basse
U.354—Korv. Kap. Herbschleb
U.387—Korv. Kap. Buchler
U.601—Kap. Lt. Hansen
U.716—Ober Lt. z See Dunkelberg
U. 957—Ober Lt. z See Schaar

Luftwaffe support:
Fw 200’s
Bv.1238’s from Tromso

Source: The Death of the Scharnhorst by John Winton