Battle of the North Cape

The "Battle of the North Cape" campaign is a historical, staged campaign based around the Battle of the North Cape in December 1943. It was introduced in Update 0.6.15 alongside the campaign New Year's Raid, and the end date for both campaigns was extended by two days in Update 0.6.15.1.1.

The campaign requires a player to have ships of at least Tier V in order to complete, and is comprised of 30 different tasks spread out over 5 missions that unlocked on staggered dates in December 2017 and January 2018. There are achievements for both completing the campaign and completing all tasks in the campaign.

The Battle of the North Cape (26 December 1943) was a naval battle during World War II, in the course of which the Royal Navy ships sank the German battleship Scharnhorst. This battle is considered to be the northernmost naval engagement in history.

Each mission is comprised of various tasks; the campaign pins and rewards shown are granted only upon completing that particular task.

Mission 1 - Available from 20 December 2017

This operation, aimed at disrupting the Allied supply chain destined for the U.S.S.R through the Arctic waters by destroying one of the convoys, was given the title "Ostfront" (in German, "The Eastern Front") for a reason. On 22 December 1943, the Germans detected a group of transport ships sailing along the Norwegian coast. After a long period of hesitation and reconnaissance, the British escorting squadron was never found, so the Kriegsmarine Command decided to take a chance. On the night of 25 December 1943, the battleship Scharnhorst set sail, escorted by the 4th Destroyer Flotilla (flotilla leader: Z-29). The combination of the freezing polar night, a violent storm, mistakes made by German admirals and excellent British radars meant that Scharnhorst, who had by that time "lost" her destroyers, encountered the British squadron (consisting of three cruisers led by HMS Belfast) alone. The first salvos fired by the British took the Germans totally by surprise. Shells fired from HMS Norfolk destroyed the battleship's main radar, but Scharnhorst had no intention of engaging the cruisers, and evaded the pursuit by taking advantage of her superior speed in stormy weather to continue her hunt for the convoy.

Task Number	Details	Restrictions	Pins Earned	Reward
1	Be the first to spot 1 German battleship.	Tier V-X BritishCruisers only Random or Ranked Battles only		5x Hydroacoustic Search II
2	Hit enemy cruisers 50 times with any armament.	Tier V-X Battleships only Random Battles only		5x Mike Yankee Soxisix signals ()
3	Hit enemy battleships 250 times with any armament.	Tier V-X Cruisers only Random or Ranked Battles only		5x Smoke Generator II
4	Cause 75,000 HP of damage to enemy battleships.	Tier V-X Cruisers only Random or Ranked Battles only		100,000
5	Win and survive a battle where you caused 20,000 HP to enemy cruisers.	Duke of York only Random or Ranked Battles only		1x Collector Container

Final Task - earn (5) from Mission 1 tasks to unlock; complete to grant access to Mission 2.

Task Number	Details	Restrictions	Reward
Final	Earn 25,000 XP (after modifiers are applied).	Tier V-X ships only Random or Ranked Battles only	3x Collector Containers

Mission 2 - Available from 24 December 2017

Vice Admiral Burnett's squadron of British cruisers continued in their duty of defending the transport ships while Scharnhorst spent several hours searching for the convoy, largely in vain. A flotilla of destroyers, comprised of HMS Matchless, HMS Musketeer, HMS Opportune, and HMS Virago, joined forces with Burnett's fleet. Meanwhile, British admirals were becoming increasingly concerned that the battleship had managed to slip through their fingers. However, in the Arctic night and with a crippled radar, Scharnhorst was effectively blind, while the radar equipment aboard the British fleet remained fully operational. At around midday on 26 December, HMS Belfast picked up Scharnhorst on radar once again. A fierce battle ensued with the German battleship hitting back hard. The British had a rough time of it: 283 mm shells from Scharnhorst disabled one of HMS Norfolk’s main battery turrets, inflicting extensive damage on the ship's hull; HMS Sheffield was riddled with shrapnel, and destroyer Virago was nearly sunk by the battleship's main battery salvo.

Task Number	Details	Restrictions	Pins Earned	Reward
1	Receive 250,000 HP of potential damage, gain a victory and survive in a single battle.	Tier V-X Cruisers only Random or Ranked Battles only		5x Repair Party II
2	Incapacitate or destroy 25 modules on an enemy ship.	Tier V-X ships only Random or Ranked Battles only		1x Damage Control System Modification 2
3	Cause 100,000 HP of damage to enemy German ships.	Tier V-X ships only Random or Ranked Battles only		1x Aiming Systems Modification 1
4	Hit enemy battleships with the main battery guns 200 times.	Tier V-X Cruisers only Random or Ranked Battles only		5x India Delta signals ()
5	Receive 500,000 HP of potential damage, gain a victory and survive in a single battle.	Duke of York only Random or Ranked Battles only		1x Collector Container

Final Task - earn (5) from Mission 2 tasks to unlock; complete to grant access to Mission 3.

Task Number	Details	Restrictions	Reward
Final	Earn 30,000 XP (after modifiers are applied).	Tier V-X ships only Random or Ranked Battles only	3x Collector Containers

Mission 3 - Available from 29 December 2017

Although unaware of it, the next time Scharnhorst encountered the convoy, she was a mere 12 to 15 miles away. But Rear Admiral Bey, who flew his flag on the battleship, decided to abandon the operation, sending Scharnhorst and the destroyers that were desperately searching for their prey towards the Norwegian coast. Burnett's fleet continued to pursue Scharnhorst at maximum speed, keeping her in the sights of the radar while remaining beyond the battleship's line-of-sight. The damaged British cruisers struggled through the severe storm and eventually had to drop back, one-by-one, until HMS Belfast was left alone in her pursuit of Scharnhorst. The British ship continuously transmitted the whereabouts of Scharnhorst to the forces of Admiral Fraser, who was hurrying to the rendezvous point. The German destroyers, led by Z-29, were too far away to be of any assistance or serve as their flagship's "eyes". Meanwhile, Scharnhorst, with disabled radar, was heading straight into the trap: the battleship Duke of York, the cruiser Jamaica, and four destroyers (HMS Savage, HMS Saumarez, HMS Scorpion, and Norwegian destroyer Stord) which were steaming at full speed to intercept the German "predator". The British flag officer, Vice Admiral Fraser, gave the order to open fire as late as possible, surprising the enemy ship at the shortest possible distance. Finally, at 16:47, the blindsided German battleship was illuminated by a volley of British star shells, and Duke of York immediately began the bombardment with a salvo from all ten of her 356mm guns. The fire coming from the British ships was surprisingly accurate — one of the first hits on Scharnhorst wrecked her main battery tower.

Task Number	Details	Restrictions	Pins Earned	Reward
1	Be the first to spot 1 British ship.	Tier V-X German ships only Random or Ranked Battles only		1x Secondary Battery Modification 2
2	Be the first to spot 1 German ship.	Tier V-X British ships only Random or Ranked Battles only		1x Steering Gears Modification 2
3	Be the first to spot 12 enemy battleships.	Tier V-X ships only Random or Ranked Battles only		100,000
4	Cause 50,000 HP of damage to enemy battleships in a single battle.	Tier V-X ships only Random or Ranked Battles only		5x Damage Control Party II
5	Hit the citadel of an enemy ship 5 times.	Duke of York only Random or Ranked Battles only		1x Collector Container

Final Task - earn (5) from Mission 3 tasks to unlock; complete to grant access to Mission 4.

Task Number	Details	Restrictions	Reward
Final	Earn 35,000 XP (after modifiers are applied).	Tier V-X ships only Random or Ranked Battles only	3x Collector Containers

Mission 4 - Available from 3 January 2018

Trapped, Scharnhorst immediately set on a course to shake off the enemy ships, steaming at full speed and returning fire in defense. At this point, the British cruisers joined the battle: Belfast, and later Norfolk, were closing in from the north and Jamaica from the south. Scharnhorst found herself in a dire situation. Duke of York fired a deluge of shells at the enemy ship, scoring hit after hit, knocking down artillery and destroying the ship's superstructures. Nevertheless, the thick armor belt of the German battleship protected her from critical damage, and Scharnhorst, steaming at a speed of over 30 knots, was gradually breaking away from the British ships, reaching a point where she was beyond the reach of the enemy cruisers. Soon after, the British flagship ceased fire, too. However, shortly before that, a 356mm shell fired by Duke of York pierced the thin upper armor belt of the German battleship and exploded in the boiler room. Scharnhorst’s speed dropped, and with this critical hit the ship's fortunes took a dramatic turn for the worse.

Task Number	Details	Restrictions	Pins Earned	Reward
1	Cause 150,000 HP of damage to enemy battleships.	Tier V-X Battleships only Random or Ranked Battles only		5x Mike Yankee Soxisix signals ()
2	Incapacitate or destroy 3 main battery mounts on enemy ships.	Tier V-X Battleships only Random or Ranked Battles only		5x Damage Control Party II
3	Earn 1 "Dreadnought" Achievement.	Tier V-X ships only Random or Ranked Battles only		5x Repair Party II
4	Earn 1 "High Caliber" Achievement.	Tier V-X ships only Random or Ranked Battles only		5x Spotting Aircraft II
5	Cause 50,000 HP of damage to enemy battleships in a single battle.	Duke of York only Random or Ranked Battles only		1x Collector Container

Final Task - earn (6) from Mission 4 tasks to unlock; complete to grant access to Mission 5.

Task Number	Details	Restrictions	Reward
Final	Earn 40,000 XP (after modifiers are applied).	Tier V-X ships only Random or Ranked Battles only	3x Collector Containers

Mission 5 - Available from 8 January 2018

The British ships were approaching the heavily damaged, yet still formidable, German battleship. Admiral Fraser ordered the destroyers to mount a torpedo attack. Savage, Saumarez, Scorpion, and Stord pressed ahead, closing in on the target and, despite counterfire, launched 28 torpedoes scoring four hits. Despite the damage, Scharnhorst demonstrated excellent survivability, maneuvering and firing her remaining guns. HMS Duke of York closed in again and fired at the German battleship. Scharnhorst lost all control of her steering and almost ground to a halt. Cruisers Belfast, Jamaica, and the remaining destroyers dashed forward to finish the enemy ship off. HMS Musketeer fired her four torpedoes at the desperate Scharnhorst from a distance of several hundred meters. The German battleship sustained a total of at least 11 hits. At around 19:45, Scharnhorst disappeared under the waves amid clouds of smoke and fire.

Task Number	Details	Restrictions	Pins Earned	Reward
1	Hit enemy ships with ship torpedoes 11 times.	Tier V-X BritishCruisers orDestroyers only Random or Ranked Battles only		5x Smoke Generator II
2	Destroy 10 enemy battleships.	Tier V-X ships only Random or Ranked Battles only		5x Sierra Mike signals ()
3	Earn 75,000 XP (after modifiers are applied).	Tier V-X ships only Random or Ranked Battles only		5x Juliet Whiskey Unaone signals ()
4	Cause 90,000 HP of damage to enemy ships with ship torpedoes in a single battle.	Tier V-XCruisers orDestroyers only Random or Ranked Battles only		5x Engine Boost II
5	Earn 1 "Devastating Strike" achievement.	Duke of York only Random Battles only		1x Collector Container

Final Task - earn (6) from Mission 5 tasks to unlock; complete to finish "Battle of the North Cape" campaign.

Task Number	Details	Restrictions	Reward
Final	Earn 45,000 XP (after modifiers are applied).	Tier V-X ships only Random or Ranked Battles only	Duke of York One (1) matching Commander with 3 skill points One (1) port slot