User:Carguychris/sandbox

After completing sea trials in early 1941, {{lang|de|Tirpitz}} briefly served as the centrepiece of the Baltic Fleet, which was intended to prevent a possible break-out attempt by the Soviet Baltic Fleet. In early 1942, the ship sailed to Norway to act as a deterrent against an Allied invasion. While stationed in Norway, {{lang|de|Tirpitz}} was also intended to be used to intercept Allied convoys to the Soviet Union, and two such missions were attempted in 1942. This was the only feasible role for her, since the St Nazaire Raid had made operations against the Atlantic convoy lanes too risky. {{lang|de|Tirpitz}} acted as a fleet in being, forcing the British Royal Navy to retain significant naval forces in the area to contain the battleship; henceforth she would contribute little else to the German war effort while attracting a series of noteworthy attacks by the British.{{sfn|Kemp|p=153}}{{efn|According to the historian Jak P. Mallmann Showell, "The famous battleship's most valuable contribution to the war effort was her mere existence. ...her potential posed such a threat that Britain injected terrific resources into effecting her destruction. In fact, the daring attacks on {{lang|de|Tirpitz}} are far more interesting than her few aggressive sorties."{{sfn|Showell|p=102}}}}

• {{cite book |last=Showell |first=Jak P. Mallman |year=1979 |title=The German Navy in World War Two: A Reference Guide to the Kriegsmarine, 1935–1945 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland |isbn=0-87021-933-2 |ref={{sfnRef|Showell}}}}