As part of Operation Wunderland, a small naval force sailed from the port of the Norwegian city of Narvik into the Barents Sea on August 16, 1942.
This force consisted of the heavy cruiser Admiral Scheer—under the command of Kapitän zur See Wilhelm Meendsen-Bohlken—and the three destroyers Z 16 Friedrich Eckoldt, Z 15 Erich Steinbrinck, and Z 4 Richard Beitzen.
Operation Wunderland was a Kriegsmarine operation directed against Soviet merchant vessels on the Siberian sea route.
Along this northeastern maritime route, the Soviet Union transported large quantities of military equipment from the USA and raw materials from the Far East to the front lines and industrial centers west of the Urals during the summer months.
The convoys had little to no military escort, could only operate during the three months when the waters were navigable, and were forced to use narrow, ice-free corridors—factors that promised a high probability of success for an attack. Neutralizing the large icebreakers would render the route unusable.
The convoys—which moved very slowly and even included old paddle steamers and towed barges—also appeared to be easy prey.
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