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Small Whale · Reading worksheet

Attack on the battleship Tirpitz by submarine K-21

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/attack-on-the-battleship-tirpitz-by-submarine-k-21

Step 2 · Questions

1. What is the battleship class?
2. What is the submarine class?
3. What was the German battleship Tirpitz?
4. Where did the Soviet submarine K-21 attack the Tirpitz?

Step 3 · Words to know

Write what each word means, using the article.

Kriegsmarine
Capital Ship
Naval Strategy

Step 4 · Two facts in your own words

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

1.

2.

Answer key (teacher copy)

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the battleship class?Bismarck-class
2. What is the submarine class?K-class
3. What was the German battleship Tirpitz?The Tirpitz was a huge German warship, 823 feet long, with eight 15‑inch guns and heavy armor. It was built to be a powerful force in the sea.
4. Where did the Soviet submarine K-21 attack the Tirpitz?The K‑21 attacked the Tirpitz inside the Norwegian fjords, which are deep, narrow waterways in Norway.

Kriegsmarine: The navy of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945.
Capital Ship: The most important and powerful warships in a navy's fleet, typically battleships or aircraft carriers.
Naval Strategy: The planning and conduct of warfare at sea, involving the deployment of naval forces and resources.