At operation Cerberus in 1942, The Gneisenau along with Scarnhorst and Printz Eugen, broke through the English Channel from Brest in France to German Harbours. In this operation, the Gneisenau was damaged by a mine. It was to be repaired in Kiel, but against all rules, it was not emptied for ammunition before docking. During this docking the ship was hit by an air attack, and a bomb exploded in the 280 mm front triple revolving gun turret A. The explosion destroyed the entire front of the ship