Kriegsmarine

For the Austro-HungarianKaiserliche und Königliche Kriegsmarine,seeAustro-Hungarian Navy.

Kriegsmarine
Founded	21 May 1935(21 May 1935)
Disbanded	20 September 1945(20 September 1945)
Country	Germany
Allegiance	Adolf Hitler
Branch	Wehrmacht
Type	Navy
Size	810,000 peak in 1944 1,500,000 (total 1939–45)
Part of	Wehrmacht
Engagements	Spanish Civil War(1936–1939) World War II(1939–1945)
Commanders
OKM	See list
Notable commanders	Erich Raeder Karl Dönitz
Insignia
War ensign (1935–1938)
War ensign (1938–1945)
Land flag

TheKriegsmarine(German pronunciation:[ˈkʁiːksmaˌʁiːnə],lit. 'War Navy') was thenavyofNazi Germanyfrom 1935 to 1945. It superseded theImperial German Navyof theGerman Empire(1871–1918) and the inter-warReichsmarine(1919–1935) of theWeimar Republic.TheKriegsmarinewas one of three officialbranches,along with theHeerand theLuftwaffe,of theWehrmacht,the German armed forces from 1935 to 1945.

In violation of theTreaty of Versailles,theKriegsmarinegrew rapidly duringGerman naval rearmamentin the 1930s. The 1919 treaty had limited the size of the German navy and prohibited the building ofsubmarines.

Kriegsmarineships were deployed to the waters around Spain during theSpanish Civil War(1936–1939) under the guise of enforcingnon-intervention,but in reality supporting theNationalistsagainst theSpanish Republicans.

In January 1939,Plan Z,a massive shipbuilding programme, was ordered, calling for surface naval parity with theBritishRoyal Navyby 1944. WhenWorld War IIbroke out in September 1939, Plan Z was shelved in favour of a crash building programme for submarines (U-boats) instead ofcapitalsurface warships, and land and air forces were given priority of strategic resources.

The Commander-in-Chief of theKriegsmarine(as for all branches of the armed forces during the period of absolute Nazi power) wasAdolf Hitler,who exercised his authority through theOberkommando der Marine('High Command of the Navy').

Among theKriegsmarine's most significant ships were its U-boats, most of which were constructed after Plan Z was abandoned at the beginning of World War II.Wolfpackswere rapidly assembled groups of submarines which attacked British convoys during the first half of theBattle of the Atlantic,but this tactic was largely abandoned byMay 1943,when U-boat losses mounted. Along with the U-boats, surfacecommerce raiders(includingauxiliary cruisers) were used to disrupt Allied shipping in the early years of the war, the most famous of these being the heavy cruisersAdmiral Graf SpeeandAdmiral Scheerand the battleshipBismarck.However, the adoption ofconvoy escorts,especially in the Atlantic, greatly reduced the effectiveness of surface commerce raiders against convoys.

Following the end of World War II in 1945, theKriegsmarine's remaining ships were divided up among theAllied powersand were used for various purposes includingminesweeping.Some were loaded with superfluouschemical weaponsand scuttled.

History

Post–World War I origins

Under the terms of the 1919 Treaty of Versailles, Germany was only allowed a minimal navy of 15,000 personnel, six capital ships of no more than 10,000 tons, sixcruisers,twelvedestroyers,twelvetorpedo boats,and no submarines oraircraft carriers.Military aircraft were also banned, so Germany could have nonaval aviation.Under the treaty Germany could only build new ships to replace old ones. All the ships allowed and personnel were taken over from theKaiserliche Marine,which was renamed theReichsmarine.

From the outset, Germany worked to circumvent the military restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles. The Germans continued to develop U-boats through a submarine design office in the Netherlands (NV Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw) and a torpedo research program in Sweden where theG7e torpedowas developed.

Even before theNazi seizure of poweron 30 January 1933 the German government decided on 15 November 1932 to launch a prohibited naval re-armament program that included U-boats, airplanes, and an aircraft carrier.

The launching of the firstpocket battleship,Deutschlandin 1931 (as a replacement for the oldpre-dreadnought battleshipPreussen) was a step in the formation of a modern German fleet. The building of theDeutschlandcaused consternation among the French and the British as they had expected that the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles would limit the replacement of the pre-dreadnought battleships tocoastal defence ships,suitable only for defensive warfare. By using innovative construction techniques, the Germans had built a heavy ship suitable for offensive warfare on the high seas while still abiding by the letter of the treaty.

Nazi control

Erich Raeder,commander of theKriegsmarineuntil 1943

When the Nazis came to power in 1933, Hitler soon began to more brazenly ignore many of the Treaty restrictions and accelerated German naval rearmament. TheAnglo-German Naval Agreementof 18 June 1935 allowed Germany to build a navy equivalent to 35% of the British surface ship tonnage and 45% of British submarine tonnage; battleships were to be limited to 35,000 tons. That same year theReichsmarinewas renamed as theKriegsmarine.In April 1939, as tensions escalated between the United Kingdom and Germany overPoland,Hitler unilaterally rescinded the restrictions of the Anglo-German Naval Agreement.

The building-up of the German fleet in the time period of 1935–1939 was slowed by problems with marshaling enough manpower and material for ship building. This was because of the simultaneous and rapid build-up of the German Army and Air Force which demanded substantial effort and resources. Some projects, like theD-class cruisersand theP-class cruisers,had to be cancelled.

Spanish Civil War

See also:German involvement in the Spanish Civil War § Maritime operations

The first military action of theKriegsmarinecame during the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939). Following the outbreak of hostilities in July 1936 several large warships of the German fleet were sent to the region. The heavy cruisersDeutschlandandAdmiral Scheer,and the light cruiserKölnwere the first to be sent in July 1936. These large ships were accompanied by the 2nd Torpedo-boat Flotilla. The German presence was used to covertly supportFrancisco Franco'sNationalists although the immediate involvement of theDeutschlandwas humanitarian relief operations and evacuating 9,300 refugees, including 4,550 German citizens. Following the brokering of theInternational Non-Intervention Patrolto enforce an international arms embargo, theKriegsmarinewas allotted the patrol area betweenCabo de Gata(Almeria) andCabo de Oropesa.Numerous vessels served as part of these duties includingAdmiral Graf Spee.On 29 May 1937 theDeutschlandwas attackedoffIbizaby two bombers from theRepublican Air Force.Total casualties from the Republican attack were 31 dead and 110 wounded, 71 seriously, mostly burn victims. In retaliation theAdmiral Scheershelled Almeriaon 31 May killing 19–20 civilians, wounding 50 and destroying 35 buildings.Following further attacks by Republican submarines against theLeipzigoff the port ofOranbetween 15 and 18 June 1937 Germany withdrew from the Non-Intervention Patrol.

U-boats also participated in covert action against Republican shipping as part ofOperation Ursula.At least eight U-boats engaged a small number of targets in the area throughout the conflict. (By comparison the ItalianRegia Marinaoperated 58 submarines in the area as part of theSottomarini Legionari.)

Plan Z

Main article:Plan Z

TheKriegsmarinesaw as her main tasks the controlling of theBaltic Seaand winning a war againstFrancein connection with the German army, because France was seen as the most likely enemy in the event of war. But in 1938 Hitler wanted to have the possibility of winning a war against Great Britain at sea in the coming years. Therefore, he ordered plans for such a fleet from theKriegsmarine.From the three proposed plans (X, Y and Z) he approved Plan Z in January 1939. This blueprint for the new German naval construction program envisaged building a navy of approximately 800 ships during the period 1939–1947. Hitler demanded that the program be completed by 1945. The main force of Plan Z were sixH-class battleships.In the version of Plan Z drawn up in August 1939, the German fleet was planned to consist of the following ships by 1945:

• 4 aircraft carriers
• 10battleships
• 15 armored ships (Panzerschiffe)
• 3battlecruisers
• 5heavy cruisers
• 44light cruisers
• 158 destroyers and torpedo boats
• 249 submarines
• Numerous smaller craft

Personnel strength was planned to rise to over 200,000.

The planned naval program was not very far advanced by the time World War II began. In 1939 twoM-class cruisersand two H-class battleships were laid down and parts for two further H-class battleships and threeO-class battlecruiserswere in production. The strength of the German fleet at the beginning of the war was not even 20% of Plan Z. On 1 September 1939, the navy still had a total personnel strength of only 78,000, and it was not at all ready for a major role in the war. Because of the long time it would take to get the Plan Z fleet ready for action and shortage in workers and material in wartime, Plan Z was essentially shelved in September 1939 and the resources allocated for its realisation were largely redirected to the construction of U-boats, which would be ready for war against the United Kingdom more quickly.

World War II

Main articles:Baltic Sea Campaigns (1939–1945),Battle of the Atlantic,Commerce raiding,Merchant raiders,Operation Sea Lion,Battle of the Mediterranean,andBlack Sea Campaigns (1941–44)

TheKriegsmarinetook part in theBattle of Westerplatteand theBattle of the Danzig Bayduring theinvasion of Poland.In 1939, major events for theKriegsmarinewere the sinking of the British aircraft carrierHMSCourageousand the British battleshipHMSRoyal Oakand the loss ofAdmiral Graf Speeat theBattle of the River Plate.Submarine attacks on Britain's vital maritime supply routes (Battle of the Atlantic) started immediately at the outbreak of war, although they were hampered by the lack of well placed ports from which to operate. Throughout the war theKriegsmarinewas responsible forcoastal artilleryprotecting major ports and important coastal areas. It also operated anti-aircraft batteries protecting major ports.

In April 1940, the German Navy was heavily involved in theinvasion of Norway,where it suffered significant losses, which included theheavy cruiserBlüchersunk by artillery and torpedoes from Norwegian shore batteries at theOscarsborg Fortressin theOslofjord.Ten destroyers were lost in theBattles of Narvik(half of German destroyer strength at the time), and two light cruisers, theKönigsbergwhich was bombed and sunk by Royal Navy aircraft in Bergen, and theKarlsruhewhich was sunk off the coast of Kristiansand by a British submarine. TheKriegsmarinedid in return sink some British warships during this campaign, including the aircraft carrierHMSGlorious.

The losses in theNorwegian Campaignleft only a handful of undamaged heavy ships available for the planned, but never executed, invasion of the United Kingdom (Operation Sea Lion) in the summer of 1940. There were serious doubts that the invasion sea routes could have been protected against British naval interference. TheFall of Franceand the conquest of Norway gave German submarines greatly improved access to British shipping routes in theAtlantic.At first, Britishconvoyslacked escorts that were adequate either in numbers or equipment and, as a result, the submarines had much success for few losses (this period was dubbed theFirst Happy Timeby the Germans).

Italyentered the war in June 1940, and theBattle of the Mediterraneanbegan: from September 1941 to May 1944 some 62 German submarines were transferred there, sneaking past the British naval base atGibraltar.The Mediterranean submarines sank 24 major Allied warships (including 12 destroyers, 4 cruisers, 2 aircraft carriers, and 1 battleship) and 94 merchant ships (449,206 tons of shipping). None of the Mediterranean submarines made it back to their home bases, as they were all either sunk in battle orscuttledby their crews at the end of the war.

The crew of a minesweeper in France, 1941

In 1941, one of the four modern German battleships,BismarcksankHMSHoodwhile breaking out into the Atlantic for commerce raiding. TheBismarckwas in turn hunted down by much superior British forces after being crippled by an air-launched torpedo. She was subsequently scuttled after being rendered a burning wreck by two British battleships.

In November 1941 during the Battle of the Mediterranean, German submarineU-331sank the British battleshipBarham,which had a magazine explosion and sank in minutes, with the loss of 862, or 2/3 of her crew.

During 1941, theKriegsmarineand theUnited States Navybecamede factobelligerents,although war was not formally declared, leading to the sinking of theUSSReuben James.This course of events were the result of the American decision to support Britain with itsLend-Leaseprogram and the subsequent decision to escort Lend-Lease convoys with US war ships through the western part of the Atlantic.

The Japaneseattack on Pearl Harborand the subsequentGerman declaration of war against the United Statesin December 1941 led to another phase of the Battle of the Atlantic. In Operation Drumbeat and subsequent operations until August 1942, a large number of Allied merchant ships were sunk by submarines off the US coast as the Americans had not prepared for submarine warfare, despite clear warnings (this was the so-calledSecond Happy Timefor the German Navy). The situation became so serious that military leaders feared for the whole Allied strategy. The vast American ship building capabilities and naval forces were however now brought into the war and soon more than offset any losses inflicted by the German submariners. In 1942, the submarine warfare continued on all fronts, and when German forces in theSoviet Unionreached theBlack Sea,a few submarines were eventually transferred there.

In February 1942, the three large warships stationed on the Atlantic coast atBrestwere evacuated back to German ports for deployment to Norway. The ships had been repeatedly damaged by air attacks by theRAF,the supply ships to support Atlantic sorties had been destroyed by the Royal Navy, and Hitler now felt that Norway was the "zone of destiny" for these ships. The two battleshipsScharnhorstandGneisenauand the heavy cruiserPrinz Eugenpassed through the English Channel (Channel Dash) on their way to Norway despite British efforts to stop them.Not since theSpanish Armadain 1588 had any warships in wartime done this. It was a tactical victory for theKriegsmarineand a blow to British morale, but the withdrawal removed the possibility of attacking allied convoys in the Atlantic with heavy surface ships.

With the German attack on the Soviet Union in June 1941 Britain started to sendArctic convoyswith military goods around Norway to support their new ally. In 1942 German forces began heavily attacking these convoys, mostly with bombers and U-boats. The big ships of theKriegsmarinein Norway were seldom involved in these attacks, because of the inferiority of Germanradartechnology,and because Hitler and the leadership of theKriegsmarinefeared losses of these precious ships. The most effective of these attacks was the near destruction ofConvoy PQ 17in July 1942. Later in the war German attacks on these convoys were mostly reduced to U-boat activities and the mass of the allied freighters reached their destination in Soviet ports.

TheBattle of the Barents Seain December 1942 was an attempt by a German naval surface force to attack an Allied Arctic convoy. However, the advantage was not pressed home and they returned to base. There were serious implications: this failure infuriated Hitler, who nearly enforced a decision to scrap the surface fleet. Instead, resources were diverted to new U-boats, and the surface fleet became a lesser threat to the Allies.

The battleshipTirpitzin Norway, 1944

After December 1943 whenScharnhorsthad been sunk in an attack on an Arctic convoy in theBattle of North CapebyHMSDuke of York,most German surface ships in bases at the Atlantic were blockaded in, or close to, their ports as afleet in being,for fear of losing them in action and to tie up British naval forces. The largest of these ships, the battleshipTirpitz,was stationed in Norway as a threat to Allied shipping and also as a defence against a potential Allied invasion. When she was sunk, after several attempts, by British bombers in November 1944 (Operation Catechism), several British capital ships could be moved to the Far East.

From late 1944 until the end of the war, the surviving surface fleet of theKriegsmarine(heavy cruisers:Admiral Scheer,Lützow,Admiral Hipper,Prinz Eugen,light cruisers:Nürnberg,Köln,Emden) was heavily engaged in providing artillery support to the retreating German land forces along the Baltic coast and in ferrying civilian refugees to the western Baltic Sea parts of Germany (Mecklenburg,Schleswig-Holstein) in large rescue operations. Large parts of the population ofeastern Germanyfled the approachingRed Armyout of fear for Soviet retaliation (mass rapes, killings, and looting by Soviet troops did occur). TheKriegsmarineevacuated two million civilians and troops in theevacuation of East PrussiaandDanzigfrom January to May 1945. It was during this activity that the catastrophic sinking of several large passenger ships occurred:Wilhelm GustloffandGoyawere sunk by Soviet submarines, whileCap Arconawas sunk by British bombers, each sinking claiming thousands of civilian lives. TheKriegsmarinealso provided important assistance in the evacuation of the fleeing German civilians ofPomeraniaandStettinin March and April 1945.

A desperate measure of theKriegsmarineto fight the superior strength of the Western Allies from 1944 was the formation of theKleinkampfverbände(Small Battle Units). These were special naval units withfrogmen,manned torpedoes, motorboats laden with explosives and so on. The more effective of these weapons and units were the development and deployment ofmidget submarineslike theMolchandSeehund.In the last stage of the war, theKriegsmarinealso organised a number of divisions of infantry from its personnel.

Between 1943 and 1945, a group of U-boats known as theMonsunBoats(Monsun Gruppe) operated in theIndian Oceanfrom Japanese bases in the occupiedDutch East IndiesandMalaya.Allied convoys had not yet been organised in those waters, so initially many ships were sunk. However, this situation was soon remedied.During the later war years, theMonsunBoats were also used as a means of exchanging vital war supplies with Japan.

During 1943 and 1944, due to Alliedanti-submarine tacticsand better equipment, the U-boat fleet started to suffer heavy losses. The turning point of the Battle of the Atlantic was duringBlack Mayin 1943, when the U-boat fleet started suffering heavy losses and the number of Allied ships sunk started to decrease. Radar, longer range air cover,sonar,improved tactics, and new weapons all contributed. German technical developments, such as theSchnorchel,attempted to counter these. Near the end of the war a small number of the newElektrobootU-boats (typesXXIandXXIII) became operational, the first submarines designed to operate submerged at all times. TheElektrobootehad the potential to negate the Allied technological and tactical advantage, although they were deployed too late to see combat in the war.

War crimes

Anti-Jewish measures ordered by the German naval commander in Liepāja, 5 July 1941

See also:German occupation of Latvia during World War IIandLiepāja massacres

Following the capture ofLiepājainLatviaby the Germans on 29 June 1941, the town came under the command of theKriegsmarine.On 1 July 1941, the town commandantKorvettenkapitänStein ordered that ten hostages be shot for every act of sabotage, and further put civilians in the zone of targeting by declaring that Red Army soldiers were hiding among them in civilian attire.

On 5 July 1941KorvettenkapitänBrückner, who had taken over from Stein, issued a set of anti-Jewish regulationsin the local newspaper,Kurzemes Vārds.Summarized, the regulations were as follows:

• All Jews were to wear theyellow staron the front and back of their clothing;
• Shopping hours for Jews were restricted to 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Jews were only allowed out of their residences for these hours and from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.;
• Jews were barred from public events and transportation and were not to walk on the beach;
• Jews were required to leave the pavement if they encountered a German in uniform;
• Jewish shops were required to display the sign "A Jewish-owned business" in the window;
• Jews were to surrender all radios, typewriters, uniforms, arms, and means of transportation

On 16 July 1941,FregattenkapitänDr. Hans Kawelmacher was appointed the German naval commandant in Liepāja.On 22 July, Kawelmacher sent a telegram to the German Navy's Baltic Command inKiel,which stated that he wanted 100SSand fiftySchutzpolizei(protective police) men sent to Liepāja for "quick implementation Jewish problem".Kawelmacher hoped to accelerate the killings, complaining: "Here about 8,000 Jews... with present SS-personnel, this would take one year, which is untenable for [the] pacification of Liepāja."Kawelmacher telegram on 27 July 1941 read: "Jewish problem Libau largely solved by execution of about 1,100 male Jews by Riga SS commando on 24 and 25.7."

In September 1939, U-boat commanderFritz-Julius LempofU-30sankSS Athenia (1922)after mistaking it for a legitimate military target, resulting in the deaths of 117 civilians. Germany did not admit responsibility for the incident until after the war. Lemp was killed in action in 1941. U-247 was alleged to have shot at sunken ship survivors, but as the vessel was lost at sea with its crew, there was no investigation.

In 1945, U-boat CommanderHeinz-Wilhelm EckofU-852was tried along with four of his crewmen for shooting at survivors. All were found guilty, with three of them, including Eck, being executed. In 1946,Hellmuth von Ruckteschellwas sentenced to 10 years in prison, reduced to 7 years on appeal, for the illegal sinking of ships and criminal negligence for failing to protect the downed crew of theSS Anglo Saxon.Ruckteschell died in prison in 1948.

Post-war division

After the war, the German surface ships that remained afloat (only the cruisersPrinz EugenandNürnberg,and a dozen destroyers were operational) were divided among the victors by theTripartite Naval Commission.The US used the heavy cruiserPrinz Eugeninnuclear testing at Bikini Atollin 1946 as a target ship for theOperation Crossroads.Some (like the unfinished aircraft carrierGraf Zeppelin) were used for target practice with conventional weapons, while others (mostly destroyers and torpedo boats) were put into the service of Allied navies that lacked surface ships after the war. The trainingbarqueSSSHorst Wesselwas recommissionedUSCGCEagleand remains in active service, assigned to theUnited States Coast Guard Academy.The British, French, and Soviet navies received the destroyers, and some torpedo boats went to the Danish and Norwegian navies. For the purpose of mine clearing, the Royal Navy employed German crews and minesweepers from June 1945 to January 1948,organised in theGerman Mine Sweeping Administration(GMSA), which consisted of 27,000 members of the formerKriegsmarineand 300 vessels.

The destroyers and the Soviet share light cruiserNürnbergwere all retired by the end of the 1950s, but five escort destroyers were returned from the French to the new West German Navy in the 1950s and three 1945 scuttled type XXI and XXIII U-boats were raised byWest Germanyand integrated into their new navy. In 1956, with West Germany's accession toNATO,a new navy was established and was referred to as theBundesmarine(Federal Navy). SomeKriegsmarinecommanders likeErich ToppandOtto Kretschmerwent on to serve in theBundesmarine.InEast GermanytheVolksmarine(People's Navy) was established in 1956. With thereunification of Germanyin 1990, it was decided to use the nameDeutsche Marine(German Navy).

Major wartime operations

• Wikinger( "Viking" ) (1940) – foray by destroyers into the North Sea
• Weserübung( "OperationWeser") (1940) – invasion of Denmark and Norway
• Juno(1940) – operation to disrupt Allied supplies to Norway
• Nordseetour(1940) – first Atlantic operation ofAdmiral Hipper
• Berlin(1941) – Atlantic cruise ofScharnhorstandGneisenau
• Rheinübung( "Rhineexercise ") (1941) – breakout byBismarckandPrinz Eugen
• Doppelschlag( "Double blow" ) (1942) – anti-shipping operation offNovaya ZemlyabyAdmiral ScheerandAdmiral Hipper
• Sportpalast(1942) – aborted operation (includingTirpitz) to attack Arctic convoys
• Rösselsprung( "KnightsMove ") (1942) – operation (includingTirpitz) to attack Arcticconvoy PQ 17
• Wunderland(1942) – anti-shipping operation in Kara Sea byAdmiral Scheer
• Paukenschlag( "Drumbeat" ( "Beat of the Kettle Drum" ); "Second Happy Time" ) (1942) – U-boat campaign off the United States east coast
• Neuland( "New Land" ) (1942) – U-boat campaign in the Caribbean Sea; launched in conjunction with Operation Drumbeat
• Regenbogen( "Rainbow" ) (1942) – failed attack on Arctic convoy JW 51B, byAdmiral HipperandLützow
• Cerberus(1942) – movement of capital ships from Brest to home ports in Germany (Channel Dash)
• Ostfront( "East front" ) (1943) – final operation ofScharnhorst,to interceptconvoy JW 55B
• Domino(1943) – second aborted Arctic sortie byScharnhorst,Prinz Eugen,and destroyers
• Zitronella( "Lemon extract" ) (1943) – raid upon Allied-occupied Spitzbergen (Svalbard)
• Hannibal(1945) – evacuation proceedings fromCourland,Danzig-West Prussia,andEast Prussia
• Deadlight(1945) – the British Royal Navy's postwar scuttling ofKriegsmarineU-boats

Ships

See also:List of Kriegsmarine ships

R boatsoperating near the coast of occupied France, 1941

By the start of World War II, much of theKriegsmarinewere modern ships: fast, well-armed, and well-armoured. This had been achieved by concealment but also by deliberately flouting World War I peace terms and those of various naval treaties. However, the war started with the German Navy still at a distinct disadvantage in terms of sheer size with what were expected to be its primary adversaries – the navies of France and Great Britain. Although a major re-armament of the navy (Plan Z) was planned, and initially begun, the start of the war in 1939 meant that the vast amounts of material required for the project were diverted to other areas. The sheer disparity in size when compared to the other European powers navies prompted Raeder to write of his own navy once the war began "The surface forces can do no more than show that they know how to die gallantly." A number of captured ships from occupied countries were added to the German fleet as the war progressed.Though six major units of theKriegsmarinewere sunk during the war (bothBismarck-class battleships and bothScharnhorst-class battleships, as well as two heavy cruisers), there were still many ships afloat (including four heavy cruisers and four light cruisers) as late as March 1945.

Some ship types do not fit clearly into the commonly used ship classifications. Where there is argument, this has been noted.

Surface ships

The maincombat ships of theKriegsmarine(excluding U-boats):

Aircraft carriers

Construction ofGraf Zeppelinwas started in 1936 and construction of anunnamed sister shipwas started two years later in 1938, but neither ship was completed. In 1942 conversion of three German passenger ships (Europa,Potsdam,Gneisenau) and two unfinished cruisers, the captured French light cruiserDe Grasseand the German heavy cruiserSeydlitz,to auxiliary carriers was begun. In November 1942 the conversion of the passenger ships was stopped because these ships were now seen as too slow for operations with the fleet. But conversion of one of these ships, thePotsdam,to a training carrier was begun instead. In February 1943 all the work on carriers was halted because of the German failure during the Battle of the Barents Sea, which convinced Hitler that large warships were useless.

All engineering of the aircraft carriers like catapults, arresting gears and so on were tested and developed at theErprobungsstelle SeeTravemünde(Experimental Agency Sea in Travemünde) including the airplanes for the aircraft carriers, theFieseler Fi 167ship-borne biplane torpedo and reconnaissance bomber and the naval versions of two key early warLuftwaffeaircraft: theMesserschmitt Bf 109T fighter and theJunkers Ju 87C Stuka dive bomber.

Battleships

TheBismarckafter theBattle of the Denmark Strait

TheKriegsmarinecompleted four battleships during its existence. The first pair were the 11-inch gunScharnhorstclass,consisting of theScharnhorstandGneisenau,which participated in the invasion of Norway in 1940, and then in commerce raiding until theGneisenauwas heavily damaged by a British air raid in 1942 and theScharnhorstwas sunk in theBattle of the North Capein late 1943. The second pair were the 15-inch gunBismarckclass,consisting of theBismarckandTirpitz.TheBismarckwas sunk on her first sortie into the Atlantic in 1941 (Operation Rheinübung) although she did sink the battlecruiserHoodand severely damaged the battleshipPrince of Wales,while theTirpitzwas based in Norwegian ports during most of the war as a fleet in being, tying up Allied naval forces, and subject to a number of attacks by British aircraft and submarines. More battleships were planned (the H-class), but construction was abandoned in September 1939.

Pre-dreadnought battleships

Schlesien(background) andSchleswig-Holstein(right side-foreground) inWesterplattefollowing the occupation of the port

The World War I-erapre-dreadnought battleshipsSchlesienandSchleswig-Holsteinwere used mainly as training ships, although they also participated in several military operations, with the latter bearing the distinction of firing the opening shots of World War II.ZähringenandHessenwere converted into radio-guided target ships in 1928 and 1930 respectively.Hannoverwas decommissioned in 1931 and struck from the naval register in 1936. Plans to convert her into a radio-controlled target ship for aircraft was cancelled because of the outbreak of war in 1939.

Battlecruisers

Three O-class battlecruisers were ordered in 1939, but with the start of the war the same year there were not enough resources to build the ships.

Panzerschiffeand Heavy cruisers

TheDeutschland-class cruiserswere theDeutschland(renamedLützow),Admiral Scheer,andAdmiral Graf Spee.Modern commentators favour classifying these as "heavy cruisers" and theKriegsmarineitself reclassified these ships as such (Schwere Kreuzer) in 1940.In German language usage these three ships were designed and built as "armoured ships" (Panzerschiffe) – "pocket battleship" is an English label.

TheGraf Speewas scuttled by her own crew in the Battle of the River Plate, in theRio de la Plataestuary in December 1939.Admiral Scheerwas bombed on 9 April 1945 in port at Kiel and badly damaged, essentially beyond repair, and rolled over at her moorings. After the war that part of the harbor was filled in with rubble and the hulk buried.Lützow(ex-Deutschland) was bombed 16 April 1945 in the Baltic off Schwinemünde just west of Stettin, and settled on the shallow bottom. With the Red Army advancing across the Oder, the ship was destroyed in place to prevent the Soviets capturing anything useful. The wreck was dismantled and scrapped in 1948–1949.

TheAdmiral Hipper-class cruisersin active service wereAdmiral Hipper,Blücher,andPrinz Eugen.CruisersSeydlitz,Lützowwere never completed.

Light cruisers

Königsbergvisiting Gdynia, Poland

The term "light cruiser"is a shortening of the phrase" lightarmoured cruiser".Light cruisers were defined under theWashington Naval Treatyby gun calibre. Light cruiser describes a small ship that was armoured in the same way as an armoured cruiser. In other words, like standard cruisers, light cruisers possessed a protective belt and a protective deck. Prior to this, smaller cruisers tended to be of theprotected cruisermodel and possessed only an armoured deck. The Kriegsmarine light cruisers were as follows:

• Emden
• Königsberg
• Karlsruhe
• Köln
• Leipzig
• Nürnberg

Never completed: three M-class cruisers

Never completed: KH-1 and KH-2 (Kreuzer(cruiser) Holland 1 and 2). Captured in the Netherlands 1940. Both being on the stocks and building continued for theKriegsmarine.

In addition, the formerKaiserliche Marinelight cruiserNiobewas captured by the Germans on 11 September 1943 after the capitulation of Italy. She was pressed intoKriegsmarineservice for a brief time before being destroyed by British MTBs.

Auxiliary cruisers

The auxiliary cruiserKormoranmeeting a U-boat, 1940

During the war, somemerchant shipswere converted into "auxiliary cruisers" and nine were used ascommerce raiderssailing under false flags to avoid detection, and operated in all oceans with considerable effect. The German designation for the ships was 'Handelstörkreuzer' thus the HSK serial assigned. Each had as well an administrative label more commonly used, e.g. Schiff 16 = Atlantis, Schiff 41 = Kormoran, etc. The auxiliary cruisers were:

• Orion(HSK-1, Schiff 36)
• Atlantis(HSK-2, Schiff 16)
• Widder(HSK-3, Schiff 21)
• Thor(HSK-4, Schiff 10)
• Pinguin(HSK-5, Schiff 33)
• Stier(HSK-6, Schiff 23)
• Komet(HSK-7, Schiff 45)
• Kormoran(HSK-8, Schiff 41)
• Michel(HSK-9, Schiff 28)
• Coronel(HSK number not assigned, Schiff 14, never active in raider operations.)
• Hansa(HSK not assigned, Schiff 5, never active in raider operations, used as a training ship)

Destroyers

DestroyerZ1 Leberecht Maass

Main article:German World War II destroyers

Although the German World War II destroyer (Zerstörer) fleet was modern and the ships were larger than conventional destroyers of other navies, they had problems. Early classes were unstable, wet in heavy weather, suffered from engine problems, and had short range. Some problems were solved with the evolution of later designs, but further developments were curtailed by the war and, ultimately, by Germany's defeat. In the first year of World War II, they were used mainly to sow offensive minefields in shipping lanes close to the British coast.

Torpedo boats

Main article:German torpedoboats of World War II

Raubtier-class torpedo boats

These vessels evolved through the 1930s from small vessels, relying almost entirely on torpedoes, to what were effectively small destroyers with mines, torpedoes, and guns. Two classes of fleet torpedo boats were planned, but not built, in the 1940s.

E-boats (Schnellboote)

Main article:E-boat

The E-boats werefast attack craftwithtorpedo tubes.Over 200 boats of this type were built for theKriegsmarine.

Troop ships

Cap Arcona,Goya,General von Steuben,Monte Rosa,Wilhelm Gustloff.

Miscellaneous

Thousands of smaller warships and auxiliaries served in theKriegsmarine,includingminelayers,minesweepers,mine transports, netlayers, floating AA and torpedo batteries, command ships, decoy ships (small merchantmen with hidden weaponry),gunboats,monitors, escorts, patrol boats, sub-chasers, landing craft, landing support ships, training ships, test ships, torpedo recovery boats, dispatch boats, aviso, fishery protection ships, survey ships, harbor defense boats, target ships and their radio control vessels, motor explosive boats, weather ships, tankers, colliers, tenders, supply ships, tugs, barges, icebreakers, hospital and accommodation ships, floating cranes and docks, and many others. TheKriegsmarineemployed hundreds of auxiliaryVorpostenbooteduring the war, mostly civilian ships that were drafted and fitted with military equipment, for use in coastal operations.

Submarines

Main article:U-boat

AdmiralKarl Dönitzinspecting theSaint-Nazaire submarine basein France, June 1941

The Submarine Arm of theKriegsmarinewas titled theU-bootwaffe( "submarine force" ). At the outbreak of war, it had a fleet of 57 submarines.This was increased steadily until mid-1943, when losses from Allied counter-measures matched the new vessels launched.

The principal types were theType IX,a long range type used in the western and southern Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans; theType VII,the most numerous type, used principally in the north Atlantic; and the smallType II,for coastal waters.Type Xwas a small class of minelayers andType XIVwas a specialised type used to support distant U-boat operations – the "Milchkuh"(Milkcow).

Types XXI and XXIII, the "Elektroboot",could have negated much of the Allied anti-submarine tactics and technology, but only a few of this new type of U-boat became ready for combat at the end of the war. Post-war, they became the prototype for modern conventional submarines, such as the SovietZulu class.

During World War II, about 60% of all U-boats commissioned were lost in action; 28,000 of the 40,000 U-boat crewmen were killed during the war and 8,000 were captured. The remaining U-boats were either surrendered to the Allies or scuttled by their own crews at the end of the war.

Top 10 U-boat aces in World War II

Name	Shipping sunk
Otto Kretschmer	274,333 tons (47 ships sunk)
Wolfgang Lüth	225,712 tons (43 ships)
Erich Topp	193,684 tons (34 ships)
Karl-Friedrich Merten	186,064 tons (29 ships)
Victor Schütze	171,164 tons (34 ships)
Herbert Schultze	171,122 tons (26 ships)
Georg Lassen	167,601 tons (28 ships)
Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock	166,596 tons (22 ships)
Heinrich Liebe	162,333 tons (30 ships)
Günther Prien	160,939 tons (28 ships), plus the British battleshipHMSRoyal OakinsideScapa Flow

Captured ships

The military campaigns in Europe yielded a large number of captured vessels, many of which were under construction. Nations represented included Austria (riverine craft), Czechoslovakia (riverine craft), Poland, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Yugoslavia, Greece, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the United States (several landing craft), and Italy (after the armistice). Few of the incomplete ships of destroyer size or above were completed, but many smaller warships and auxiliaries were completed and commissioned intoKriegsmarineduring the war. Additionally many captured or confiscated foreign civilian ships (merchantmen, fishing boats, tugboats etc.) were converted into auxiliary warships or support ships.

Major enemy warships sunk or destroyed

The first warship sunk in World War II was the destroyerORPWicher,of thePolish Navy,by Junkers Ju 87dive bombersfrom the carrier air group of aircraft carrierGraf Zeppelinon 3 September 1939. This carrier air group (Trägergeschwader 186) was part of theLuftwaffe,but at that time under command of theKriegsmarine.

Ship	Type	Date	Action
HMSCourageous(Royal Navy)	Fleet aircraft carrier	17 September 1939	Torpedoed by submarineU-29
HMSRoyal Oak(Royal Navy)	Battleship	14 October 1939	Torpedoed at anchor by submarineU-47
HNoMSEidsvold(Royal Norwegian Navy)	Coastal defence ship	9 April 1940	Torpedoed in Narvik harbor by destroyerZ21 Wilhelm Heidkamp
HNoMSNorge(Royal Norwegian Navy)	Coastal defence ship	9 April 1940	Torpedoed in Narvik harbor by destroyerZ11 Bernd von Arnim
Jaguar(French Navy)	Large destroyer	23 May 1940	Torpedoed by torpedo boats (E-boats)S21andS23
HMSGlorious(Royal Navy)	Fleet aircraft carrier	8 June 1940	Sunk by battleshipsGneisenauandScharnhorst
HMSHood(Royal Navy)	Battlecruiser	24 May 1941	Sunk by the battleshipBismarck
HMSArk Royal(Royal Navy)	Fleet aircraft carrier	14 November 1941	Torpedoed by submarineU-81on 13 November, sank while under tow to Gibraltar
HMASSydney(Royal Australian Navy)	Light cruiser	19 November 1941	Sunk by the auxiliary cruiserKormoran.TheKormoranwas also sunk in the battle.
HMSDunedin(Royal Navy)	Light cruiser	24 November 1941	Torpedoed by submarineU-124
HMSBarham(Royal Navy)	Battleship	25 November 1941	Torpedoed by submarineU-331.While the attack on the ship was recorded, theKriegsmarinewere unaware that it had been sunk until 27 January 1942 when theAdmiraltyadmittedBarham'sloss.
HMSGalatea(Royal Navy)	Light cruiser	14 December 1941	Torpedoed by submarineU-557
HMSAudacity(Royal Navy)	Escort carrier	21 December 1941	Torpedoed by submarineU-751
HMSNaiad(Royal Navy)	Light cruiser	11 March 1942	Torpedoed by submarineU-565
HMSEdinburgh(Royal Navy)	Light cruiser	2 May 1942	Torpedoed byU-456and destroyersZ7 Hermann Schoemann,Z24andZ25,abandoned and scuttled
HMSHermione(Royal Navy)	Light cruiser	16 June 1942	Torpedoed by submarineU-205
HMSEagle(Royal Navy)	Aircraft carrier	11 August 1942	Torpedoed by submarineU-73
HMSAvenger(Royal Navy)	Escort carrier	15 November 1942	Torpedoed by submarineU-155
HMSWelshman(Royal Navy)	Minelaying cruiser	1 February 1943	Torpedoed byU-617
HMSAbdiel(Royal Navy)	Minelaying cruiser	10 September 1943	Sunk by mines in Taranto harbor while operating as a transport. The mines were laid by torpedo boats (E-boats)S54andS61.
HMSCharybdis(Royal Navy)	Light cruiser	23 October 1943	Torpedoed by torpedo boatsT23andT27
HMSPenelope(Royal Navy)	Light cruiser	18 February 1944	Torpedoed by submarineU-410
USSBlock Island(US Navy)	Escort carrier	29 May 1944	Torpedoed by submarineU-549
HMSScylla(Royal Navy)	Light cruiser	23 June 1944	Mine hit, declared a constructive total loss
ORPDragon(Polish Navy)	Light cruiser	7 July 1944	Torpedoed by aNegermanned torpedo,abandoned and scuttled
HMSNabob(Royal Navy)	Escort carrier	22 August 1944	Torpedoed byU-354,judged not worth repairing, beached and abandoned
HMSThane(Royal Navy)	Escort carrier	15 January 1945	Torpedoed byU-1172,declared a constructive total loss

Organisation

Command structure

Main article:Organization of the Kriegsmarine

Karl Dönitzmeeting withAdolf Hitlerin 1945

Adolf Hitler was the Supreme Commander of all German forces, including theKriegsmarine.His authority was exercised through theOberkommando der Marine,or OKM, with a Commander-in-Chief (Oberbefehlshaber der Kriegsmarine), a Chief of Naval General Staff (Chef des Stabes der Seekriegsleitung), and a Chief of Naval Operations (Chef der Operationsabteilung).The first Commander-in-Chief of the OKM wasErich Raederwho was the Commander-in-Chief of theReichsmarinewhen it was renamed and reorganised in 1935. Raeder held the post until falling out with Hitler after the German failure in the Battle of the Barents Sea. He was replaced byKarl Dönitzon 30 January 1943 who held the command until he was appointedPresident of Germanyupon Hitler's suicide in April 1945.Hans-Georg von Friedeburgwas then Commander-in-Chief of the OKM for the short period of time until Germany surrendered in May 1945.

Subordinate to these were regional,squadron,and temporaryflotillacommands. Regional commands covered significant naval regions and were themselves sub-divided, as necessary. They were commanded by aGeneraladmiralor anAdmiral.There was aMarineoberkommandofor the Baltic Fleet,Nord,Nordsee,Norwegen,Ost/Ostsee(formerly Baltic),Süd,andWest.TheKriegsmarineused a form of encoding calledGradnetzmeldeverfahrento denote regions on a map.

Each squadron (organised by type of ship) also had a command structure with its ownFlag Officer.The commands were Battleships, Cruisers, Destroyers, Submarines (Führer der Unterseeboote), Torpedo Boats, Minesweepers, Reconnaissance Forces, Naval Security Forces, Big Guns and Hand Guns, and Midget Weapons.

Major naval operations were commanded by aFlottenchef.TheFlottenchefcontrolled a flotilla and organized its actions during the operation. The commands were, by their nature, temporary.

TheKriegsmarine'sship design bureau, known as theMarineamt,was administered by officers with experience in sea duty but not in ship design, while thenaval architectswho did the actual design work had only a theoretical understanding of design requirements. As a result, the German surface fleet was plagued by design flaws throughout the war.

Communication was undertaken using an eight-rotor system ofEnigmaencoding.

Air units

TheLuftwaffehad a near-complete monopoly on all German military aviation, including naval aviation, a source of greatinterservice rivalrywith theKriegsmarine.Catapult-launched spotter planes likeArado Ar 196twin-float seaplanes were manned by the so-calledBordfliegergruppe 196(shipboard flying group 196).Trägergeschwader 186(Carrier AirWing186) operated twoGruppen(Trägergruppe I/186andTrägergruppe II/186) equipped with navalized Messerschmitt Bf 109T and Junkers Ju 87C Stuka; these units were intended to serve aboard the aircraft carrierGraf Zeppelinwhich was never completed, yet provided theKriegsmarinewith some air-power from bases on land.Five coastal groups (Küstenfliegergruppen) withreconnaissance aircraft,torpedo bombers,Minensuchaerial minesweepers,andair-sea rescueseaplanes supported theKriegsmarine,although with lesser resources as the war progressed.

Coastal artillery, flak and radar units

The coastal batteries of theKriegsmarinewere stationed on the German coasts. With the conquering and occupation of other countries coastal artillery was stationed along the coasts of these countries, especially in France and Norway as part of theAtlantic Wall.Naval bases were protected byflak-batteriesof theKriegsmarineagainst enemy air raids. TheKriegsmarinealso manned theSeetaktsea radarson the coasts.

Marines

Main article:Seebataillon

At the beginning of World War II, on 1 September 1939, theMarine Stoßtrupp Kompanie(Naval Shock Troop Company) landed in Danzig from the old battleshipSchleswig-Holsteinfor conquering a Polish bastion at Westerplatte. A reinforcedplatoonof theMarine Stoßtrupp Kompanielanded with soldiers of the German Army from destroyers on 9 April 1940 inNarvik.In June 1940 theMarine Stoßtrupp Abteilung(Marine Attack Troop Battalion) was flown in from France to theChannel Islandsto occupy this British territory.

In September 1944 amphibious units unsuccessfully tried to capture the strategic islandSuursaariin theGulf of Finlandfrom Germany's former ally Finland (Operation Tanne Ost).

With theinvasion of Normandyin June 1944 and the Soviet advance from the summer of 1944 theKriegsmarinestarted to formregimentsanddivisionsfor the battles on land with superfluous personnel. With the loss of naval bases because of the Allied advance more and more navy personnel were available for the ground troops of theKriegsmarine.About 40 regiments were raised and from January 1945 on six divisions. Half of the regiments were absorbed by the divisions.

Personnel strength

Personnel strength of theKriegsmarine1943

Category	Strength
Commissioned officers	22,000
Officials (Wehrmachtbeamte)	14,000
Petty officers and seamen	613,000

Ranks and uniforms

Main article:Uniforms and insignia of the Kriegsmarine

Kriegsmarineuniforms and rank insignia

Many different types of uniforms were worn by theKriegsmarine;here is a list of the main ones:

• Dienstanzug(Service suit)
• Kleiner Dienstanzug(Lesser service uniform)
• Ausgehanzug(Suit for walking out)
• Sportanzug(Sportswear)
• Tropen-und Sommeranzug(Tropical and summer suit) – uniforms for hot climates
• Große Uniform(Parade uniform)
• Kleiner Gesellschaftsanzug(Small party suit)
• Großer Gesellschaftsanzug(Full dress uniform)

See also

• Glossary of German military terms
• List of Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross recipients of theKriegsmarine
• List of naval ships of Germany
• List of World War II torpedoes of Germany
• Rolf Carls
• Wilhelm Canaris

Notes

Bibliography

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• Lohmann, Walter, and Hans H. Hildebrandt.Die deutsche Kriegsmarine, 1939-1945.3 vols. Bad Nauheim: Podzun, 1956.
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• Tarrant, V. E.The Last Year of the Kriegsmarine: May 1944-May 1945.Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1994.
• Thomas, Charles S.The German Navy in the Nazi Era.Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1990.
• Thompson, Harold Keith, and Henry Strutz.Dönitz at Nuremberg: A Reappraisal: War Crimes and the Military Professional.New York: Amber, 1976.

External links

• The Nazi German Navy 1935-1945 (Kriegsmarine)
• "German U-Boats and Battle of the Atlantic".uboataces.com.Retrieved20 January2007.
• "Kriegsmarine History".german-navy.de.Retrieved20 January2007.
• Helgason, Guðmundur."The U-boat War 1939–1945".German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net.Retrieved20 January2007.
• "Bismarck & Tirpitz".bismarck-class.dk.Retrieved20 January2007.
• "Deutschland in Spanish Civil War".bismarck-class.dk. Archived fromthe originalon 6 February 2007.Retrieved20 January2007.
• The photo album of Kriegsmarine minelayer 'Roland' crew member.Photos of minelayers on combat missions and variousKriegsmarinevessels.