Kriegsmarine

Kriegsmarine
Name	Kriegsmarine
Native name	Kriegsmarine
Active	1935–1945
Country	Nazi Germany
Branch	Navy
Notable commanders	Erich Raeder; Karl Dönitz; Wilhelm Canaris
Battles	Battle of the Atlantic; Norwegian Campaign; Operation Weserübung; Battle of Narvik; Operation Cerberus

Kriegsmarine The Kriegsmarine was the naval force of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945, succeeding the Reichsmarine and rearming under the Nazi Party regime following the Treaty of Versailles. It played central roles in the Spanish Civil War, the Invasion of Poland (1939), the Norwegian Campaign, and the Battle of the Atlantic, confronting navies such as the Royal Navy, the United States Navy, and the Soviet Navy. Its leadership, procurement, and operations intersected with figures and institutions including Adolf Hitler, Erich Raeder, Karl Dönitz, the OKW, the OKM, and industrial firms like Krupp, Blohm+Voss, and AG Weser.

Origins and Formation

The creation followed restrictions imposed by the Treaty of Versailles and rearmament policies set by the Weimar Republic and later accelerated by the Nazi Party leadership including Adolf Hitler and Hermann Göring. Reconstitution involved personnel transfers from the Imperial German Navy legacy, manifest in officers who had served during the First World War such as veterans from the Battle of Jutland era, and institutional continuity with training establishments like the Mürwik Naval School and shipyards at Kiel. Legal and political foundations drew on directives from the Reichstag and secret arrangements like the Anglo-German Naval Agreement.

Organisation and Command Structure

Command centralized under the Oberkommando der Marine (OKM), reporting to the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW) and ultimately to Adolf Hitler. Senior leaders included Grand Admiral Erich Raeder and later Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz, while intelligence and counterintelligence activities involved the Abwehr and the Sicherheitsdienst (SD). Administrative branches encompassed the Kriegsmarinewerft dockyards, the Seekriegsleitung operational staff, and staff officers trained at institutions like the Kriegsmarineamt. Coordination with other services occurred in theaters alongside formations such as the Heer and the Luftwaffe during combined operations like Operation Weserübung.

Ships, Submarines and Aircraft

Naval construction programs produced capital ships including the battleships Bismarck, Tirpitz, and Scharnhorst, cruisers like Admiral Hipper, and pocket battleships exemplified by Admiral Graf Spee. Surface raiders included auxiliary cruisers such as Atlantis and commerce raiders employed in the Commerce Raider Campaign. Submarine warfare centered on U-boats, with classes including the Type VII and Type IX used in the Battle of the Atlantic and later experimental designs like Type XXI. Naval aviation units flew aircraft such as the Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor and the Arado Ar 196, while carrier development plans like Flugzeugträger Graf Zeppelin remained incomplete. Shipbuilding and armament procurement involved firms like Blohm+Voss, J. Samuel White, Deschimag, and Krupp, and weapons technologies such as the Schnorchel (submarine), G7e torpedo, and naval guns from the Krupp Werke.

Major Operations and Battles

The Kriegsmarine took part in the Invasion of Poland (1939), the Norwegian Campaign, and convoy battles across the Atlantic Ocean during the Battle of the Atlantic, where clashes with the Royal Navy and British Merchant Navy were decisive. Notable surface engagements included the Battle of the Denmark Strait involving Bismarck and the Battle of the Barents Sea with cruisers like Admiral Hipper. Submarine campaigns targeted Allied convoys in operations coordinated by the BdU (Befehlshaber der U-Boote), with wolfpack tactics inspired by officers such as Karl Dönitz. Coastal and mine warfare occurred in operations like Operation Cerberus and actions near Norway and the Mediterranean Sea, engaging with fleets including the Italian Regia Marina and the French Navy after events such as the Fall of France and the Armistice of 22 June 1940.

Personnel, Training and Doctrine

Recruitment drew from the German Navy tradition, maritime communities in Kiel, Wilhelmshaven, and Hamburg, and officer cadres educated at institutions like the Mürwik Naval School and staff colleges influenced by prewar theories of guerre de course and fleet engagements. Doctrine emphasized commerce raiding, submarine wolfpack tactics, and combined operations developed alongside doctrines from leaders like Erich Raeder and Karl Dönitz. Training regimens included sea time on training ships such as Deutschland (panzerschiff) successors and onboard instruction reflecting lessons from the High Seas Fleet of the First World War, while personnel administration interfaced with agencies like the Reich Ministry of Aviation for naval air components and labor sources from firms like Krupp.

War Crimes and Controversies

The Kriegsmarine's conduct intersected with controversies involving unrestricted submarine warfare, treatment of survivors, and incidents such as the Laconia incident which prompted directives like the Laconia Order issued by Karl Dönitz. There were operations involving blockade enforcement and actions against neutral shipping that provoked diplomatic incidents with states including United States and Spain during the Spanish Civil War. Individual trials after the Second World War examined accountability in cases brought before tribunals such as the Nuremberg Trials and national courts addressing actions by officers and crews, with scrutiny on signals intelligence practices tied to entities like B-Dienst and cooperation with organizations like the SS and Abwehr.

Legacy and Postwar Disposition

After defeat in 1945, surviving vessels were seized by the Allied powers and apportioned to navies including the Royal Navy, the United States Navy, the Soviet Navy, and the French Navy; many were used for trials, target ships, or scrapped. Personnel reintegration involved denazification processes overseen by authorities such as the Allied Control Council and postwar maritime careers in organizations like the Bundesmarine of the Federal Republic of Germany. Historiography involves studies by institutions like the German Naval History Museum and debates among historians of the Second World War about commerce raiding, technological innovation exemplified by the Type XXI, and the strategic impact on campaigns like the Battle of the Atlantic and the Norwegian Campaign.

Category:Naval history of Germany Category:World War II navies