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| Kriegsmarine (1935–1945) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Kriegsmarine |
| Active | 1935–1945 |
| Type | Navy |
| Role | Naval warfare |
| Size | 1.5 million (peak) |
| Garrison | Berlin |
| Notable commanders | Erich Raeder, Karl Dönitz |
| Engagements | Spanish Civil War, World War II, Battle of the Atlantic, Operation Weserübung, Operation Cerberus |
Kriegsmarine (1935–1945) The Kriegsmarine was the naval force of Nazi Germany between 1935 and 1945, succeeding the Reichsmarine and operating under the Wehrmacht. It projected sea power during the Spanish Civil War and World War II, contesting control of the Atlantic Ocean, North Sea, Baltic Sea, and Arctic supply routes. Commanded by figures such as Erich Raeder and Karl Dönitz, the service built capital ships, cruisers, destroyers, and a large U-boat fleet that influenced naval strategy at the Second World War's critical junctures.
The formation followed the repudiation of restrictions from the Treaty of Versailles and the naval expansion program of the Nazi Party, formalized with the 1935 renaming of the Reichsmarine to the Kriegsmarine under the Nazi regime. Early rearmament drew on treaties renegotiations, technological work with firms like Blohm+Voss and Krupp, and diplomatic maneuvers involving the Anglo-German Naval Agreement alongside tensions with United Kingdom, France, and Poland. Prewar deployments included covert involvement in the Spanish Civil War and participation in grand naval planning alongside the Heer and Luftwaffe for projected operations such as Operation Sea Lion and later campaigns such as Operation Weserübung.
Overall naval direction rested with the Oberkommando der Kriegsmarine and the office of the Grossadmiral; senior leaders included Erich Raeder and later Karl Dönitz. The command structure integrated regional commands in the Baltic Sea, North Sea, and major ports like Kiel, Wilhelmshaven, and Hamburg with staff branches for operations, intelligence (B-Dienst), logistics, and personnel. Relations with the OKW and Royal Navy were adversarial; coordination with the Luftwaffe and Heer affected amphibious planning including Operation Barbarossa logistics and Arctic convoy interdiction against Convoy PQ 17 and PQ 18.
The fleet combined capital ships such as Bismarck (1939), Tirpitz (1939), and pocket battleships like Admiral Graf Spee (1936), heavy and light cruisers including Admiral Hipper and Königsberg, destroyers, torpedo boats, minesweepers, and auxiliaries. Surface raiders used commerce warfare exemplified by Admiral Graf Spee's encounter at the Battle of the River Plate. Carrier development stalled, leaving the Kriegsmarine dependent on surface-raider doctrine and submarine warfare led by classes such as Type VII submarine and Type IX submarine. Shipyards at Kiel, Wilhelmshaven, Hamburg, and Germaniawerft were central to construction.
Submarine strategy emphasized tonnage warfare in the Battle of the Atlantic, with wolfpack tactics developed by commanders including Karl Dönitz and operational units coordinated by BdU. U-boat classes like Type II submarine, Type VII submarine, Type IX submarine, and experimental Type XXI submarine sought to interrupt Allied convoy systems such as those running between United Kingdom and United States. Signals intelligence battles involved Enigma machine cryptography and Allied codebreaking at Bletchley Park and Operation Ultra, while German signals intelligence B-Dienst targeted Allied communications. Notable events include the sinking of HMS Hood by the Bismarck (1939) task force and the heavy U-boat losses after Black May (1943).
Major operations included Operation Weserübung (invasion of Denmark and Norway), commerce-raiding in the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean, and surface actions like Operation Rheinübung and Operation Cerberus (the "Channel Dash"). The Kriegsmarine contested Arctic convoys supporting Soviet Union supply lines and engaged in mine warfare in the North Sea and English Channel. Battles and incidents of note include the Battle of the River Plate, the sinking of Bismarck (1939), the Battle of Narvik, and the interdiction of convoys such as PQ 17; collaboration with Luftwaffe air power and Kriegsmarine U-boat coastal operations influenced campaigns from Mediterranean Sea actions to the Normandy period.
Personnel encompassed officers trained at institutions like the Naval Academy Mürwik and enlisted sailors trained at bases in Kiel and Wilhelmshaven. Doctrine combined surface fleet concepts influenced by prewar thinkers and submarine doctrine advanced by leaders such as Karl Dönitz; training incorporated gunnery, navigation, and engineering using training ships and simulators. Notable figures among officers and sailors included Erich Raeder, Karl Dönitz, and commanders of surface units and U-boat flotillas; casualty rates rose markedly as Allied air power, convoy tactics, and anti-submarine technologies such as Hedgehog and ASDIC improved.
Shipbuilding relied on major firms including Blohm+Voss, Howaldtswerke, Krupp, and Vickers-Armstrong interactions before the war, with construction concentrated at shipyards in Kiel, Hamburg, Wilhelmshaven, and Stettin. Wartime production shifted under Albert Speer's armaments policies and faced resource shortages, Allied bombing campaigns (notably targeting Hamburg and Kiel), and submarine construction bottlenecks affecting Type XXI submarine programmes. Logistics for fuel, spare parts, and convoy interdiction depended on supply ships, captured tankers, and bases in France (after Case Anton and occupation of Atlantic ports like Brest), while Allied blockades and maritime interdiction strained operational reach.
Postwar, surviving personnel faced tribunals and decommissioning, with the Nuremberg context and denazification affecting former officers; controversies over actions like unrestricted submarine warfare, treatment of POWs, and involvement in Commando Order-related incidents generated legal and historical scrutiny. War crimes investigations addressed incidents involving merchant crews, captured sailors, and reprisals. Remaining capital ships such as Tirpitz (1939) were sunk, while captured vessels were divided among the Allies or scuttled at Scapa Flow and other locations; postwar maritime forces in West Germany and East Germany evolved into the Bundesmarine and Volksmarine respectively. The Kriegsmarine's technological legacy includes advances in submarine design leading to postwar submarine development and continued study in naval history, intelligence history, and maritime law.
Category:Navies of World War II Category:Military units and formations established in 1935 Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1945