Krieg - 10 things to know with detail
- 1. Krieg, also known as Kreigsmarine, was the naval warfare branch of the German Wehrmacht during World War II.
- 2. It was officially established on May 1, 1935, as a replacement for the previous German Navy, which had been restricted by the Treaty of Versailles.
- 3. Krieg played a significant role in several major naval battles during World War II, including the Battle of the Atlantic and the Battle of the Barents Sea.
- 4. The Kriegsmarine was led by Grand Admiral Erich Raeder until January 1943, when he was replaced by Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz.
- 5. One of the most famous ships of the Kriegsmarine was the Bismarck, a battleship that sank the British battlecruiser HMS Hood in May 1941 before being hunted down and sunk by British forces.
- 6. The Kriegsmarine also operated U-boats, or submarines, which were highly successful in disrupting Allied shipping in the Atlantic Ocean.
- 7. Despite its successes, the Kriegsmarine was ultimately unable to match the combined naval power of the Allies, particularly the United States and Britain.
- 8. By the end of the war, most of the Kriegsmarine's ships had been sunk or captured, and its remaining forces surrendered in May 1945.
- 9. After the war, the Kriegsmarine was disbanded, and Germany's naval forces were reconstituted as part of the new West German military, the Bundeswehr.
- 10. The legacy of the Kriegsmarine continues to be a controversial topic in Germany, with some viewing its sailors and officers as heroes, while others see them as part of the Nazi war machine.