Description
Book SynopsisThe German Navy – known as the Kriegsmarine – played a crucial role during World War II in disrupting Allied shipping, especially in the early years, when Britain stood alone against Nazi aggression following the fall of France.
Broken down by campaign and key encounters within each theatre of war, German Kriegsmarine in World War II illustrates the strengths and organizational structures of the Third Reich’s naval forces, building into a detailed compendium of information. Full-colour order of battle tree diagrams at fleet and flotilla level help the reader quickly understand how and where the ships and U-boats of the German Navy were employed at any given time between 1939 and 1945. Reference tables provide fleet strengths while organizational diagrams show the types and numbers of ships involved in specific operations, such as the U-Boat wolfpacks that hunted Allied merchant shipping in the North Atlantic and the invasion fleet used for the assault on Crete.
With extensive organizational diagrams and full-colour operations maps, German Kriegsmarine in World War II is an easy-to-use guide to German naval forces. The book is an essential reference for anyone with a serious interest in the naval warfare of World War II.
Table of ContentsThe Pre-War Kriegsmarine
Early Operations: 1939–40
Surface War in the West: 1941–43
The U-Boat War: 1939–41
The U-Boat War: 1942–45
The Mediterranean: 1941–45
Defeat in the North: 1942–45
Appendices
Glossary of Key Abbreviations
Acknowledgements
Index
