Under the terms of the 1919 Treaty of Versailles, Germany was only allowed a minimal navy of 15,000 personnel, six … See more

• Wikinger ("Viking") (1940) – foray by destroyers into the North Sea
• Weserübung ("Operation Weser") (1940) – invasion of Denmark and Norway
• Juno (1940) – operation to disrupt Allied supplies to Norway… See more

By the start of World War II, much of the Kriegsmarine were 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 t… See more

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, No… See more

Adolf Hitler was the Supreme Commander of all German forces, including the Kriegsmarine. His authority was exercised through the Oberkommando der Marine (OKM) with a Commander-in-Chief (Oberbefeh… See more

• Glossary of German military terms
• List of Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross recipients of the Kriegsmarine
• List of naval ships of Germany… See more