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Operation Wikinger
Operation Wikinger (English: "Viking") was a German naval sortie into the North Sea by the '' Kriegsmarine'' in February 1940 during the Second World War. Poor inter-service communication and cooperation between the ''Kriegsmarine'' and the ''Luftwaffe'' resulted in the loss of two German warships through friendly fire bombing and German or British mines. Background By February 1940, the ''Kriegsmarine'' sought to disrupt the activities of British fishing vessels around the Dogger Bank. As ''Luftwaffe'' reconnaissance flights also reported the presence of submarines, it was decided to intercept the British vessels with the six destroyers of the 1st Destroyer Flotilla: ''Friedrich Eckoldt'' (flotilla leader), ''Richard Beitzen'', ''Erich Koellner'', ''Theodor Riedel'', ''Max Schultz'' and ''Leberecht Maass'', to be escorted by ''Luftwaffe'' fighters. At about the same time, a postponed anti-shipping operation over the North Sea was performed using two squadrons of Heinkel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phoney War
The Phoney War (french: Drôle de guerre; german: Sitzkrieg) was an eight-month period at the start of World War II, during which there was only one limited military land operation on the Western Front, when French troops invaded Germany's Saar district. Nazi Germany carried out the invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939; the Phoney period began with the declaration of war by the United Kingdom and France against Nazi Germany on 3 September 1939, after which little actual warfare occurred, and ended with the German invasion of France and the Low Countries on 10 May 1940. Although there was no large-scale military action by Britain and France, they did begin some economic warfare, especially with the naval blockade, and shut down German surface raiders. They created elaborate plans for numerous large-scale operations designed to cripple the German war effort. These included opening an Anglo-French front in the Balkans, invading Norway to seize control of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
German Destroyer Z13 Erich Koellner
Z13 ''Erich Koellner'' was a built for Nazi Germany's '' Kriegsmarine'' in the late 1930s. At the beginning of World War II, the ship was still working up. In early 1940 she made two successful minelaying sorties off the English coast that claimed six merchant ships. During the early stages of the Norwegian Campaign, ''Erich Koellner'' fought in both naval Battles of Narvik in mid-April 1940 and was severely damaged by British ships during the Second Battle of Narvik. The ship was scuttled by her crew shortly afterwards. Design and description ''Erich Koellner'' had an overall length of and was long at the waterline. The ship had a beam of , and a maximum draft of . She displaced at standard and at deep load. The Wagner geared steam turbines were designed to produce which would propel the ship at . Steam was provided to the turbines by six high-pressure Benson boilersGröner, p. 199 with superheaters. ''Erich Koellner'' carried a maximum of of fuel oil which was in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of German Military Equipment Of World War II
The following is a list of German military equipment of World War II which includes artillery, vehicles and vessels. World War II was a global war that was under way by 1939 and ended in 1945. Following political instability build-up in Europe from 1930, the Germans, which aimed to dominate Europe, attacked Poland on 1 September 1939, marking the start of World War II. The war in Europe ended 8 May 1945 with the unconditional surrender of Germany to the Allied forces. The Germans used a number of type designations for their weapons. In some cases the type designation and series number (i.e. FlaK 30) are sufficient to identify a system, but occasionally multiple systems of the same type are developed at the same time and share a partial designation. Personal arms Knives and bayonets Small arms Pistols (manual and semi-automatic) Automatic pistols and submachine guns Rifles Grenades and grenade launchers *Blendkörper 1H *Blendkörper 2H * Gewehr-Granatpatrone 40 *Ge ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Friendly Fire Incidents Of World War II
There have been many thousands of friendly fire incidents in recorded military history, accounting for an estimated 2% to 20% of all casualties in battle.Percin, Gen. Alexandre (1921) ''Le Massacre de Notre Infanterie 1914–1918'', Michel Albin, Paris Shrader, Charles R. (1982) ''Amicicide: The Problem of Friendly Fire in Modern War'', US Command & General Staff College Survey No.1 The examples listed below illustrate their range and diversity, but this does not reflect increasing frequency. The ''rate'' of friendly fire, once allowance has been made for the numbers of troops committed to battle, has remained remarkably stable, and unimproved, over the past 200 years.Kirke, Charles M. (ed., 2012) ''Fratricide in Battle: (Un)Friendly Fire'Continuum Books/ref> Wars of the Roses *1471 – During the Battle of Barnet a Lancastrian force under the Earl of Oxford was fired on by the Lancastrian centre while returning from a pursuit; their banner, Oxford's “ star with rays” had b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
10th Air Corps
X. FliegerkorpsFor more details see Luftwaffe Organization (10th Air Corps) was a formation of the German Luftwaffe in World War II, which specialised in coastal operations. It was formed 2 October 1939, in Hamburg from the 10. Flieger-Division. Operational history Generalleutnant Hans Ferdinand Geisler was put in command of the newly formed ''Flieger-Division'' on 3 September 1939, based at Blankenese. Initially its force was the Heinkel 111 bombers of ''Kampfgeschwader'' 26. Geisler's Division was allocated the new Junkers Ju 88 bombers which were still being brought into service with ''Kampfgeschwader'' 25, on 7 September this was redesignated ''Kampfgeschwader'' 30. The Corps was stationed in north Germany in February 1940 when some of its aircraft were involved in a disastrous friendly fire incident that terminated the Kriegsmarine's Operation Wikinger. In early 1941, X. Fliegerkorps was transferred from Norway to Sicily to support the build-up of the Afrika Korps i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Schillig
Schillig is a village in the Friesland district of Lower Saxony in Germany. It is situated on the west coast of Jade Bay and is north of the town of Wilhelmshaven Wilhelmshaven (, ''Wilhelm's Harbour''; Northern Low Saxon: ''Willemshaven'') is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea, and has a population of 76,089. Wilhelmsha .... The approaches to the Bay and Willhelmshaven are known in English as the Schillig Roads. On arrival in Schillig by car, one chooses from two routes; to the left (North West), on the land-side of the sea barrier, are a farm and farm land, a few houses, small blocks of flats, one or two hotels and shops and foot access to the top of the sea barrier and beyond. To the right (North East) the road leads over the sea barrier towards the camping, beach and parking areas. But access to these areas is only available by car once payment of parking/access charges has been made at t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wilhelmshaven
Wilhelmshaven (, ''Wilhelm's Harbour''; Northern Low Saxon: ''Willemshaven'') is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea, and has a population of 76,089. Wilhelmshaven is the centre of the "Jade Bay" business region (which has around 330,000 inhabitants) and is Germany's main military port. The adjacent Lower Saxony Wadden Sea National Park (part of the Wattenmeer UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site) provides the basis for the major tourism industry in the region. History The , built before 1383, operated as a pirate stronghold; the Hanseatic League destroyed it in 1433. Four centuries later, the Kingdom of Prussia planned a fleet and a harbour on the North Sea. In 1853, Prince Adalbert of Prussia, a cousin of the Prussian King Frederick William IV of Prussia, Frederick William IV, arranged the Jade Treaty (''Jade-Vertrag'') with the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, in which Prussia and the Grand Duchy ente ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anchorage (maritime)
An anchorage is a location at sea where ships can lower anchors. Anchorages are where anchors are lowered and utilised, whereas moorings usually are tethering to buoys or something similar. The locations usually have conditions for safe anchorage in protection from weather conditions, and other hazards. The purpose of resting a ship at sea securely can be for waiting to enter ports, as well as taking on cargo or passengers where insufficient port facilities exist. Some coastlines without port facilities have extensive anchorage locations. In the days of large-scale sailing ship operations, a ship could wait at an anchorage for the wind to change, allowing it to continue its journey. The mooring of large ships in locations with adequate conditions for secure berthing is an engineering task requiring considerable technical skill. History See also * Roadstead * Sea anchor A sea anchor (also known as a parachute anchor, drift anchor, drift sock, para-anchor or boat br ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heinkel He 111
The Heinkel He 111 is a German airliner and bomber designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter at Heinkel Flugzeugwerke in 1934. Through development, it was described as a "wolf in sheep's clothing". Due to restrictions placed on Germany after the First World War prohibiting bombers, it was presented solely as a civil airliner, although from conception the design was intended to provide the nascent Luftwaffe with a heavy bomber. Perhaps the best-recognised German bomber of World War II due to the distinctive, extensively glazed "greenhouse" nose of the later versions, the Heinkel He 111 was the most numerous Luftwaffe bomber during the early stages of the war. It fared well until it met serious fighter opposition during the Battle of Britain, when its defensive armament was found to be inadequate. As the war progressed, the He 111 was used in a wide variety of roles on every front in the European theatre. It was used as a strategic bomber during the Battle of Britain, a torpedo bo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
German Destroyer Z1 Leberecht Maass
The German destroyer Z1 ''Leberecht Maass'' was the lead ship of her class of four destroyers built for the German Navy (initially called the ''Reichsmarine'' and then renamed as the ''Kriegsmarine'' in 1935) during the mid-1930s. Completed in 1937, two years before the start of World War II, the ship served as a flagship and spent most of her time training, although she did participate in the occupation of Memel in early 1939. Several days after the start of the war in September 1939, Z1 ''Leberecht Maass'' and another destroyer unsuccessfully attacked Polish ships in the naval base on the Hel Peninsula. She was lightly damaged during the action. In mid-February 1940, while proceeding into the North Sea to attack British fishing trawlers (Operation Wikinger), the ship was bombed by a patrolling German bomber that damaged her steering. Following the attack, Z1 ''Leberecht Maass'' broke in half and sank with the loss of most of her crew. A court of inquiry convened during the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
German Destroyer Z3 Max Schultz
Z3 ''Max Schultz'' was one of four Type 1934 destroyers built for the German Navy (''Kriegsmarine'') during the mid-1930s. Completed in 1937, two years before the start of World War II, the ship spent most of her time training although she did participate in the occupation of Memel in early 1939. Shortly before the beginning of World War II, the ship accidentally rammed and sank a German torpedo boat. ''Z3 Max Schultz'' spent the following month under repair. In mid-February 1940, while proceeding into the North Sea to search for British fishing trawlers, one of her sisters, , was bombed and sunk by a patrolling German bomber, with loss of 280 of her crew. While trying to rescue survivors, ''Z3 Max Schultz'' was either bombed by a patrolling German bomber, or struck a British mine and sunk, with the loss of all 308 of her crew. A contemporary German court of inquiry stated that ''Z3 Max Schultz'' was damaged by the German bomber, however postwar research revealed that ''Z3 Max S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
German Destroyer Z6 Theodor Riedel
The German destroyer ''Z6 Theodor Riedel'' was a built for the ''Kriegsmarine'' during the mid-1930s. At the beginning of World War II in September 1939, the ship laid defensive minefields to the North Sea. She covered her sister ships over the next few months as they laid offensive minefields in English waters in late 1939–early 1940. She participated in the early stages of the Norwegian Campaign by transporting troops to the Trondheim area in early April 1940 and was transferred to France later that year where the ship covered another minelaying sortie before engine problems caused her to return to Germany in November for repairs. ''Theodor Riedel'' was badly damaged when she ran aground three days after her repairs were completed and was out of action until May 1942. The ship was transferred to Norway in 1942 and ran aground yet again as she prepared to attack one of the convoys to Russia in July. Repairs were completed in December and ''Theodor Riedel'' participated in t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
