Sperrbrecher
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Sperrbrecher
A ''Sperrbrecher'' (German; informally translated as "pathfinder" but literally meaning "mine barrage breaker"), was a German auxiliary ship of the First World War and the Second World War that served as a type of minesweeper, steaming ahead of other vessels through minefields and detonating them with their reinforced hull. Also used as anti-aircraft ships, the ''Sperrbrecher'' suffered heavy losses in the war. Operational history ''Sperrbrecher'' were used extensively by the Germans in World War I. The Imperial Fleet had a total of thirty ''Sperrbrecher'' for clearing mine streets – eight were lost during the war. Some of these ships were equipped with airplanes, such as ''Rio Negro'', ''Plauen'' or ''Wigbert''. In World War II officially designated as 'Special Purpose Merchant Ships', although termed by the Royal Air Force as "Heavy Flak Ship",Paterson 2004, p. 165. the ''Sperrbrecher'' were converted from merchant ships for their special role, were primarily crewed by merchan ...
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Sperrbrecher 131
''Rhineland'' was a Cargo ship, cargo steamship that Howaldtswerke of Kiel, Nazi Germany, Germany built in 1938 for Argo Line, Bremen. She was requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine in 1939, and served as VP-101 ''Schwan'', ''Sperrbrecher 31'' and ''Sperrbrecher 131''. She served post-war with the German Mine Sweeping Administration before being declared a Prize of war, prize and passed to British owners. She was renamed ''Weltonwold'' in 1948 and then ''Rhineland'' in 1949. She was sold to Union of South Africa, South African owners in 1956 and renamed ''Herrisbrook''. She was renamed ''Inyoni'' in 1957 and scrapped in 1962. Sister ships ''Schwan'' was one of a series of sister ships that Argo Line had built in the late 1930s. In 1936 Howaldtswerke built ''Fasan'' ("Pheasant") and Nordseewerke in Emden built ''Möwe'' ("Seagull"). In 1938 Nordseewerke built ''Habicht'' ("Hawk"), Howardtswerke built ''Schwan'' ("Swan") and Lübecker Maschinenbau Gesellschaft built ''MV Wickenburgh, Adl ...
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Magnetic Mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, any vessel or a particular vessel type, akin to anti-infantry vs. anti-vehicle mines. Naval mines can be used offensively, to hamper enemy shipping movements or lock vessels into a harbour; or defensively, to protect friendly vessels and create "safe" zones. Mines allow the minelaying force commander to concentrate warships or defensive assets in mine-free areas giving the adversary three choices: undertake an expensive and time-consuming minesweeping effort, accept the casualties of challenging the minefield, or use the unmined waters where the greatest concentration of enemy firepower will be encountered. Although international law requires signatory nations to declare mined areas, precise locations remain secret; and non-complying individuals ...
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Vorpostenboot
''Vorpostenboot'' (plural ''Vorpostenboote''), also referred to as VP-Boats, flakships or outpost boats, were German patrol boats which served during both World Wars. They were used around coastal areas and in coastal operations, and were tasked with – among other things – coastal patrol, ship escort, and naval combat. Characteristics Armament ''Vorpostenboote'' typically carried one or two medium-calibre guns (e.g. 88 mm), many light automatic anti-aircraft guns (20–40 mm), and a varying number of machine guns. For anti-submarine warfare they were also fitted with depth charges. They were crewed by sixty to seventy men, most of whom were weapons personnel taken from the naval reserve. While ''Vorpostenboote'' were able to engage and defeat light naval forces – such as small motor gun boats – they were not powerful enough to effectively combat destroyers or larger warships. Some ''Vorpostenboote'' (and submarine chasers) were given heavier AA guns and re-rat ...
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M-class Minesweeper (Germany)
The M class were the standard minesweeper (german: Minensuchboot) of Nazi Germany's ''Kriegsmarine'' during World War II. The vessels were the primary force in Germany's harbor defense command and were organized administratively into minesweeper flotillas. History M1915 and M1916 A total of 36 old units from World War I served in World War II. Some of these were converted to experimental ships, artillery school ships, fleet tenders or R-boat tenders, and 1 (ex-M109) was converted into a survey ship. In 1940, most of these converted vessels were re-designated as minesweepers again. M1935 The first series; the M1935 were ordered in the late 1930s to replace worn out World War I vintage boats. These ships proved versatile and seaworthy. The vessels could also undertake convoy escort, anti-submarine warfare and minelaying tasks as well as minesweeping. However, the ships were very expensive and complicated to build, and their oil-fired boilers meant they suffered from the fuel s ...
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R Boat
The R boats (''Räumboote'' in German, meaning ''minesweeper'') were a group of small naval vessels built as minesweepers for the ''Kriegsmarine'' (German navy) before and during the Second World War. They were used for several purposes during the war, and were also used post-war by the German Mine Sweeping Administration for clearing naval mines. In 1954, the Indonesian Navy ordered 10 ''Pulau Rau''-class minesweepers to Abeking & Rasmussen in West Germany. The ''Pulau Rau''-class were modified R boats armed with one Bofors 40mm L/60 Mk 3 gun, two Oerlikon 20mm/70 Mk 10 guns and also mechanical minesweeping gear. Operational use A total of 424 boats were built for the ''Kriegsmarine'' before and during World War II. The German Navy used them in every theatre including the Baltic, Mediterranean, the Arctic and the Black Sea. In addition to its designed use as minesweepers, these boats were used for convoy escort, coastal patrol, minelaying and air-sea rescue. About 140 R boa ...
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Karl Palmgreen
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, links=no) and its variants were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. The decoration was awarded for a wide range of reasons and across all ranks, from a senior commander for skilled leadership of his troops in battle to a low-ranking soldier for a single act of extreme gallantry. A total of 7,321 awards were made between its first presentation on 30 September 1939 and its last bestowal on 17 June 1945. This number is based on the acceptance by the Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (AKCR). Presentations were made to members of the three military branches of the Wehrmacht—the Heer (Army), Kriegsmarine (Navy) and Luftwaffe (Air Force)—as well as the Waffen-SS, the Reich Labour Service, and the Volkssturm (German national militia). There were also 43 foreign recipients of the award. These recipients are listed in the 1986 edition of Wa ...
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HMS Wanderer (D74)
HMS ''Wanderer'' (D74/I74) was an Admiralty modified W class destroyer built for the Royal Navy. She was the seventh RN ship to carry the name ''Wanderer''. She was ordered in January 1918 to be built at the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Govan in Glasgow, being launched in May 1919. She served through World War II where she was jointly credited with five kills on German U-boats, more than any other ship of her class.naval-history.net In December 1941 the community of Sutton Coldfield in Warwickshire officially adopted her. In 1943 she was one of twenty one V&W class destroyers to be converted as Long Range Escorts. She was decommissioned after the war and sold for scrap in 1946. Construction HMS ''Wanderer'''s keel was laid down on 7 August 1918 at Fairfield's shipyard in Govan, Scotland.uboat.net, HMS Wanderer She was launched on 1 May 1919 and the build was completed on 18 August. The average cost for this class of ship was £262,478 which could be ...
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World War II Mine Warfare Vessels Of Germany
In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the world as unique while others talk of a "plurality of worlds". Some treat the world as one simple object while others analyze the world as a complex made up of many parts. In ''scientific cosmology'' the world or universe is commonly defined as " e totality of all space and time; all that is, has been, and will be". '' Theories of modality'', on the other hand, talk of possible worlds as complete and consistent ways how things could have been. ''Phenomenology'', starting from the horizon of co-given objects present in the periphery of every experience, defines the world as the biggest horizon or the "horizon of all horizons". In ''philosophy of mind'', the world is commonly contrasted with the mind as that which is represented by the mind. ''Th ...
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Mine Warfare Vessels Of The Kriegsmarine
Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to: Extraction or digging *Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging *Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine Grammar *Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun Military * Anti-tank mine, a land mine made for use against armored vehicles * Antipersonnel mine, a land mine targeting people walking around, either with explosives or poison gas * Bangalore mine, colloquial name for the Bangalore torpedo, a man-portable explosive device for clearing a path through wire obstacles and land mines * Cluster bomb, an aerial bomb which releases many small submunitions, which often act as mines * Land mine, explosive mines placed under or on the ground * Mining (military), digging under a fortified military position to penetrate its defenses * Naval mine, or sea mine, a mine at sea, either floating or on the sea bed, often dropped via parachute from aircraft, or otherwise lain by surface ships or submarines * Par ...
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Military Reserve Force
A military reserve force is a military organization whose members have military and civilian occupations. They are not normally kept under arms, and their main role is to be available when their military requires additional manpower. Reserve forces are generally considered part of a permanent standing body of armed forces, and allow a nation to reduce its peacetime military expenditures and maintain a force prepared for war. In countries with a volunteer military, such as Canada, Spain, the United States and the United Kingdom, reserve forces are civilians who maintain military skills by training periodically (typically one weekend per month). They may do so as individuals or as members of standing reserve regiments—for example, the UK's Army Reserve (United Kingdom), Army Reserve. A militia, home guard, State defense force, state guard or state military may constitute part of a military reserve force, such as the National Guard (United States), United States National Guard a ...
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Korvettenkapitän
() is the lowest ranking senior officer in a number of Germanic-speaking navies. Austro-Hungary Belgium Germany Korvettenkapitän, short: KKpt/in lists: KK, () is the lowest senior officer rank () in the German Navy. Address The official manner, in line to ZDv 10/8, of formal addressing of military people with the rank ''Korvettenkapitän'' (OF-3) is "Herr/Frau Korvettenkapitän". However, as to German naval traditions the "Korvettenkapitän" will be addressed "Herr/Frau Kapitän", often in line to seamen's language "Herr/Frau Kap'tän". Rank insignia and rating Rank insignia ''Korvettenkapitän'', worn on the sleeves and shoulders, are one five-pointed star above three stripes (or rings on sleeves; without the star when rank loops are worn). The rank is rated OF-3a in NATO, and equivalent to Major in Heer, and Luftwaffe. It is grade A13 in the pay rules of the Federal Ministry of Defence and is senior to the regular OF-2 rank of Kapitänleutnant (en: Lt), as wel ...
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Knight's Cross Of The Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. The Knight's Cross was awarded for a wide range of reasons and across all ranks, from a senior commander for skilled leadership of his troops in battle to a low-ranking soldier for a single act of military valour. Presentations were made to members of the three military branches of the : the (army), the (navy) and the (air force), as well as the , the Reich Labour Service and the (German People storm militia), along with personnel from other Axis powers. The award was instituted on 1 September 1939, at the onset of the German invasion of Poland. The award was created to replace the many older merit and bravery neck awards of the German Empire. A higher grade, the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross, was instituted in 1940. In 1941, two higher grades ...
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