German minesweeper ''M 107'' was a mine-warfare vessel built for the

Imperial German Navy The Imperial German Navy or the Imperial Navy () was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly for coast defence. Wilhel ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, which served in the

Reichsmarine The ''Reichsmarine'' ( en, Realm Navy) was the name of the German Navy during the Weimar Republic and first two years of Nazi Germany. It was the naval branch of the ''Reichswehr'', existing from 1919 to 1935. In 1935, it became known as the ''K ...

and later the

Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official branches, along with the a ...

of World War II.

Laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one o ...

in 1917 at the

Joh. C. Tecklenborg Joh. C. Tecklenborg was a German shipbuilding company, located at the river Geeste in Bremerhaven. About 440 ships of different types, including many famous tall sailing ships were built at the yard. Founded in 1841 it was finally closed in 1928. ...

shipyard in Geestemünde, ''M 107'' was launched on 3 July 1918 and commissioned on 30 July of the same year. At the end of the war, ''M 107'' was part of the 10th half-flotilla of the 4th Minesweeping Flotilla, based at

Helgoland Heligoland (; german: Helgoland, ; Heligolandic Frisian: , , Mooring Frisian: , da, Helgoland) is a small archipelago in the North Sea. A part of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein since 1890, the islands were historically possessions ...

. After active service in 1918, the ship was retained by the Reichsmarine, which was renamed ''Kriegsmarine'' in 1935. On 15 April 1939, ''M 107'' was re-classified as a ''Räumbootbegleitschiff'' for the newly established 3. ''Räumbootflottille'' and renamed ''Von der Groeben''. During the

Invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week aft ...

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

, ''Von der Groeben'' participated in the Battle of the Danzig Bay and supported the attacks on the Polish fortifications in the

Battle of Westerplatte The Battle of Westerplatte was the first battle of the German invasion of Poland, marking the start of World War II in Europe. It occurred on the Westerplatte peninsula in the harbour of the Free City of Danzig (now Gdańsk, Poland). In the mi ...

. In 1940, ''Von der Groeben'' was transferred to the 4. ''Räumbootflottille'' and participated in the Operation Weserübung, the occupation of Denmark and Norway, as part of ''Kriegsschiffgruppe'' 11. On 9 April 1940, ''Von der Groeben'' with the rest of 4. ''Räumbootflottille'' occupied

Thyborøn Thyborøn is a fishing village in Jutland, Denmark with a population of 1,890 (1 January 2022),Jutland Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...

during the German invasion of Denmark. Later that year, ''Von der Groeben'' served as escort on the Belgian coast until she hit a mine off

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...

coast until spring 1943, and took part of several action against British coastal forces, among them the action of 17-18 August 1942 off

Gravelines Gravelines (, ; ; ) is a commune in the Nord department in Northern France. It lies at the mouth of the river Aa southwest of Dunkirk. It was formed in the 12th century around the mouth of a canal built to connect Saint-Omer with the sea. As ...

, when ''Von der Groeben,'' along with five other minesweepers, escorted the Italian blockade runner ''Fidelitas'' through the English Channel; two British MTBs were sunk. She eventually transferred to the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

for service on inland waterways. On 15 June 1944, ''M 507'' was sunk in

Boulogne-sur-Mer Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the ...

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

aircraft.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:M 107 1918 ships Ships built in Bremen (state) World War I minesweepers of Germany World War II minesweepers of Germany Mine warfare vessels of the Reichsmarine Ships sunk by British aircraft Minesweepers sunk by aircraft Maritime incidents in August 1940 Maritime incidents in June 1944 Minesweepers of the Imperial German Navy Minesweepers of the Kriegsmarine World War II shipwrecks in the English Channel