German minesweeper ''M-1'' was a M 1935-class minesweeper of

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 ...

's Kriegsmarine in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

History

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 1936, ''M-1'' was launched on 5 March 1937. Commissioned on 1 September 1938 under the command of ''

Oberleutnant zur See ''Oberleutnant zur See'' (''OLt zS'' or ''OLZS'' in the German Navy, ''Oblt.z.S.'' in the '' Kriegsmarine'') is traditionally the highest rank of Lieutenant in the German Navy. It is grouped as OF-1 in NATO. The rank was introduced in the Imp ...

'' Hans Bartels, she was used to transfer the Marinestosstruppkompanie to the battleship on 24 August 1939 in preparation for 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 ...

. After service in the campaign, ''M-1'' was relocated to the North Sea. In February 1940, ''M-1'' sank four

Esbjerg Esbjerg (, ) is a seaport town and seat of Esbjerg Municipality on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. By road, it is west of Kolding and southwest of Aarhus. With an urban population of 71,698 (1 January 2022)

fish trawlers, ''Ejjam'' (E 92), ''Gerlis'' (E 456), ''Merkator'' (348), and ''Polaris'' (E 504), killing all 16 crew members. Bartels later justified his decision with military necessity, as the neutral fishermen allegedly send coded messages to alert British forces to his presence on the Doggerbank. After the

German attack on the Soviet Union Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named after ...

, ''M-1'' was part of the naval component of Operation Siegfried, the occupation of the islands Dagö, Ösel, and Moon. Soon afterwards, ''M-1'' became flotilla leader of '' 55. Vorpostenflottille'' operating on the west coast of

occupied Norway The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi Germany controlled Norway until th ...

. On 12 January 1945, ''M-1'' was sunk in Nordbyfjord, near

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula o ...

in Norway, by Avro Lancaster aircraft of 9 and 617 Squadrons,

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) an ...

, using Tallboy bombs. She sank with the loss of 20 crew members. The wreck lies in of water, partly covered in sand.

References

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:M-1 1937 ships Ships built in Hamburg World War II minesweepers of Germany Maritime incidents in January 1945 Ships sunk by British aircraft Minesweepers sunk by aircraft World War II shipwrecks in the North Sea