German Auxiliary Cruiser Thor
''Thor'' (HSK 4) was an auxiliary cruiser of Nazi Germany's '' Kriegsmarine'' in World War II, intended for service as a commerce raider. Also known to the ''Kriegsmarine'' as ; to the Royal Navy she was Raider E. She was named after the Germanic deity Thor. Early history Formerly the cargo ship ''Santa Cruz'', she was built by Deutsche Werft, Hamburg, (DWH) in 1938, and was owned and operated by the Oldenburg Portuguese Line (OPDR), Hamburg. In the winter of 1939–40 the navy requisitioned her and had her converted into an auxiliary warship by DWH. She was commissioned as the commerce raider ''Thor'' in March 1940. First cruise ''Thor'' began its first combat cruise on 6 June 1940, under the command of Captain Otto Kähler. ''Thor'' spent 329 days at sea, and sank or captured 12 ships with a combined tonnage of . ''Thor'' stopped her first victim on 1 July, the 9290-ton Dutch cargo ship ''Kertosono'', which was carrying a cargo of petrol, timber, asphalt, and agricultural mac ...
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Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated between the Baltic and North seas to the north, and the Alps to the south; it covers an area of , with a population of almost 84 million within its 16 constituent states. Germany borders Denmark to the north, Poland and the Czech Republic to the east, Austria and Switzerland to the south, and France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands to the west. The nation's capital and most populous city is Berlin and its financial centre is Frankfurt; the largest urban area is the Ruhr. Various Germanic tribes have inhabited the northern parts of modern Germany since classical antiquity. A region named Germania was documented before AD 100. In 962, the Kingdom of Germany formed the bulk of the Holy Roman Empire. During the 16th ce ...
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