The (; Naval Special Forces Command), also called the (combat swimmers) or (Deployment Group 3402), are the

special operations Special operations or special ops are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment." Special operations ma ...

unit of the

German Navy The German Navy (, ) is part of the unified (Federal Defense), the German Armed Forces. The German Navy was originally known as the ''Bundesmarine'' (Federal Navy) from 1956 to 1995, when ''Deutsche Marine'' (German Navy) became the official ...

, specializing in

commando A commando is a combatant, or operative of an elite light infantry or special operations force, specially trained for carrying out raids and operating in small teams behind enemy lines. Originally, "a commando" was a type of combat unit, as oppo ...

and

amphibious warfare Amphibious warfare is a type of offensive military operation that today uses naval ships to project ground and air power onto a hostile or potentially hostile shore at a designated landing beach. Through history the operations were conduc ...

operations. The Kampfschwimmer were set up when West Germany joined

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

in 1955, making it the oldest German

special operations force Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

History

1942–1943

*1942 onwards: Amateur diver Alfred von Wurzian (1916–1985) tested

breathing apparatus A breathing apparatus or breathing set is equipment which allows a person to breathe in a hostile environment where breathing would otherwise be impossible, difficult, harmful, or hazardous, or assists a person to breathe. A respirator, medical v ...

( Dräger oxygen

rebreather A rebreather is a breathing apparatus that absorbs the carbon dioxide of a user's exhaled breath to permit the rebreathing (recycling) of the substantial unused oxygen content, and unused inert content when present, of each breath. Oxygen is a ...

s from

Hans Hass Hans Hass (23 January 1919 – 16 June 2013) was an Austrian biologist and underwater diving pioneer. He was known mainly for being among the first scientists to popularise coral reefs, stingrays, octopuses and sharks. He pioneered the making o ...

) for the

Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Nazi 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 military branch, branche ...

. *1942: German frogmen clashed with Soviet frogmen at a Tsemes Bay seaport at

Novorossiysk Novorossiysk (, ; ) is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. It is one of the largest ports on the Black Sea. It is one of the few cities designated by the Soviet Union as a Hero City. The population was History In antiquity, the shores of the ...

. The skirmish resulted in some knife battles underwater. *1943:

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

Karl Dönitz Karl Dönitz (; 16 September 1891 – 24 December 1980) was a German grand admiral and convicted war criminal who, following Adolf Hitler's Death of Adolf Hitler, suicide, succeeded him as head of state of Nazi Germany during the Second World ...

orders Vice-Admiral

Hellmuth Heye Hellmuth Guido Alexander Heye (9 August 1895 – 10 November 1970) was a German admiral in World War II and politician in post-war Germany. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Naval career Heye graduated ...

to create a special unit. It is originally named ("small ordnance unit") but it is better known under the name of or (ocean warriors). Its first men, including von Wurzian, were trained by experienced Italian ''

Decima Flottiglia MAS The ''Decima Flottiglia MAS'' (''Decima Flottiglia Motoscafi Armati Siluranti'', also known as ''La Decima'' or Xª MAS) (Italian for "10th Torpedo-Armed Motorboat Flotilla") was an Italian flotilla, with marines and commando frogman unit, of ...

'' men. (The German

Waffen-SS The (; ) was the military branch, combat branch of the Nazi Party's paramilitary ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscr ...

also had a frogman section called .)

1944

*1944 June: Three German frogman units called "" (MEK) became active. Each unit had one officer and 22 men. But they were not ready for

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

. *1944 June 23: German naval frogmen blow up two bridges on the

Orne Orne (; or ) is a département in the northwest of France, named after the river Orne. It had a population of 279,942 in 2019.Neger craft in the

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

, setting off from Villers sur Mer. On July 8, these attacks badly damaged the cruiser ORP Dragon (which was scuttled on July 20), and sunk the destroyer HMS Isis. 12 attack boats were used in attacks in the mouth of the

Orne river The Orne () is a river in Normandy, within northwestern France. It is long. It discharges into the English Channel at the port of Ouistreham. Its source is in Aunou-sur-Orne, east of Sées. Its main tributaries are the Odon and the Rouvre. ...

. *July 1944: German frogmen destroyed the lock gates on the Orne river.Jung, p. 115. *26 August 1944: MEK 60 German frogmen destroyed the Vascouy coastal artillery battery position. *1944 September 16: By this time the Allies had taken

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

. Two teams of five German frogmen left

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...

on two attack boats, to attack

docks. When they were stopped by defence nets, the teams continued by swimming, each towing a torpedo with a

ton Ton is any of several units of measure of mass, volume or force. It has a long history and has acquired several meanings and uses. As a unit of mass, ''ton'' can mean: * the '' long ton'', which is * the ''tonne'', also called the ''metric ...

of explosive. One team placed its torpedo on the main

canal lock A lock is a device used for raising and lowering boats, ships and other watercraft between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a chamber in a permanently fixed position i ...

in Antwerp. The lock was out of use for three months. *1944, night of September 28–29: By now the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...

had taken intact a road bridge at

Nijmegen Nijmegen ( , ; Nijmeegs: ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and the ninth largest of the Netherlands as a whole. Located on the Waal River close to the German border, Nijmegen is one of the oldest cities in the ...

and a railway bridge at

Moerdijk Moerdijk () is a municipality and a town in the South of the Netherlands, in the province of North Brabant. History The municipality of Moerdijk was founded in 1997 following the merger of the municipalities of Fijnaart en Heijningen, Klunde ...

, and had immediately installed a strong anti-aircraft defence there. In order to assist with a German counter offensive against the Nijmegen salient, three groups of four German frogmen set off from 10 km upstream from the bridges. They were to place explosives under the bridges and then to continue with the river current 24 km further to return to their lines. The railway bridge was blown up. The road bridge was only slightly damaged because the mine had been badly placed. Of the 12 men, three were killed, seven were captured, and two returned to their lines. *Soviet EPRON Diver K. D. Zolotovskiy claims his Soviet frogman team had underwater skirmishes with German frogmen in the

Svir river The Svir (; ; Karelian and Finnish: ) is a river in Podporozhsky, Lodeynopolsky, and Volkhovsky districts in the north-east of Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It flows westwards from Lake Onega to Lake Ladoga, thus connecting the two largest l ...

. *1944 December: German frogman operations in the

Vistula The Vistula (; ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest in Europe, at in length. Its drainage basin, extending into three other countries apart from Poland, covers , of which is in Poland. The Vistula rises at Barania Góra i ...

river. *After Italy changed sides, the German frogman unit MEK71 based in Jugoslavia made numerous attacks against liberated

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, using two-man

canoe A canoe is a lightweight, narrow watercraft, water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using paddles. In British English, the term ' ...

1945

*February 1945: German frogmen operations in the

Oder The Oder ( ; Czech and ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and its largest tributary the Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows through wes ...

river. *March 1945: Multiple failed attempts to destroy the Ludendorff Bridge near Remagen by German frogmen. The final failed attempt was performed by seven German

Waffen SS The (; ) was the combat branch of the Nazi Party's paramilitary ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with volunteers and conscripts from both German-occupied Europe and unoccupied lands. ...

frogmen. *March–April 1945:German frogmen destroyed two important supply bridges in Stettin harbor.Jung, p. 132. Three bridges were destroyed between the island of Wollin and the Pomeranian mainland. Another bridge was destroyed by German frogmen near Dievenow. *May 1945 German frogmen failed in their initial attempt to blow up the pontoon bridges at Nipperwiese and Fiddichow. *May 1945 German frogmen succeed in their second attempt to blow up the pontoon bridges at Nipperwiese and Fiddichow. Frogmen Siegfried Koneke and Walter Lewandowski were awarded the

German Cross in Gold The War Order of the German Cross (), normally abbreviated to the German Cross or ''Deutsches Kreuz'', was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 28 September 1941. It was awarded in two divisions: in gold for repeated acts of bravery or military leade ...

for their actions.

Craft developed by Germany during World War II

*The "

lentil The lentil (''Vicia lens'' or ''Lens culinaris'') is an annual plant, annual legume grown for its Lens (geometry), lens-shaped edible seeds or ''pulses'', also called ''lentils''. It is about tall, and the seeds grow in Legume, pods, usually w ...

". It is a fast silent boat carrying 300 kg of explosive. The pilot directs it and then jumps in the sea and is collected by another boat. *A "chariot" copied from that of the British who copied it from the Italian ''maiale''. The Italians never transmitted to the Germans the plans of their ''maiale''. *The "Neger" (German for "

negro In the English language, the term ''negro'' (or sometimes ''negress'' for a female) is a term historically used to refer to people of Black people, Black African heritage. The term ''negro'' means the color black in Spanish and Portuguese (from ...

"), a single-seat torpedo sailing awash at four knots. Its pilot leaves it before precipitating it on the objective. *Creation of pocket submarines (one-seater and two-seater).

Incompletely planned operations

* Plan to attack the underwater oil pipeline

PLUTO Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of Trans-Neptunian object, bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the Su ...

. * Plan to block the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal (; , ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, Indo-Mediterranean, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia (and by extension, the Sinai Peninsula from the rest ...

by sinking boats in it.

Post World War II

:'' This section was translated from :de:Kampfschwimmer (Bundeswehr); refer back there in case of query about the translation.'' The Kampfschwimmer were set up particularly because Germany joined

and there was felt to be risk of war with the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. A unit was needed which could help to secure the Baltic Sea exits through the

Danish straits The Danish straits are the straits connecting the Baltic Sea to the North Sea through the Kattegat and Skagerrak. Historically, the Danish straits were internal waterways of Denmark; however, following territorial losses, Øresund and Fehmarn B ...

. On 1 August 1958 Group 3402, as these commando frogmen were called by the navy, was set up. It consisted of men without a

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

past, who had served in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in the small combat forces and the naval employment commands. The first Kampfschwimmer were trained first with the '' Nageurs de combat'' in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. France had developed the role of the commando frogmen further in the

Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia (historically known as Indochina and the Indochinese Peninsula) is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to th ...

war, to the modern single fighter. The Kampfschwimmer should carry out their tasks both in the water and ashore, like German commando frogmen did in World War II. But now a new dimension was added: airborne operations. This three-role concept of the French became the basis of the commando frogmen of the German navy. On 1 April 1964, the Kampfschwimmer appeared for the first time as an independent body. In the following years they extended their tasks, but lacked money. Thus e.g. they had to buy their own

drysuit A dry suit or drysuit provides the wearer with environmental protection by way of thermal insulation and exclusion of water, and is worn by divers, boaters, water sports enthusiasts, and others who work or play in or near cold or contaminated ...

undersuits. During the

Gaza war The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...

, KSM reportedly deployed to

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

alongside the Army's KSK and the Federal Police's

GSG 9 , formerly , is the police tactical unit of the German Federal Police (Bundespolizei). The unit is responsible for combatting terrorism and violent crime, including organized crime. In addition to its headquarters location in Sankt Augustin-H ...

for possible evacuations or hostage rescues.

Roles

NATO Special Operations Forces Technical Exploitation Operations training

In the Gulf War, German frogmen completed various operations that are classified by German Intelligence and such. The naval commandos were also active from 1994 to 1996, during the NATO arms embargo against former

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

. The frogmen conducted boarding operations of suspicious freighters from German frigates and destroyers. Due to insufficient berthing capabilities on board the German warships, the boarding parties were usually undermanned. The commandos had to train ordinary crewmembers as auxiliaries in tasks such as keeping watch and taking control of the engine room and bridge of the boarded vessels.

Organization

Since 1974, the Kampfschwimmer have been stationed in the naval base at

Eckernförde Eckernförde (; , sometimes also ; , sometimes also ) is a city located in the of Rendsburg-Eckernförde, Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany. Situated on the coast of the Baltic Sea, approximately 30 km north-west of Kiel, it has a populat ...

near

Kiel Kiel ( ; ) is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. With a population of around 250,000, it is Germany's largest city on the Baltic Sea. It is located on the Kieler Förde inlet of the Ba ...

. In October 1994 they were subordinate to the Flotilla of

Mine 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 M ...

Warfare. In Eckernförde a combat frogman group was set up, it consists of a mine clearance diver company and a commando frogmen company. Allegedly the weapon diver group has 250 men. The commando frogmen company had, according to strength and equipment records, 3 groups, each with 16 men. Of it, approximately 40 men are actively operational. In 2001, the Waffentauchergruppe ("Weapons Diver Group") became the Bataillon Spezialisierter Kräfte ("Specialised Forces Battalion"). By a transformation in 2003, the :de:Spezialisierte Einsatzkräfte Marine ("Specialised Task Forces of the Navy") was formed. The SEK M was divided further into the Combat Swimmer Company, a

mine 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 M ...

clearance diver company, and two naval companies for special employments (e.g. to board ships), a training inspection group, and further support elements.

Conditions for entry

Success rate is approximately 30% which is up from the previous 5-10 percent over the three-year training period. These minimum requirements must be fulfilled by all candidates, to become certified for training: * Applicants must be German citizens in the sense of the article 116 of the (

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these pri ...

) * They must be at least 17 years old and no more than 32 years old. *

Realschulabschluss The Mittlere Reife (, lit. ''"Middle Maturity"'') is a School leaving qualification, school-leaving certificate in Germany that is usually awarded after ten years of schooling. It is roughly comparable with the British GCSE. The official name v ...

Abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...

, with favorable exam passes. * 1000m swim in less than 24 minutes * 5000m run in less than 22 minutes * 30m distance swim underwater without equipment * Stay underwater without breathing for at least 60 seconds * Sport test with at least 20 points; at least 3 points for each exercise * Active duty soldier must have at least attained the rank of

Feldwebel '' '' (Fw or F, ) is a non-commissioned officer (NCO) rank in several countries. The rank originated in Germany, and is also used in Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, and Estonia. The rank has also been used in Russia, Austria-Hungary, occupied Serbia ...

or be officer. The civilian applicant must be ready to enlist for 12 years. * Diving fitness is examined by the (naval medical institute) of the navy. *

Parachute A parachute is a device designed to slow an object's descent through an atmosphere by creating Drag (physics), drag or aerodynamic Lift (force), lift. It is primarily used to safely support people exiting aircraft at height, but also serves va ...

jump fitness is examined by the same institute.

Training

During the training, it is less about the physical load than the psychological load, which causes many applicants to give up. The physical achievement can be trained, but overcoming the fear is the most important goal of the training. The training includes but is not limited to

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...

diving Diving most often refers to: * Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water * Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes Diving or Dive may also refer to: Sports * Dive (American football), ...

navigation Navigation is a field of study that focuses on the process of monitoring and controlling the motion, movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another.Bowditch, 2003:799. The field of navigation includes four general categories: land navig ...

close combat Close-quarters battle (CQB), also called close-quarters combat (CQC), is a close combat situation between multiple combatants involving ranged (typically firearm-based) or melee combat. It can occur between military units, law enforcement and cr ...

, weapons handling, and

parachuting Parachuting and skydiving are methods of descending from a high point in an atmosphere to the ground or ocean surface with the aid of gravity, involving the control of speed during the descent using a parachute or multiple parachutes. For hu ...

. In the special conclusion exercise their ability and hardness are equally demanded, before they join the circle of the commando frogmen. In further training sections they are trained as team leaders or specialists.

Introductory training

First there are four weeks of introductory training. In this time the applicants are pushed hard physically and psychologically by fixed exercises. All exercises have the goal to take away the fear of water and to make the applicant feel safe in the water. One of the exercises is called (the bound swimming). The applicant is placed on the starting block in the full combat suit, with his hands tied behind his back and his feet tied together, and then pushed in the swimming pool. He must stay for 30 seconds alone clearly; afterwards a safety diver pulls him back up. In the so-called "hate week" the trainees are deprived of sleep. Between the night exercises, there are night runs. Meanwhile, the normal routine of the day continues: swimming, diving, and

push-up The push-up (press-up in British English) is a common calisthenics Physical exercise, exercise beginning from the prone position. By raising and lowering the body using the arms, push-ups exercise the pectoralis major muscle, pectoral muscl ...

s. They also have to train to exit and enter a submarine through a torpedo tube. At the final examination they have to swim about 30 km with full equipment in the Baltic Sea to reach the beach after being discharged at the sea.

Equipment

Weapons

Eickhorn S.E.K. Marine knife (designed specifically for this unit) Eickhorn knives, Various models

Vehicles

Special equipment

Gear

* 3M ** Peltor Comtac XPI Dual Com NATO * Arc'teryx ** Fire-resistant Combat-clothing ** All-weather clothing ** Bagpacks * ArmorSource ** AS-600 helmet (rifle-resistant) * Carinthia ** Military sleeping-bags *

Crye Precision Crye Precision is an American apparel and accessories company based in New York City. They are a major manufacturer of Berry Amendment compliant items for the United States Armed Forces. Crye created the common camouflage pattern MultiCam in 2002. ...

** Fire-resistant Combat-clothing ** Plate-carriers ** Kinetic support-systems ** Bagpacks ** Pouches ** Belts * Dräger ** Rebreather (combat-diving) * FirstSpear ** Plate-carriers (Combat-diving) ** Flotation-systems ** Bagpacks ** Pouches ** Belts * Harris ** Falcon III RF-7850M-HH ** Combat-electronics * Heinrichs Weikamp ** OSTC 4 ** Diving-electronics * JFD ** Divex Stealth CDLSE ** Divex Dual Mode Mask ** Divex Low Magnetic Fins * L3-Insight ** GPNVG-18 ** AN/PSQ-36 FGS * Leo Köhler ** Fire-resistant Combat-clothing ** All-weather clothing ** Plate-carriers ** Bagpacks * MATBOCK ** Parachuting-gear ** Bagpacks ** Medic-gear * Meindl ** All-weather Combat-boots * MEN ** Ammunition * Nivisys ** DVS-110 * Rheinmetall ** Ammunition ** Combat-electronics * SeaBear ** HUDC ** Diving-electronics * TEA ** H2O U94 PTT ** Sub Assault ** OSK Maritime Kit * Team Wendy ** Retention-Kits ** Liner-Kits ** ARC-Rails * '
UF PRO
'' ** Fire-resistant Combat-clothing ** All-weather clothing * Ursuit ** Combat-diving dry-suits ** Combat-diving gear * W+R PRO ** Combat-gloves (site under construction)

References

External links

* http://www.sondereinheiten.de/einheiten/kampfschwimmer/ (in German) * http://www.marine.de Seiten der Marine (in German). * http://www.minentaucher.net—the German/English spoken Minentaucher website * http://www.kampfschwimmer.de—the German/English spoken Kampfschwimmer website {{DEFAULTSORT:German Commando Frogmen Frogman operations Armed forces diving Special forces of Germany Military units and formations of the German Navy Naval special forces units and formations Special forces of West Germany