Kriegsmarine Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Kriegsmarine (KM)

Founded	1935
Country	Germany
Branch	Wehrmacht
Type	Navy
Size	810,000 peak in 1944 1,500,000 (total who served 1939–45)
Part of	Wehrmacht
Engagements	Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) World War II (1939–1945)
Disbanded	1945
Commanders
Notable commanders	Erich Raeder Karl Dönitz
Insignia
War ensign (1935–1938)
War ensign (1938–1945)
Land flag
Aircraft flown
Bomber	Junkers Ju 87
Fighter	Messerschmitt Bf 109
Reconnaissance	Fieseler Fi 167

The Kriegsmarine was the name of the Navy of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It took the place of the Imperial German Navy, which had fought in World War I. The Kriegsmarine was one of the three main parts of the Wehrmacht, which was the armed forces of Nazi Germany.

The top leader of the Kriegsmarine was Adolf Hitler. He was also the leader of all parts of the armed forces during that time. Hitler gave his orders through the Oberkommando der Marine, which means the High Command of the Navy.

The History of the Kriegsmarine
Famous Ships of the Kriegsmarine
Images for kids
See also

The History of the Kriegsmarine

German museum ship U-9, a Type 205 submarine

The Kriegsmarine was built up during the 1930s. Germany had been limited in how big its navy could be after World War I. This was because of the Treaty of Versailles. This treaty also stopped Germany from building submarines.

However, by 1934, Germany had secretly gathered most of the parts needed to build submarines. These submarines were known as U-boats. In early 1935, Adolf Hitler gave the order for these U-boats to be built.

In January 1939, a big plan called Plan Z was ordered. This plan was meant to build many new naval vessels. The ships of the Kriegsmarine fought in the Spanish Civil War and World War II. The main commander of the Kriegsmarine was Karl Dönitz.

Famous Ships of the Kriegsmarine

Kriegsmarine uniforms and insignia

The most well-known ships of the Kriegsmarine were the U-boats. Most of these were built after Plan Z was stopped at the start of World War II. Wolfpacks were groups of submarines that worked together. They attacked British convoys, which were groups of supply ships. Most of these attacks happened during the first part of the Battle of the Atlantic.

Besides U-boats, the Kriegsmarine also used commerce raiders and cruisers. These ships tried to stop Allied shipping early in the war. Some of the most famous ships were the heavy cruisers Admiral Graf Spee and Admiral Scheer. The powerful battleship Bismarck was also very famous.

After World War II ended in 1945, the remaining ships of the Kriegsmarine were shared among the Allied powers. They were then used for different jobs, including minesweeping.