Figure 1.--American newspapers followed the War in Europe and as the United States was neutral, merican reporters had some access to Germasny. The captions of show that they did not fully grasp what was happening. Here it is clear tht the caption riter was not aware of the role of the Htler Youth in preparing boys for war. "German Youths Train For Future Naval Might: German boys under 17 are being regimented even more strictly in a country at war. They are being compelled to join some branch of the training squadspf Germany's ;'New Generation'. Boys living on the coats are organized unto Sailor Storm Troops and are being traine to man the huge navy Nazi leaders look forward to having. This series of pictures shows how these bokys are bing trained to take their plces in submarines and other warships. These youths are shown taking a lesson in navigation. The boy in the foreground is learning how to read the compass." The photo was punlished Augist 27, 1940. We are not sure where it was taken, but surely some place in the Baltic.

Hitler launched World War II 5 years too early for the Germany Navy. Hitler had told his admirals that there would be no war until the mid-1940s. He subsequently pushed forward his time table. At the time he launched the War, the Luftwaffe and the Wehrmact were the most powerful air forces and armies in the world. The Germany Navy ranked as a potent, but relarively small force. The Kregsmarine again played a minor role in World War II. The German surface fleet was a major disappointment to Hitler. The U-boat proved again to be Germany's primary naval threat. And for time seemed to offer some propects for a major victory. Churchill after the War wrote that the u-boat campaign in the Battle of the Atlantic was the one threat that really worried him. The German naval high command (OKM) wanted an impressive surface fleet, but Germany's limited industrial capacity made that impossible. As a result, only minor resources were allocated to U-bpat construction before the War. This changed after the War began and the U-boat proved to be Germany's most potent naval weapon. The Germans devoted considerable resources to building U-boats. Ironically while the German u-boat campaign is one of the great legends of the World War II, it was the Americans in the Pacific who waged the only successful submarine campaign in history--a stark example of what the German might have achieved. While the Battle of the Atlanic was the central struggle for the Kriegsmarine as well as the Royal Navy, the Atlantic was not the only operational area. The KM also fought battles in the Arctic, North Sea, Baltic, and Mediterranean.

Battle of the Atlantic (1939-43)

The naval campaigns are often given superficial coverage in assessments of World War II in Europe. In fact, the most important battle of the War was the Battle of the Atlantic. Churchill was to write after the War that it was the the loss Battle of the Atlantic that was the only thing he feared. Battles could be lost or won, but the cutting of Britain's life lines to the Dominions and especially America would have made it impossible for Britain to have continued the War. It was no accident that Anglo-American military cooperation began in the North Atlantic well before America entered the War. Hitler on the other hnd gave lttle attention to the U-boat fleet until after the War began. Hitler and approved Plan-Z, a secret plan to prepare the Kriegsmarine for war with Britain by 1944. It involved the construction of massive capital ships and two aircraft carriers. The Germans with U-boats, surface fleet, and long range aircraft hope to cut off Britain from its Empire and supply from the United States. Although neutral in the early years of the War, President Roosevelt was determine to support the Allies. A few days after the fall of France in 1940, a sjocked American Congress approvd the Naval Construction Act. The immediate impact of the fall of France in 1940 tremendosly increased the effectiveness of the German naval campaign, providing indespenseable French Atlantic ports. The Royal Navy had ben strongly depleted during the inter-war era by naval limitations treaties. After France fell, the Royal Navy stood alone againt the German ans Italian navies. The Germans had a growing surface fleet and the Italian a fast modrn fleet that threatened to seize control of the Mediterannean. The the German u-boat operations proved highly effective, despite the fact that Hitler launched the War years beore the Kriegsmarine was prepared. Even before America entered the War, the U.S. Navy was deployed in the North Atlantic to protect British convoys. Anglo-American naval and scientific cooperaion resulted in the defeat of the u-boat campain by 1943. Combined with American construction of liberty ships, not only was Britain kept supplied, but America assembled a massive force of men and supplies in England that in 1944 was unleased on Hitler's Atlantic Wall.

The Arctic

World War Ii was the first time in history that importnt military operations were conducted in the Arctic Ocean. The Arctic extends from Iceland and the North Sea east to the Bering Strait. The German involvemnebt was ancillery to the Battle of the Atlantic and the European Lnbd camoigns, especially the German invasion of the Soviet Union and the titanic war in the East. Before the War, activities in the Arctic were primarily fishing and mining (Narvik and Petsamo). The countries involved were nostly the Norwegins and Soviets with rctic coastlines. Soviet settlements along the Arctic coast and rivers of the Barents Sea and Kara Sea relied upon summer coastal shipping for supplies originating in railheads at Arkhangelsk and Murmansk. The Soviet Union ust before the War extended its Northern Sea Route past the Taymyr Peninsula to the Bering Strait (1935). The Arctic Sea route was not nearly as open at the time as is now the case. The Winter War (November 1939) opened the northern flank of the Eastern Front, but did this did not immediately affect Arctic operations as Finland did not have an Arctic coastline. The Germans began to develop more involved relations with the Finns. The Soviet Northern Fleet at the outbreak of the war consisted of a few destroyers with larger numbers of submarines, minesweepers, and torpedo cutters supported by icebreakers was the only important naval force in the Arctic. This began to change as aresult of the German invasion of Norway (April 1940). After the Burih and French withdral, Norway gave the Kriegsmarine (KM) naval bases from which Germany's capital ships could challenge the Royal Navy Home Fleet. Norway also provided bases for Luftwaffe anti-shipping aircraft of Kampfgeschwader 26 (KG 26) and Kampfgeschwader 30 (KG 30). Kriegsmarine and Luftwffe operatins were at first primarily focused on North Sea operations, especially guaranteeing shipments of Swedish iron ore to Germany. Operations also involved the Battle of Britain and then the all-importnt Battle of the Atlanic. The Germans conducted routine reconnaissance using Küstenfliegergruppen aircraft including Heinkel He 115s and Blohm & Voss BV 138s. This changed with Opertion Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union (June 1941). Sudenly the Artic became an important theater of operations. Hitler's invasion converted the Soviet Union from a NAZI ally to another victim of MAZI aggression in need of support. Churchill immediately offered upport and President Roosevelt pressed Congress to qulify the soviets for Lend Lease aid. The Allies eventually opened three routes to aid the Soviets. The shirtest route was through the arctoc to the soviets ports and rail heads at Murmansk and Arc Angel. Soon Allied convoys forming in Scotland laden with war material entered the Arctic for the soviet pots. The convoys were designated PQ and JW depending on the direction. The faced a daunting gauntlet of Luftwaffe air craft and KM U-boats and surface ships based in Norway. The freighters were escorted by destroyers, corvettes and minesweepers. The Royal Navy also committefd cruisers outside the convoy force including battleships and aircraft carriers in case the KM commited its capital ships to intercept the Arctic convoys.

The North Sea

The British Royal Navy in World war I managed to bottle up the North Sea as part of a naval embargo which slowly undermined the German War economy and civilian morale. It also impaired U-boat operations in th North astlantic. The British also attempted a North Sea embargo with the outbreak of World War II. This was undone by the German seizure of Norway (April 1940). The limited range of German fighters meant that the Luftwaffe could not use its bases in Norway in the Battle of Britain and Operation Sea Lion. And after the fall of France, the North Sea Route for German U-boats was no longer of critical importance. The Norwegian North Sea fijords and bases provided locations for German capoyal ships. he primary importnc of the North sea, however, was an all weather route to ship Swedishiron ore to Germany.

The Baltic

The Baltic Sea was dominated by the Kreigsmarine (KM) and Sovier Red Navy. Norway, Sweden, Denmark Finland, and the Baltic Republics also had Baltic coasts, but did not have navies of any importance. Poland has a small coast, but no importnt port, uung the German populasted free city of Danzig. As a result, World war II naval operations were primarily conducted by the Germans and Soviets. Both used the Baltic for training operations before the War. Taking advntage of the BAZI-Soviet Pact, the Soviets seized yhe Bzltic Republics and their important ports. The situation changed dramatically with the onset of Barbarossa Jube 1941). The Germans quickly overran the Baltics and bottled up the Red Naby in Leningrad. Luftwaffe opeations made it impossible for the Soviets to oprtate surfce ships. The Baltic became a German lake. This meant safe passage for Swedish iron ore, vital for the German war industries. The KM used the Baltic as a safe haven for cpital ships and a training a refitting area for irs U-boats. As the War turned against the Germans and the Red Army seized Baltic ports and Luftwaffe bases, the Red Navy was able to resume Balyic opetions, especially submarines. The British Royal Navy planned Operation Catherine for the control of the Baltic Sea and its exit choke point into the North Sea. In addition to naval wafare, the Germans and Soviets laid some 60,000 naval mines and anti-sweep obstacles. Many were laid in the shallow Gulf of Finland which became one of the most densely mined waters of the War.

Mediterranean

The Meduiterranean naval war was almost entirelyb fought by the Italian Navy to a disasterous outcome. The Germans wanted the Frenchflle which wouldhave turned the balance of naval power in the Mediterranean. The British action at Oran reduced the potential value of the French fleet. andc the French true to their word, scuttled their vessels in Marseilles when the Germans tried to seize them after the Torch landings (November 1942). The basic German naval action was moving some U-boats from the Mediterranean duringb the height of the Battle of the Atlantic. Dönitz opposed the diversion, but Hitler insisted. The U-noats has some success/ The U-73 toredoed and sank the Royal Navy Carrier Eagle while escorting a convoy to Malta during Operation Pedestal (August 11, 1942). I also believed some German E-boats were deployed in the Mediterranean, but have few details at this time.

Created: 2:50 AM 8/13/2015
Last updated: 2:50 AM 8/13/2015