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208-733: Born in 1889, Lütjens entered into the Imperial German Navy in 1907 and saw service during World War I against the British Royal Navy , achieving the rank of Kapitänleutnant (Lieutenant). After the war he remained in the navy, now renamed the Reichsmarine . In the Weimar Republic era, Lütjens built a reputation as an excellent staff officer. In 1935, after the Nazi Party came to power in 1933,

416-497: A 'Medical Corps'. In July 1879 a separate 'Torpedo Engineer Corps' was created dealing with torpedoes and mines. In May 1872 a ten-year building programme was instituted to modernise the fleet. This called for eight armoured frigates , six armoured corvettes , twenty light corvettes, seven monitors , two floating batteries , six avisos , eighteen gunboats and twenty-eight torpedo boats , at an estimated cost of 220 million gold marks . The building plan had to be approved by

624-688: A British force consisting of the British Mediterranean Fleet were on a westerly course from Gibraltar . Lütjens was required to create a diversion to allow Scheer safe passage through the Denmark Strait. He decided that the best way to attract British attention was to head for Brest, France , via the HX convoy route. Lütjens decided to employ his entire force, supply ships too, in a search for victims. Stationed 30 miles abreast, they sailed between 39°N and 46°W. Lütjens intercepted

832-482: A campaign to maintain a higher construction rate. Four battleships of the Helgoland class were laid down in 1909–10, with displacements of 22,800 tons, twelve 30.5 cm (12.0 in) guns in 6 turrets, reciprocating engines generating a maximum speed of 21 knots, and a price tag of 46 million marks. Again, the turret configuration was dictated by the need to use the centre of the ship for machinery, despite

1040-584: A change in attitude amongst military planners that a land war in Europe was increasingly likely, and a turning away from Tirpitz's scheme for worldwide expansion using the navy. In 1912 General von Moltke commented, "I consider war to be unavoidable, and the sooner the better." The Kaiser's younger brother, Admiral Prince Heinrich of Prussia , considered that the cost of the navy was now too great. In Britain, Churchill announced an intention to build two capital ships for every one constructed by Germany, and reorganised

1248-505: A closer relationship with France, including naval cooperation. Tirpitz saw this once again as an opportunity to press for naval expansion and the continuation of the four capital ships per year building rate into 1912. The January 1912 elections brought a Reichstag where the Social Democrats, opposed to military expansion, became the largest party. The German army, mindful of the steadily increasing proportion of spending going to

1456-497: A dedicated naval officer who put his service to the nation ahead of the ruling party. He also described him as a difficult man to know. Austere, rather forbidding, he said little and when he did, confined his remarks to the essentials. Patzig said of him "one of the ablest officers in the service, very logical and shrewd, incorruptible in his opinions and an engaging personality when you got to know him." Few did. Lütjens's dedication to his officer principles meant he did not marry until he

1664-556: A depth of 50 metres (160 ft), though could go to 80 metres (260 ft). Spending on the navy increased inexorably year by year. In 1909 Chancellor Bernhard von Bülow and Treasury Secretary Reinhold von Sydow attempted to pass a new budget boosting taxes in an attempt to reduce the deficit. The Social Democratic parties refused to accept the increased taxes on goods, while the conservatives opposed increases in inheritance taxes. Bülow and Sydow resigned in defeat and Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg became Chancellor. His attempted solution

1872-537: A guaranteed proportion of expenditure for the army, but failed when army officers refused to support him publicly. Tirpitz argued for six new capital ships, and got three, together with 15,000 additional sailors in a new combined military budget passed in April 1912. The new ships, together with the existing reserve flagship and four reserve battleships were to become one new squadron for the High Seas Fleet. In all

2080-538: A harbour ship, and then Hansa (1 April 1911 – 1 April 1913). He then returned to the König Wilhelm (1 April 1913 – 1 October 1913), where he served as an instructor of cabin boys and later as an instructor of cadets. König Wilhelm at the time was a barracks ship based in Kiel and used as a training vessel for naval cadets. He then completed two further world cruises on Hansa . Following these assignments, he

2288-679: A margin of superiority. More capital ships were stationed in British home waters. A treaty with Japan in 1902 meant that ships could be withdrawn from East Asia, while the Entente Cordiale with France in 1904 meant that Britain could concentrate on guarding Channel waters, including the French coast, while France would protect British interests in the Mediterranean . By 1906 it was considered that Britain's only likely naval enemy

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2496-428: A narrow front because of its limited resources and Lütjens planned accordingly. He established himself in the fashionable market-town of Trouville near Le Havre . The enormous logistical effort that required the navy to move personnel command structures and personnel to France meant that his command post did not become fully operational until August 1940. Friedrich Ruge was appointed to the mine command by Lütjens with

2704-481: A naval artillery school was established at Sonderburg (north of Kiel). This aimed to address the difficulties with the new generation of guns, which with potentially greater range required aiming devices capable of directing them at targets at those extreme ranges. By 1914, experiments were being conducted with guns in increasing sizes up to 51 cm (20 in). Capital ships were fitted with spotting tops high up on masts with range finding equipment, while ship design

2912-579: A new naval air division was created at Johannisthal , near Berlin. However, in September 1913 L 1 was destroyed in a storm , while the following month L 2 was lost in a gas explosion . Orders for the undelivered machines were cancelled, leaving the navy with one machine, the L 3 . In 1910 Prince Heinrich had learned to fly and supported the cause of naval aviation. In 1911 experiments took place with Albatros seaplanes and in 1912 Tirpitz authorized 200,000 marks for seaplane trials. The Curtiss seaplane

3120-786: 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 Bay of Kiel and lies in the southeast of the Jutland Peninsula, on the mouth of the Schwentine River, approximately 90 kilometres (56 mi) northeast of Hamburg . The world's busiest artificial waterway, the Kiel Canal , has a terminus in Kiel's Holtenau district. This canal connects

3328-490: A practice torpedo, and a mine detonation delayed her from mid-April until mid-May. Raeder used this time to consult with his fleet commander. Lütjens travelled to Berlin on 26 April 1941 to meet with him. For a time, Lütjens tried without success to change Raeder's mind, and to wait until Tirpitz , Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were ready. He argued that the German fleet should not be fed " teaspoon by teaspoon" into battle with

3536-627: A quick-loading design and more powerful secondary armaments. Costs rose to 21 million marks each, as had size to 11,500 tons. In 1892 Germany had launched the protected cruiser SMS  Kaiserin Augusta , the first navy ship to have triple propellers. She was succeeded by five Victoria Louise -class protected cruisers, the last 'protected', as distinct from 'armoured' cruiser class constructed by Germany. The ships, completed between 1898 and 1900, had deck armour but not side armour and were intended for overseas duties. Shortages of funding meant it

3744-653: A reliable supply of fuel oil. Two more ships of the class were later laid down, but never completed. Three light cruisers commenced construction in German yards in 1912–1913 ordered by the Russian Navy, costing around 9 million marks. The ships were seized at the outbreak of World War I becoming SMS  Regensburg , SMS  Pillau and SMS  Elbing . Two larger cruisers, SMS  Wiesbaden and SMS  Frankfurt were also commenced and entered service in 1915. More torpedo boats were constructed, with gradually increasing sizes having reached 800 tons for

3952-462: A repetition of Berlin , Lütjens was required to break out of their naval base in occupied Poland , sail via occupied Norway , and attack merchant shipping. The operation went awry and the task force was soon spotted and engaged near Iceland. In the ensuing Battle of the Denmark Strait , HMS  Hood was sunk and three other British warships were forced to retreat. The two German ships then separated. Three days later, on 27 May, Lütjens and most of

4160-642: A result Tirpitz had set up a special commission to develop turbines. No reliable German design was available by 1903, so British Parsons turbines were purchased. In 1899, the Imperial Naval High Command was replaced by the German Imperial Admiralty Staff ( Admiralstab ) responsible for planning, the training of officers, and naval intelligence. In time of war it was to assume overall command, but in peace acted only advisory. Direct control of various elements of

4368-461: A scout, the Germans withdrew to a safe distance and sank it with the main batteries. It was a small target which took 73 rounds to destroy. HMS Rodney appeared 15 minutes later and flashed a challenge. In Lütjens' mind, it confirmed his suspicions of the vessel as a scout. Lütjens identified Gneisenau as "HMS Emerald", buying time as he worked up to escape. It worked, and Rodney stayed to pick up

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4576-508: A ship to a catastrophic magazine explosion from an above-water attack, although the elderly pre-dreadnought SMS  Pommern sank rapidly at Jutland after a magazine explosion was caused by an underwater attack. The unification of Germany under Prussian leadership was the defining point for the creation of the Imperial Navy in 1871. The newly created emperor, Wilhelm I , as King of Prussia , had previously been head of state of

4784-466: A speed around 24 knots. SMS  Dresden cost 7.5 million marks, and SMS  Emden 6 million marks. Four Kolberg -class cruiser were produced between 1907 and 1911 at 4,400 tons and around 8 million marks each. These had turbines, twelve 10.5 cm guns as main armament, but were also equipped to carry and lay 100 mines. From 1907 onward, all torpedo boats were constructed using turbine engines. Despite their ultimate importance,

4992-433: A speed of 22 knots, costing 50 million marks. Guns were arranged in the same pattern as the preceding battle-cruisers, but were now increased to 38 cm (15 in) diameter. The ships had four 8.8 cm anti-aircraft and also sixteen 15 cm lighter guns, but were coal fuelled. It was considered that coal bunkers at the sides of the ship added to protection against penetrating shells, but Germany also did not have

5200-404: A torpedo attack by the British destroyers. Under those circumstances, Raeder felt the British would have had a tactical advantage. Lütjens later rendezvoused with the cruiser Admiral Hipper and reached Wilhelmshaven on 12 April, having avoided a major fleet action. Lütjens was indirectly involved in another battle. The Trondheim force was led by the heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper who detached

5408-477: A vocational training center provides education and training in over 40 professions. It includes dual training programs, vocational schools, technical colleges, and vocational grammar schools. Kiel's economy is dominated by the service sector, transport and maritime industries. Kiel is also one of the major ports of the German Navy , and a leading centre of German high-tech military and civil shipbuilding. Kiel

5616-467: A westbound convoy sailing without escort towards American ports. The convoy identified the German ships and soon the radio waves were busy with signals sent from the frantic British merchantmen, which tried to disperse. The battleships quickly closed and sank four. A further ship, the 5,500-ton Harlesden , carried a powerful wireless set but temporarily evaded them. Intent on silencing it, Lütjens dispatched his Arado Ar 196 to locate it. Upon his return,

5824-548: Is Schleswig-Holstein 's largest city, and therefore Kiel's shopping district is a major attraction, and will see further improvement and renovation efforts in the upcoming years. Kiel's Holstenstraße (Holsten Street) is one of the longest shopping streets in Germany. The Rathaus (Town Hall), which was built in 1911, has an operating paternoster lift and the design of its tower was based on one in Venice . The square in front of it

6032-492: Is a large housing estate (satellite town) that was built in the 1960s and 1970s on the western outskirts of the city. The city districts of Düsternbrook, Schreventeich, Ravensberg and Blücherplatz, north of the city centre, are popular places to live with many 19th century buildings, villas and tree-lined streets. The government offices, ministries and parliament of the state of Schleswig-Holstein are also mainly based in these neighbourhoods, particularly Düsternbrook. In contrast to

6240-797: Is bordered by a lake and the Opernhaus Kiel (Kiel Opera House). There are also a number of lakes and parks in the city centre, such as Schrevenpark. There are two botanical gardens , the Old Botanical Garden and the Botanischer Garten der Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel (or New Botanical Garden). As Kiel is situated near the sea, the beaches to the north of Kiel, such as Strande , Kiel- Schilksee , Möltenort and Laboe , are also popular places to visit in spring and summer. Kiel Week , also known in English as

6448-917: Is home to several media companies, including a branch of the Norddeutscher Rundfunk producing one radio channel and several local programmes in Kiel, a station of the British Forces Broadcasting Service , the daily newspaper Kieler Nachrichten and several smaller local radio channels and magazines. Kiel is situated near an important pan-European motorway, the A7 , which connects northern Europe with central and southern Europe. The central railway station, Kiel Hauptbahnhof , has hourly trains to Hamburg , Lübeck , Flensburg , and Husum . The Intercity Express (ICE) connects Kiel with Berlin , Frankfurt , Cologne and Munich . There are 8 regional railway stations within

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6656-538: Is in the former fish market building in the harbour. Laboe is home to the Laboe Naval Memorial and the Second World War submarine U-995 , which are both popular tourist sites. Kiel has a population of 247,000. In 1946, when Kiel became the capital of Schleswig-Holstein , its population was about 214,000. Kiel is Germany's largest coastal city and its only state capital located on

6864-491: Is no standard division. The districts are traditionally grouped into 30 boroughs (Stadtteile) [1] . Another, more recent structure summarizes the districts in 18 political districts (Ortsteile) [2] . The city has 25 electoral districts. The biggest districts, by population, are Wik (20,100), Gaarden-Ost (19,200) and Mettenhof (19,900). Gaarden, located at the southern end of the fjord, is a traditional working-class district that used to be home to mainly shipyard workers. Mettenhof

7072-460: Is the Stadt- und Schifffahrtsmuseum Warleberger Hof (City and Maritime Museum), which belongs to the association Museen am Meer . In addition to preserving architecture from the 16th century and historic rooms with painted stucco ceilings, it displays urban and cultural exhibits of the 19th and 20th centuries. Particularly intriguing is the history of the carnival in Kiel. The Schifffahrtsmuseum

7280-543: Is the home of Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft , a shipyard founded in 1838 famed for its construction of submarines . HDW built the first German submarine Brandtaucher in 1850, and is today a subsidiary of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems , the leading German group of shipyards. In 2005, the GDP per person was €35,618, which is well above the national average of Germany and 159% of the European Union average. Some of

7488-611: Is to become chief of the Officer Personnel Branch at Naval Headquarters with the task of forming an officer Corps for the new Navy we are about to build. In 1936, Lütjens was appointed Chief of the Personnel Office of the Kriegsmarine , an office which he had served in 1932–34, and in 1937, he became Führer der Torpedoboote (Chief of Torpedo Boats), with Z1 Leberecht Maass as his flagship, and

7696-681: Is to put as many as possible under the water". On 22 January 1941, the renewed mission was delayed for several days owing to the sighting of British ships near the Norwegian coast and the inability of submarine chasers and destroyers to escort them to the Arctic Ocean . Lütjens chose to pass between Iceland and the Faroe Islands . Unbeknownst to Lütjens, his ships had been spotted sailing past Zealand , Denmark, by British agents. British Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet, Admiral John Tovey

7904-637: The Prinz Adalbert class were commissioned in 1904, followed by two similar Roon -class armoured cruisers commissioned in 1905 and 1906, at costs around 17 million marks each. SMS  Scharnhorst and SMS  Gneisenau followed, between 1904 and 1908, and cost an estimated for 20.3 million marks. Main armament was eight 21 cm (8.3 in) guns, but with six 15 cm (5.9 in) and eighteen 8.8 cm (3.5 in) guns for smaller targets. Eight Bremen -class light cruisers were constructed between 1902 and 1907, developed from

8112-480: The Reichstag , which controlled the allocation of funds, although one-quarter of the money came from French war reparations. In 1883 Stosch was replaced by another general, Count Leo von Caprivi . At this point the navy had seven armoured frigates and four armoured corvettes, 400 officers and 5,000 ratings. The objectives of coastal defence remained largely unchanged, but there was a new emphasis on development of

8320-647: The Battle of Coronel , it inflicted the first major defeat on the Royal Navy in over one hundred years, although the German squadron of ships was subsequently defeated at the Battle of the Falkland Islands , only one ship escaping destruction. The Navy also emerged from the fleet action of the Battle of Jutland having destroyed more ships than it lost, although the strategic value of both of these encounters

8528-628: The Battle of the Atlantic by attacking British merchant shipping lanes. The operation was a tactical victory . It came to a close in March 1941, when the ships docked in German-occupied France after sailing some 18,000 miles, a record for a German battle group at the time. In May 1941, Lütjens commanded a German task force, consisting of the battleship Bismarck and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen , during Operation Rheinübung . In

Günther Lütjens - Misplaced Pages Continue

8736-701: The Berthold - Gymnasium with his diploma ( Abitur ) aged 17. He entered the Imperial German Navy ( Kaiserliche Marine ) as a Seekadett (Cadett) on 3 April 1907 at the German Imperial Naval Academy in Kiel , where he received his initial infantry training. He spent his initial year on Freya (9 May 1907 – 1 April 1908) for his practical training on board and his first world cruise, before attending an officers course at

8944-670: The Bismarck . 3. On the radio frequency used by the U-boats, the Admiral commanding the fleet would be kept constantly informed of the dispositions of the boats and the intentions of the U-boat Command. Raeder was anxious to begin the operation during the new moon on 26 April. His wishes were frustrated by a series of mishaps. Prinz Eugen was repeatedly delayed from becoming fully operational. Royal Air Force (RAF) bombing,

9152-652: The Bundesliga in the 2024–2025 season for the first time in the club's history. The University of Kiel (German: Christian-Albrechts-Universität) was founded by Duke Christian Albrecht in 1665. It is the only full university of Schleswig-Holstein, with about 27.000 students. Partly linked to the University Kiel are other independent research facilities such as the German National Library of Economics – Leibniz Informationcenter for Economy,

9360-471: The Cape Verde Islands . On 5 March he attempted to dispatch his aircraft to find enemy shipping but found it four hours later, the machine having run out of fuel. Lütjens' persistence paid off. At 23:00 on 5 March, he received a wireless message from Germany informing him U-124 had spotted two large ships close to their position. The Arado had flown over the submarine, which had been alerted to

9568-574: The Danish border. The capital of the county (later duchy) of Holstein , Kiel was a member of the Hanseatic League from 1284 until it was expelled in 1518 for harbouring pirates . The Kieler Umschlag ( trade fair ), first held in 1431, became the central market for goods and money in the Duchy of Holstein. It began to decline c.  1850 and ceased in 1900. The University of Kiel

9776-493: The Denmark Strait . On 30 January Lütjens decided to refuel from the tanker Thorn off Jan Mayen island before attempting this breakout route. After refueling, Lütjens sailed, and on 4 February, slipped into the Atlantic. Fortunately for Lütjens, Tovey dismissed the sighting by Naiad as an illusion , and returned to port. Lütjens now had the operational initiative. He had a choice of two potential killing-grounds. To

9984-702: The Flemish coast, he led raids against Dunkirk on 23 March 1917. He was in combat with four British torpedo boats on 2 May 1917 and led five of his boats in actions against four French destroyers on 19 May 1917. For his service in World War I, he received the Knight's Cross of the House Order of Hohenzollern with Swords and the Iron Cross (1914) 2nd and 1st Class, among other decorations and awards. After

10192-444: The German Imperial Naval Academy in Kiel . His comrades nicknamed him "Pee Ontgens" after a character from the book Das Meer (The Sea) by Bernhard Kellermann , which was one of his favourite books. Lütjens graduated 20th of 160 cadets from his "Crew 1907" (the incoming class of 1907), and was thereafter promoted to Fähnrich zur See (Midshipman) on 21 April 1908. Starting on 1 April 1909, he underwent naval artillery training at

10400-622: The German Revolution in late 1918. Just before the end of the First World War, the German fleet stationed at Kiel was ordered to sail out for a last great battle with the Royal Navy . The sailors, who thought of it as a suicide mission which would have no effect on the outcome of the war, decided they had nothing to lose and refused to obey orders. They took over Kiel and then spread out to other north German ports, sparking

10608-483: The Humber Estuary undetected and departed unseen. Within days shipping losses began occurring among British transports in the area. Lütjens did not repeat the operation. He was promoted to Vizeadmiral on 1 January 1940 and moved with his staff to the cruiser Nürnberg . In April 1940, during the invasion of Denmark and Norway ( Operation Weserübung ), he served as Vizeadmiral (vice admiral), commanding

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10816-698: The Kiel Canal was commenced in June 1887, which connected the North Sea with the Baltic through the Jutland peninsula, allowing German ships to travel between the two seas avoiding waters controlled by other countries. This shortened the journey for commercial ships, but specifically united the two areas principally of concern to the German navy, at a cost of 150 million marks. Later, the protection of German maritime trade routes became important. This soon involved

11024-931: The Kiel Institute for the World Economy , the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel and the research institute of the Bundeswehr for water sound and geophysics. Besides these there are other educational institutions such as the Fachhochschule Kiel (founded in 1969) and the Muthesius School of Arts (founded in 1907). The projects Murmann School of Global Management and Economics and Multimedia Campus Kiel were ultimately unsuccessful. The Wirtschaftsakademie Schleswig-Holstein offers besides advanced training at

11232-554: The Kiel Week (Kieler Woche) in German and The Kiel Regatta in English. The Kieler Umschlag is another festival, which has been taking place again since 1975. Kiel is also home to a large service sector and a number of research institutions including the University of Kiel , which is the oldest, largest, and most prestigious university in the state. Kiel has an oceanic climate ( Köppen : Cfb ; Trewartha : Dolk ). Located on

11440-424: The König class were completed between August and November 1914, and two Bayern -class battleships entered service in 1916. The battlecruisers Derfflinger , Lützow , and Hindenburg were completed in September 1914, March 1916, and May 1917, respectively. All but the latest pre-Dreadnoughts were soon decommissioned, so that their crews could be transferred to more useful vessels. The main fighting forces of

11648-497: The Moltke design, reaching a maximum speed of 29 knots. All cruisers were equipped with turbine engines from 1908 onwards. Between 1910 and 1912 four Magdeburg -class light cruisers were constructed of 4,600 tons, at around 7.4 million marks each. The ships were fitted with oil burners to improve the effectiveness of their main coal fueling. These were followed by the similar but slightly enlarged and marginally faster Karlsruhe and Graudenz -class light cruisers. In 1907

11856-401: The Nazi Party , under the leadership of Adolf Hitler , came to power in Germany, and began to rearm the navy. In 1935, the Reichsmarine was renamed the Kriegsmarine . On 16 September 1933, Lütjens received command of Karlsruhe and sailed around the world for good will visits. Burkard Freiherr von Müllenheim-Rechberg , the most senior officer to survive Bismarck ' s last battle,

12064-473: The North Sea . In April 1940, now a Vizeadmiral (vice admiral), he was given temporary command of the entire German surface fleet during the initial landing phase of Operation Weserübung , the invasions of Denmark and Norway. In the aftermath of the campaign he was appointed the fleet commander of the German Navy and promoted to Admiral on 1 September 1940. In January 1941, Lütjens planned and executed Operation Berlin , an Atlantic raid to support U-boats in

12272-570: The Second Schleswig War in 1864, Kiel and the rest of the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein were conquered by a German Confederation alliance of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia . After the war, Kiel was briefly administered by both the Austrians and the Prussians, but the Austro-Prussian War in 1866 led to the formation of the Province of Schleswig-Holstein and the annexation of Kiel by Prussia in 1867. On 24 March 1865 King William I based Prussia's Baltic Sea fleet in Kiel instead of Danzig (Gdańsk) . The Imperial shipyard Kiel

12480-428: The Strait of Dover to the British. Raeder agreed but the plan was rubbished by technical experts who argued the old ships were too prone to capsizing and their stationary posture was too vulnerable and their armament too weak to do the job effectively. Lütjens continued planning preparations as the Battle of Britain raged. By September - Lütjens was promoted to Admiral on 1 September - he had completed plans to land

12688-438: The Treaty of Versailles , which was signed on 28 June 1919, the German Navy was downsized to 15,000 men, including 1,500 officers, while the German Imperial Navy was renamed the Reichsmarine in the era of the Weimar Republic . On 15 September 1919 his posting with the Sea Transportation Agency ended and he was posted to the Coastal Defence Department III and later IV in Cuxhaven-Lehe as a company leader. As of 1 January 1921 he

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12896-448: The aircraft carrier Glorious and her escorting destroyers Acasta and Ardent . During the battle Scharnhorst was heavily damaged by a torpedo. Marschall was dismissed by Raeder because the Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine deemed the episode unacceptable. Raeder viewed the sinkings as "target practice" and the damage to Scharnhorst , and consequently Gneisenau , offset this victory in his view. Ten days later Lütjens

13104-487: The 400-year celebration of Peru. Karlsruhe returned to Kiel on 15 June 1935, travelling through the Panama Canal to Houston , Charlestown and Vigo, Spain . Lütjens first met Karl Dönitz , future Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine in Vigo in June 1935. At that point, Dönitz had been entrusted with the rebuilding of the U-boat Arm but had spent the summer at sea commanding Emden . After arriving at port, he met with Raeder. Raeder informed Dönitz that: Lütjens

13312-437: The Arado pilot reported to have found it and claimed to have destroyed the aerial, but took damage from return fire. Its position now known, the German ships closed in and sank Harlesden at 23:00. The day's haul amounted to around 25,000 tons. On a negative note, the chase and action occurred at long range and the expenditure of ammunition was expensive. Lütjens used his radio for the first time since 8 February and commanded

13520-399: The Atlantic as "beyond reproach. He invariably judged the situation accurately and he met with deserved success." Raeder's glowing endorsement was likely caused by Lütjens' rigid adherence to his commander-in-chief's instructions. The Seekriegsleitung was more critical. It acknowledged the restrictions placed upon Lütjens but thought Lütjens could have asked for greater freedom of action after

13728-449: The Baltic Sea coast, the temperature fluctuates less than inland, with warm winters and cool summers throughout the year. The average temperature ranges from 2 °C (36 °F) in winter to 17 °C (63 °F) in summer. Days with a temperature above 30 °C (86 °F) are rare, with an average of only 2.8 days per year. The Kiel weather station has recorded the following extreme values: Kiel has about 40 districts, but there

13936-404: The Baltic Sea. Kiel's recorded history began in the 13th century. Before then, in the eighth century, it was a Danish village. Until 1864 it was administered by Denmark in personal union . In 1866 the city was annexed by Prussia and in 1871 it became part of Germany. Kiel was one of the founding cities of the original European Green Capital Award in 2006. In 2005 Kiel's GDP per capita

14144-401: The Baltic to the North Sea , with its other end in Brunsbüttel . Most of Kiel is part of Holstein . The boroughs north of the Schwentine also belong to Wagria , while those north of the Kiel Canal are historically part of Southern Schleswig . Kiel is one of Germany's major maritime centres, known for a variety of international sailing events, including the annual Kiel Week , which is

14352-432: The Berufsakademie dual study courses for economists, business information specialists and industrial engineers. Noteworthy as departmental research institute is the federal institute for dairy research which was merged into the Max-Rubner-Institut together with other institutions in 2004. The state capital Kiel is a corporative sponsoring member of the Max Planck Society . The ARGE-SH , the oldest research institution of

14560-422: The British battleship, so that Gneisenau could sink the merchant vessels. Lütjens, however, did not understand Hoffmann's intentions which the Scharnhorst captain was not able to communicate in detail in such short-order. A heated radio conversation followed in which Lütjens accused him of disobeying orders because he did not turn away immediately. The enemy ship did not leave the convoy and now Lütjens complained

14768-403: The British would be alerted to their position and as a consequence, successful attacks would now be more difficult to execute. In fact, Lütjens' fears were unfounded and luck was once again on his side. The British had sighted only one German ship. Since Hipper was known to be at sea, it was assumed she was the German vessel lurking around the convoy. Tovey's dismissal of the Naiad report masked

14976-549: The British. This all contributed to growing opposition in the Reichstag to any further expansion, particularly when it was clear that Britain intended to match and exceed any German expansion program. In the fleet itself, complaints were beginning to be made in 1908 about underfunding and shortages of crews for the new ships. The State Secretary of the Treasury, Hermann von Stengel , resigned because he could see no way to resolve

15184-634: The German destroyers Z11 Bernd von Arnim and Z18 Hans Lüdemann to search for a man that had been washed over board. In the heavy fog they ran into HMS  Glowworm . Glowworm outmatched the lighter German vessels and they disengaged and called for help. Lütjens ordered Hipper to assist. The heavy cruiser sank the Glowworm , but not before the British ship had rammed her larger assailant and caused her considerable damage. When Lütjens stepped ashore at Wilhelmshaven, his decision to abandon Bonte's destroyer group at Narvik weighed heavily on his mind. In

15392-580: The German fleet to a strength where it could contemplate challenging France or Russia, but would remain clearly inferior to the world's largest fleet, the Royal Navy. Following the Boxer Rebellion in China and the Boer War , a second navy bill was passed on 14 June 1900. This approximately doubled the allocated number of ships to 38 battleships, 20 armoured cruisers, 38 light cruisers. Significantly,

15600-472: The German navy declined to take up the cause of another experiment, the submarine, until 1904. The first submarine, U-1 was delivered in December 1906, built by Krupp's Germania yard in Kiel. The first submarine had 238 ton displacement on the surface and 283 tons submerged. The kerosene engine developed 10 knots on the surface with a range of 1,500 nautical miles (2,800 km; 1,700 mi). Submerged,

15808-460: The German navy. He authorised Ruge to organise the landings. The Advanced Detachments ( Vorausabteilungen ) were to storm the beach in battalion -strength. The following craft would clear mines allowing for artillery coasters and tugs carrying the Panzer units to follow unhindered. The smaller motor boats would unload engineers to clear obstacles and act as shuttle boats between the larger vessels and

16016-427: The German ships' presence. Tovey still believed they were still in German ports. The disagreement did not adversely damage the two men's good relations. The ships rendezvoused between Iceland and Canada with the tankers Esso Hamburg and Schlettstadt on 15 February. On 22 February, after seven days of fruitless searching some 500 nautical miles east of Newfoundland , German radar picked up five cargo-empty ships from

16224-425: The German vessels without incurring major battle damage. He viewed his operation as a success. Lütjens nearly changed his mind during the battle, believing a pitched fight may bring relief to the German destroyer force at Narvik—a force which he had effectively been forced to abandon in the face of enemy sea superiority. But the prospect of running into HMS  Rodney , now known by German naval intelligence to be in

16432-514: The German warships of convoy HX 106 which sailed from Halifax , Nova Scotia on 31 January. Lütjens planned a pincer movement converging from the north and south. The convoy was escorted by Ramillies armed with eight 15-inch guns. When the battleship was sighted Lütjens strictly followed the Seekriegsleitung ' s directive not to engage enemy capital ships. Kurt-Caesar Hoffmann , captain of Scharnhorst , attempted to draw off

16640-463: The Germans turned away to meet with their supply ships, narrowly avoiding a battle with Malaya . On the way the Greek ship Marathon (7,926 tons  gross register tons  (GRT)) was sunk. It was carrying coal to Alexandria . On 11 March he received a message from Group West. Admiral Scheer and Hipper were to operate in the north, and German intelligence were alerted to the possibility of

16848-572: The Howaldt engine could not be developed in time. Luitpold had a top speed of 20 knots as a result, compared to 22 knots for the other ships. The ships were larger than the preceding class at 24,700 tons, but cheaper at 45 million marks. They formed part of the third squadron of the High Seas Fleet as it was constituted for World War I. Between 1908 and 1912 two Moltke -class battlecruisers were constructed, adding an extra turret on

17056-539: The I. Torpedodivision, before attending a minesweeping course on 2 January 1915. After completion of this course, he was sent back again to the I. Torpdedivsion, where he took command of the training torpedo boat T-21 on 16 January. He served in this position until 14 March 1915, when he was posted back to the I. Torpedodivsion. On 5 May, he was transferred to the Torpedo-Boat-Flotilla "Flandern", serving as commander of torpedo boats A-5 and A-20 . He

17264-535: The I. Torpedodivision, before becoming a watch officer on G-172 of the 2nd Torpedo-Boat-Demi-Flotilla on 15 March 1914. Shortly after the outbreak of World War I , Lütjens was transferred to the Harbour Flotilla of the Jade Bight on 1 August 1914, followed shortly by his first command: torpedo boat T-68 of the 6th Torpedo-Boat-Demi-Flotilla on 4 September 1914. On 7 December 1914, he returned to

17472-557: The Iron Cross ( Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes ) on 14 June 1940. Scharnhorst had been forced to make for Trondheim in the aftermath of the action for emergency repairs. Flying his flag in Gneisenau , Lütjens took command of his first voyage as Flottenchef aboard a capital ship. On 20 June 1940 he sailed in company with Admiral Hipper , toward the North Sea in the hope of diverting attention from Scharnhorst while it made

17680-582: The Kaiser's intentions been widely known. Instead, he proceeded with a plan to expand the navy slowly, justifying enlargement step by step. In July 1888 Wilhelm II appointed Vice-Admiral Alexander von Monts as head of the admiralty. Monts oversaw the design of the Brandenburg -class battleship, four of which were constructed by 1894 at a cost of 16 million marks each and displacement of 10,000 tons. In 1889 Wilhelm II reorganised top level control of

17888-554: The Kiel Regatta, is the largest sailing event in the world and takes place every year in the last full week in June. Many thousands of boats and ships of all kinds and eras take part in the parade. Kiel Week is also a festival, Volksfest and fair as well as a maritime event. There are a number of yachting and sailing clubs in picturesque settings. Kiel also features a number of museums, including zoological, geological, historical, fine art, industrial and military museums. Notable

18096-426: The Kiel canal, all of which would be enormously expensive. Estimated cost for new dreadnoughts was placed at 36.5 million marks for 19,000 tons displacement ships (larger than Dreadnought at 17,900 tons), and 27.5 million marks for battle-cruisers. 60 million mark was allocated for dredging the canal. The Reichstag was persuaded to agree to the program and passed a Novelle (a supplementary law) amending

18304-563: The Mayor. The results of the city council election on 6 May 2018 were as follows: There are a number of sports venues in Kiel, most notably the Wunderino Arena (formerly known as Baltic Sea Hall or Ostseehalle ), which is the home ground of one of the most successful team handball clubs in the world and multiple German champion, THW Kiel . Holstein Kiel , an association football club, which plays at Holstein-Stadion , will play in

18512-532: The Naval Artillery School in Kiel-Wik and then participated in a torpedo course on board Württemberg on 1 July 1909. Lütjens then attended another infantry course with the 2nd Sea-Battalion before boarding Elsass on 1 October 1909. After receiving his commission as Leutnant zur See (Ensign) on 28 September 1910, he served on board König Wilhelm (26 September 1910 – 1 April 1911),

18720-622: The Naval Defence Act of 1889, was to maintain a navy superior to Britain's two largest rivals combined. The British Admiralty estimated that the German navy would be the world's second largest by 1906. Major reforms of the Royal Navy were undertaken, particularly by Fisher as First Sea Lord from 1904 to 1909. 154 older ships, including 17 battleships, were scrapped to make way for newer vessels. Reforms in training and gunnery were introduced to make good perceived deficiencies, which in part Tirpitz had counted upon to provide his ships with

18928-538: The Norwegian tanker Bianca (5,688 GRT), the Polykarb (6,500 GRT) and British San Casimiro (8,000 GRT). He managed to capture the ships and his prize crews were ordered to Bordeaux . Only Polykarb made it. The others were scuttled by their German crews when approached by HMS Renown . Three more were sunk by the German battleships. Supply ships Uckermark and Ermland signalled they had sighted another convoy. They acted as shepherds as they rushed at

19136-604: The Polish ships Gryf and Wicher in Gdynia harbour. Lütjens attacked from a range of 14,000 yards south-east of the harbour. The Poles replied effectively and forced the German destroyers to make evasive manoeuvres and to lay a smoke screen to throw off the aim of the Polish gunners. Leberecht Maass was hit in the superstructure by a 152-millimeter (6.0 in) shell from the coast defence battery at Hel that killed four crewmen and wounded another four men. Lütjens ordered

19344-459: The Royal Navy had done against the Danish navy in 1801 and 1807." Tirpitz argued that if the fleet could achieve two-thirds the number of capital ships possessed by Britain then it stood a chance of winning in a conflict. Britain had to maintain a fleet throughout the world and consider other naval powers, whereas the German fleet could be concentrated in German waters. Attempts were made to play down

19552-612: The V-25 to V-30 craft constructed by AG Vulcan in Kiel before 1914. In 1912 Germany created a Mediterranean squadron consisting of the battlecruiser Goeben and light cruiser Breslau . Naval trials of balloons began in 1891, but the results were unsatisfactory and none were purchased by the navy. In 1895 Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin attempted to interest both the army and navy in his new rigid airships , but without success. The Zeppelin rigids were considered too slow and there were concerns with their reliability operating over water. In 1909

19760-536: The action broken off 40 minutes later as the German fire was ineffective. Lütjens ordered the group to Pillau to refuel and the Leberecht Maas sailed to Swinemünde for repairs. On 17 October 1939 Lütjens led a raiding sortie into the North Sea . On board his flagship Z21 Wilhelm Heidkamp , he led six destroyers laden with naval mines. His own ship did not carry any mines and acted as cover. They reached

19968-501: The arms race by expanding the capabilities of its new battleships. The five 1912 Queen Elizabeth class of 32,000 tons would have 15 in (380 mm) guns and would be completely oil-fuelled, allowing a speed of 25 knots. For 1912–13 Germany concentrated on battlecruisers, with three Derfflinger -class ships of 27,000 tons and 26–27 knots maximum speed, costing 56–59 million marks each. These had four turrets mounting two 30.5 cm guns arranged in two turrets either end, with

20176-410: The army. Either an enormous sum now had to be found to develop the navy further, or naval expansion had to be abandoned. The decision to continue was taken by Tirpitz in September 1905 and agreed by Chancellor Bernhard von Bülow and the Kaiser, while Dreadnought was still at the planning stage. The larger ships would naturally be more expensive, but also would require enlargement of harbours, locks and

20384-422: The battleship total to 45, a target which rose to 48 by 1909. Tirpitz's ultimate goal was a fleet capable of rivaling the Royal Navy . As British public opinion was turned against Germany, Admiral Sir John Fisher twice – in 1904 and 1908 – proposed using Britain's current naval superiority to ' Copenhagen ' the German fleet, that is, to launch pre-emptive strikes against the Kiel and Wilhelmshaven naval bases as

20592-495: The beach. They would rush to and fro delivering army units to land in order to expand the beachhead and allow the flotilla to land its full complement. Lütjens recommended using the old battleships Schlesien and Schleswig-Holstein as fire support to protect the crossing. Lütjens favoured beaching the ships on the Varne Bank to act as a gun-fire platform. He thought they could best act as strong points to deny passage through

20800-616: The biggest sailing event in the world. Kiel is also known for the Kiel Mutiny , when sailors refused orders to prepare to engage the British Navy in the last weeks of World War I , sparking the German Revolution , which led to the abdication of the Kaiser and the formation of the Weimar Republic . The Olympic sailing competitions of the 1936 and the 1972 Summer Olympics were held in the Bay of Kiel . Kiel has also been one of

21008-413: The bill set no overall cost limit for the building program. Expenditure for the navy was too great to be met from taxation: the Reichstag had limited powers to extend taxation without entering into negotiations with the constituent German states, and this was considered politically unviable. Instead, the bill was financed by massive loans. Tirpitz, in 1899 was already exploring the possibilities for extending

21216-531: The budget deficit. The elections of 1907 had returned a Reichstag more favourable to military exploits, following the refusal of the previous parliament to grant funds to suppress uprisings in colonies in German South-West Africa . Despite the difficulties, Tirpitz persuaded the Reichstag to pass a further Novelle in March 1908. This reduced the service life for ships from 25 years to 20 years, allowing for faster modernisation, and increased

21424-476: The building rate to four capital ships per year. Tirpitz's target was a fleet of 16 battleships and 5 battlecruisers by 1914, and 38 battleships and 20 battlecruisers by 1920. There were also to be 38 light cruisers, and 144 torpedo boats. The bill contained a restriction, that building would fall to two ships per year in 1912, but Tirpitz was confident of changing this at a later date. He anticipated that German industry, now heavily involved in shipbuilding, would back

21632-400: The calibre of the large guns, while ships were increasingly divided internally into watertight compartments to make them more resistant to flooding when damaged. The design was hampered by the necessity to use reciprocating engines instead of the smaller turbines, since no sufficiently powerful design was available and acceptable to the German navy. Turrets could not be placed above the centre of

21840-521: The centre line astern, raised above the aft turret, but still using 28 cm guns. SMS  Moltke became part of the High Seas Fleet, but SMS  Goeben became part of the Mediterranean squadron and spent World War I as part of the Ottoman navy . The ships cost 42.6 and 41.6 million marks, with maximum speed of 28 knots. Seydlitz was constructed as a slightly enlarged version of

22048-589: The city council is formed by the Greens and the SPD, who have a current cooperation agreement from 2023 to 2028. The current mayor of Kiel is Ulf Kämpfer of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). Kämpfer has stated that he will not run for a third five year term. His current term ends in 2026. The results of the 29 October 2019 election were as follows.: The Kiel city council governs the city alongside

22256-466: The disadvantage of the turret layout. The ships were now equipped with 50 cm (20 in) torpedoes. The Kaiser -class battleships built between 1909 and 1913 introduced a change in design as turbine engines were finally approved. The ships had ten 30.5 cm guns, losing two of the centre side turrets but gaining an additional turret astern on the centre line. As with the Von der Tann design, which

22464-579: The distant cover forces in the North Sea—which consisted of Scharnhorst and Gneisenau . His superior, Vizeadmiral Wilhelm Marschall , had fallen ill just before the operation, so he assumed command of the Narvik and Trondheim landings. Lütjens was to lead Scharnhorst and Gneisenau , with his flag in the latter, on escort operation for a force of 10 destroyers commanded by Führer der Zerstörer (Leader of Destroyers) Friedrich Bonte . The fleet

22672-458: The earlier Gazelle class . The ships had ten 10.5 centimetres (4.1 in) guns and were named after German towns. SMS  Lübeck was the first German cruiser to be fitted with turbine engines , which were also trialled in torpedo boat S-125 . Turbines were faster, quieter, lighter, more reliable and more fuel efficient at high speeds. The first British experimental design (the destroyer HMS  Velox ) had been constructed in 1901 and as

22880-425: The encounter with Ramillies . The staff officers believed Hoffman's tactical assessment of the situation had been correct. Plans were then made for Lütjens to command Operation Rheinübung , taking all four modern German battleships and battlecruisers— Bismarck , Tirpitz , Scharnhorst and Gneisenau —on a raid into the Atlantic. For various reasons, Tirpitz and the two battlecruisers could not be made ready for

23088-639: The enemy. Imperial German Navy The Imperial German Navy or the Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy) was the navy of the German Empire , which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy ), which was mainly for coast defence. Kaiser Wilhelm II greatly expanded the navy. The key leader was Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz , who greatly expanded

23296-510: The entire German 16th Army under Ernst Busch between Deal and Hastings —the site of the last successful invasion of England in 1066 —and the German 9th Army between Hastings and Worthing to the west. Lütjens' opinion on the chances of success are not known. The battles in Norway had left him without any major capital ship. In the event, Lütjens was never tested. The air battle over Britain

23504-439: The fight had he done so. His Commander-in-Chief, Raeder, endorsed his actions which would have placed him against a clear eastern horizon as opposed to an enemy that was positioned against a darkened western horizon. Action at that time would have given the enemy a clearer silhouette to aim at while obscuring the British ships somewhat. Moreover, if either German ship had been immobilised by Renown they would have been vulnerable to

23712-530: The first Navy Bill was passed by the Reichstag . It authorised the maintenance of a fleet of 19 battleships, 8 armoured cruisers, 12 large cruisers and 30 light cruisers to be constructed by 1 April 1904. Existing ships were counted in the total, but the bill provided for ships to be replaced every 25 years on an indefinite basis. Five million marks annually was allocated to run the navy, with a total budget of 408 million marks for shipbuilding. This would bring

23920-501: The fleet to move battleships from the Mediterranean to Channel waters. A policy was introduced of promoting British naval officers by merit and ability rather than time served, which saw rapid promotions for Jellicoe and Beatty , both of whom had important roles in the forthcoming World War I. By 1913 the French and British had plans in place for joint naval action against Germany, and France moved its Atlantic fleet from Brest to Toulon , replacing British ships. Britain also escalated

24128-407: The fleet was subordinated to officers commanding those elements, accountable to the Kaiser. The reorganisations suited the Kaiser who wanted to maintain direct control of his ships. A disadvantage was that it split apart the integrated military command structure which before had balanced the importance of the navy within overall defence considerations. It suited Alfred von Tirpitz, because it removed

24336-655: The fleet were less than impressive; out of four taking part one crashed, one was unable to take off and only one succeeded in all tasks. The most successful aircraft had been the British design, and indeed experiments in Britain had been proceeding with the support of Winston Churchill, and included converting ferries and liners into seaplane carriers . By the start of the First World War, the German Imperial Navy possessed 22 pre-Dreadnoughts, 14 dreadnought battleships and 4 battle-cruisers. A further three ships of

24544-418: The fleet would have five squadrons of eight battleships, twelve large cruisers and thirty small, plus additional cruisers for overseas duties. Tirpitz intended that with the rolling program of replacements, the existing coastal defence squadron of old ships would become a sixth fleet squadron, while the eight existing battle-cruisers would be joined by eight more as replacements for the large cruisers presently in

24752-444: The fleet. German foreign policy as espoused by Otto von Bismarck had been to deflect the interest of great powers abroad while Germany consolidated her integration and military strength. Now Germany was to compete with the rest. Tirpitz started with a publicity campaign aimed at popularising the navy. He created popular magazines about the navy, arranged for Alfred Thayer Mahan's The Influence of Sea Power upon History , which argued

24960-577: The following assessment of the plan: I met Admiral Lütjens, the Admiral commanding the fleet, in Paris. I knew Lütjens well and held him in high esteem. During the same years we had been in command of the cruisers Karlsruhe and Emden respectively. At the end of our overseas tours of duty we had returned to Germany in company. In the years immediately before the war, while I was senior Officer, submarines, Lütjens had been officer commanding Torpedo Boats. We were often together, both socially and on duty, we held

25168-473: The following years, from 18,770 in 1864 to about 200,000 in 1910. Much of the old town centre and other surroundings were levelled and redeveloped to provide for the growing city. The Kiel tramway network , opened in 1881, had been enlarged to 10 lines, with a total route length of 40 km (25 mi), before the end of the First World War . Kiel was the site of the sailors' mutiny which led to

25376-438: The heavy bomb damage inflicted on the central parts of the city during the Second World War , most of the residential areas were not severely damaged. Hence, Kiel's more modern-style inner city and Kiel's more historic/elaborate residential areas stand in architectural contrast to one another. There are plans for large-scale improvement and building efforts for the inner city, providing better pavements, better access to and view of

25584-501: The hull intended to stop torpedoes, but these reduced maximum speed to an impractical 8 knots and were later removed. Construction began in 1910 of the first submarine powered by twin diesel engines. U-19 was twice the size of the first German submarine, had five times the range at 7,600 nautical miles (14,100 km; 8,700 mi) cruising at 8 knots, or 15 knots maximum. There were now two bow and two stern torpedo tubes, with six torpedoes carried. The ships were designed to operate at

25792-592: The importance of naval forces, to be translated into German and serialised in newspapers, arranged rallies in support and invited politicians and industrialists to naval reviews. Various pressure groups were formed to lobby politicians and spread publicity. One such organisation, the navy league or Flottenverein , was organized by principals in the steel industry ( Alfred Krupp ), ship yards and banks, gaining more than one million members. Political parties were offered concessions, such as taxes on imported grain, in exchange for their support for naval bills. On 10 April 1898

26000-499: The influence of the admiralty staff from naval planning, but left him the possibility, in wartime, to reorganise command around himself. Wilhelm II, however, never agreed to relinquish direct control of his fleet. On 3 December 1906 the Royal Navy received a new battleship, HMS  Dreadnought . She became famous as the first of a new concept in battleship design, using all big gun, single size of calibre armament. She used turbine propulsion for greater speed and less space required by

26208-416: The inner turret superfiring over the outer. SMS  Derfflinger was the first German ship to have anti-aircraft guns fitted. In 1913, Germany responded to the British challenge by laying down two Bayern class battleships. These did not enter service until after the Battle of Jutland, so failed to take part in any major naval action of the war. They had displacement of 28,600 tons, a crew of 1,100 and

26416-587: The intention of doing for the navy what his grandfather Wilhelm I had done for the army. The creation of a maritime empire to rival the British and French empires became an ambition to mark Germany as a truly global great power . Wilhelm became Grand Admiral of the German Navy, but also was awarded honorific titles from all over Europe, becoming admiral in the British, Russian, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Austro-Hungarian and Greek navies. On one occasion he wore

26624-426: The machinery, and guns arranged so that three times as many could be brought to bear when firing ahead, and twice as many when firing broadside. The design was not a uniquely British concept as similar ships were being built around the world, nor was it uniquely intended as a counter to German naval expansion, but the effect was to immediately require Germany to reconsider its naval building program. The battleship design

26832-549: The main task of the new Imperial Navy was coastal protection, with France and Russia seen as Germany's most likely future enemies. The Imperial Navy's tasks were then to prevent any invasion force from landing and to protect coastal towns from possible bombardment. In March 1872 a German Imperial Naval Academy was created at Kiel for training officers, followed in May by the creation of a 'Machine Engineer Corps', and in February 1873

27040-712: The most notable companies having branches or their headquarters in Kiel are: Ferry operators Military contractors Engineering and industrial machinery Others Kiel is also home to several insurances and banks, most notably the HSH Nordbank , Provinzial NordWest , Förde Sparkasse , Kieler Volksbank eG and Evangelischen Bank eG . There is also an active startup scene in Kiel with startup accelerator StarterKitchen and startups like SciEngines GmbH , Real-Eyes, myBoo, SealMedia, Cliplister, Druckpreis.DE, promotionbasis.de, Yoosello, GetAnEdge, Flowy Apps, fraguru, lokalportal, PianoMotion and ubique art. Kiel

27248-416: The navy bills and allocating 940 million marks for a dreadnought program and the necessary infrastructure. Two dreadnoughts and one battlecruiser were to be built each year. Construction of four Nassau -class battleships began in 1907 under the greatest possible secrecy. The chief German naval designer was Hans Bürkner. A principle was introduced that the thickness of side armour on a ship would equal

27456-559: The navy by creating a Navy Cabinet ( Marine-Kabinett ) equivalent to the German Imperial Military Cabinet which had previously functioned in the same capacity for both the army and navy. The Head of the navy cabinet was responsible for promotions, appointments, administration and issuing orders to naval forces. Captain Gustav von Senden-Bibran was appointed as its first head and remained so until 1906, when he

27664-501: The navy rejected proposals for aircraft to be launched from ships, and again in 1910 declined Zeppelin's airships. Finally in 1911, trials with aircraft began and in 1912 Tirpitz agreed to purchase the first airship for naval reconnaissance at a cost of 850,000 marks. The machine had insufficient range (1,440 km (890 mi)) to operate over Britain, but had machine guns for use against aircraft and experimental 80 kg (180 lb) bombs. The following year ten more were ordered and

27872-580: The navy was remodelled again and renamed the Kriegsmarine . Lütjens soon became acquainted with Erich Raeder and Karl Dönitz , the two commanders-in-chief of the Kriegsmarine in World War II. His capability and friendship led to rapid promotions and a command of the cruiser Karlsruhe . By 1937, he had risen to the rank of Konteradmiral (rear admiral). During the 1939 German invasion of Poland , Lütjens commanded destroyer operations in

28080-524: The navy were to become the High Seas Fleet and the U-boat fleet. Smaller fleets were deployed to the German overseas protectorates, the most prominent being assigned to the East Asia Squadron at Qingdao . Kiel Kiel ( / k iː l / KEEL , German: [kiːl] ) is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein . With

28288-650: The navy, demanded an increase of 136,000 men to bring its size closer to that of France. In February 1912 the British war minister, Viscount Haldane , came to Berlin to discuss possible limits to naval expansion. Meanwhile, in Britain, the First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill made a speech describing the German navy as a 'luxury', which was considered an insult when reported in Germany. The talks came to nothing, ending in recriminations over who had offered what. Bethmann Hollweg argued for

28496-509: The north lay the HX and SC convoys which sailed between Britain and Canada . To the south the SL and OG convoys which operated between Britain, Gibraltar and Freetown . He decided to opt for operations in the north. He used Admiral Hipper , at that moment also loose in the Atlantic, to create a diversion by ordering her to the south. In retrospect it was an error of judgment. Lütjens' orders were to avoid combat on equal terms. He had not realised—and

28704-489: The operation, so it proceeded with only Bismarck and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen , under the command of Helmuth Brinkmann . The preparation and operational directives had been prepared by Marinegruppenkommando West , under the command of Generaladmiral Saalwächter and Marinegruppenkommando Ost , under the command of Generaladmiral Rolf Carls . On 8 April 1941, Lütjens met with Admiral Dönitz in Paris . Dönitz made

28912-465: The outbreak of World War I, one billion marks had been added to Germany's national debt because of naval expenditures. While each German ship was more expensive than the last, the British managed to reduce the cost of the succeeding generations of Bellerophon (3 ships) and St. Vincent (3) battleships. Successive British battlecruisers were more expensive, but less so than their German equivalents. Overall, German ships were some 30% more expensive than

29120-399: The overseas squadrons. The plan envisaged a main fleet of 100,000 men, 49 battleships and 28 battlecruisers by 1920. The Kaiser commented of the British, "... we have them up against the wall." Although Tirpitz had succeeded in getting more ships, the proportion of military expenditure on the navy declined in 1912 and thereafter, from 35% in 1911 to 33% in 1912 and 25% in 1913. This reflected

29328-446: The perceived threat to Britain, but once the German fleet reached the position of equalling the other second-rank navies, it became impossible to avoid mention of the one great fleet it was intended to challenge. Tirpitz hoped that other second-rank powers might ally with Germany, attracted by its navy. The policy of commencing what amounted to a naval arms race did not properly consider how Britain might respond. British policy, stated in

29536-645: The perilous trek from Norway to Germany. The operation succeeded, but Gneisenau was torpedoed by the submarine HMS  Clyde and severely damaged. In July 1940 Hitler ordered the preparation for Operation Sea Lion , the invasion of the United Kingdom after the victory in France . While the Luftwaffe engaged the Royal Air Force (RAF) in what became known as the Battle of Britain to clear

29744-407: The port area during the period 20 February – 20 April 1945 which successfully eliminated many U-boats , and the few large warships (cruisers Hipper , Scheer , and Köln ) still afloat at that time. It and its port, and the canal were seized by a British T-Force led by Major Tony Hibbert on 5 May 1945. Like other heavily bombed German cities, the city was rebuilt after the war. In 1946, Kiel

29952-400: The possibility German commerce raiders might be in the area. On 7 March, the convoy SL-67, escorted by the battleship HMS  Malaya , was sighted. Once again, Lütjens obeyed his orders and not his instinct. He withdrew, but shadowed the convoy, directing U-124 and U-105 onto the enemy. The former sank four and the latter one ship. Lütjens ran into the convoy again as darkness fell, but

30160-480: The remaining old town, 72% of the central residential areas, and 83% of the industrial areas. During the RAF bombing of 23/24 July 1944, Luftwaffe fighters tried to intercept the spoof (i.e. decoy) force instead of the main force attacking Kiel, and there was no water for three days; trains and buses did not run for eight days and there was no gas available for cooking for three weeks. There were several bombing raids of

30368-714: The republic of Germany, has its headquarters in Kiel. There are twelve gymnasiums in Kiel, of which the Kieler Gelehrtenschule, founded in 1320 as a humanistic gymnasium, is the oldest. Other secondary schools include the Gymnasium Elmschenhagen and the Max-Planck-Schule with a focus on natural sciences. There are many comprehensive schools – partially with secondary schools – all over the city area, as well as private schools. BZ am NOK (Berufsbildungszentrum am Nord-Ostsee-Kanal)is

30576-571: The revolution which led to the abolition of the monarchy and the creation of the Weimar Republic . During the Second World War , Kiel remained one of the major naval bases and shipbuilding centres of the German Reich. There was also a slave labour camp for the local industry. Owing to its status as a naval port and production site for submarines, Kiel was heavily bombed by the Allies during this period. The bombing destroyed more than 80% of

30784-482: The same views on naval matters and saw eye to eye in most things. At our conference in Paris we defined the support to be given to the Bismarck by U-boats in the following terms: 1. The U-boats would carry on as usual in their normal positions 2. If while the surface ships were at sea any opportunity arose for joint action with U-boats, every effort should be made to exploit it to the full. For this purpose an experienced U-boat Officer would be appointed for duty to

30992-455: The sea. In the 1950s Kiel, with its marine port, attracted members of the navy. Kiel had its highest peak of population in 1973 at 273,000. The population declined since then. Many people moved away from this city and Kiel became very poor and had a big problems with unemployed people at that time. Kiel is now a city with universities and active marine stations which attracts many young students and marines to Kiel. The current governing faction in

31200-453: The setting up of some overseas supply stations, so called Auswärtige Stationen (foreign stations) and in the 1880s the Imperial Navy played a part in helping to secure the establishment of German colonies and protectorates in Africa, Asia and Oceania. In June 1888 Wilhelm II became Emperor after the death of his father Frederick III , who ruled for only 99 days. He started his reign with

31408-641: The ship and instead had to be placed at the side, meaning two of the six turrets would always be on the wrong side of the ship when firing broadsides. Main armament was twelve 28 cm guns. The ships were all completed by 1910, over budget, averaging 37.4 million marks each. In 1910 they were transferred from Kiel to Wilhelmshaven, where two new large docks had been completed and more were under construction. The first German battlecruiser— SMS  Von der Tann —was commenced March 1908. Four Parsons turbines were used, improving speed to 27 knots and reducing weight. Four twin turrets mounted 28 cm guns; although

31616-414: The ship could manage 50 nautical miles at 5 knots using battery electric propulsion. The ships followed a design by Maxime Laubeuf first used successfully in 1897, having a double hull and flotation tanks around the outside of the main crew compartments. The submarine had just one torpedo tube at the front and a total of three torpedoes. The early engines were noisy and smoky, so that a considerable boost to

31824-732: The ship's crew lost their lives when Bismarck was caught and sunk. In the post-war navy of West Germany , the Bundesmarine , the destroyer Lütjens , launched in 1967, was named after him. Johann Günther Lütjens was born in Wiesbaden in Hesse-Nassau , a province of the Kingdom of Prussia , on 25 May 1889. He was the son of Luise (née Volz) and Johannes Lütjens, a merchant. Growing up in Freiburg im Breisgau , he graduated from

32032-411: The ships were twice attacked by RAF Coastal Command bombers without result. The British airmen reported their position and surprise was now gone. Nevertheless, Lütjens remained on schedule and delivered the force to Narvik. On two occasions a sailor was swept overboard but Lütjens' operations officer, Heinrich Gerlach, noted: "No rescue attempts were made. On no account was there to be any interruption of

32240-412: The size and quality of the navy, while adopting the sea power theories of American strategist Alfred Thayer Mahan . The result was a naval arms race with Britain , as the German navy grew to become one of the greatest maritime forces in the world, second only to the Royal Navy . The German surface navy proved ineffective during the First World War ; its only major engagement, the Battle of Jutland ,

32448-414: The skies the German naval command began planning for an assault in southern England. Lütjens, as fleet commander, was responsible for carrying out sea operations based upon the strategies devised by his superior Saalwächter, who commanded Naval Group West. Saalwächter answered to the commander-in-chief, Raeder. Lütjens was to be heavily involved in the planning of the sea landings. The navy wished to land on

32656-589: The startled merchantmen and drove them toward the German battleships. On 15 March Lütjens began his attack. Empire of Industry (formerly German), Mangkai (formerly the German Scheer ), Silverfix , Demerton , Grandi , Royal Crown , Sardinian Prince and the French Myson were sunk. Among the company was Chilean Reefer . Only 1,800 tons, the ship made smoke and returned Gniesenau ' s fire. Believing it possibly disguised as an enemy cruiser, or

32864-535: The strongest state forming part of the new empire. The navy remained the same as that operated by the empire's predecessor organisation in the unification of Germany, the North German Confederation , which itself in 1867 had inherited the navy of the Kingdom of Prussia . Article 53 of the new Empire's constitution recognised the existence of the Navy as an independent organisation, but until 1888 it

33072-478: The supply ships Esso Hamburg and Schlettstadt to meet him near the Azores so he could replenish stocks. On 26 February he unloaded 180 prisoners of war onto the tankers Ermland and Friedrich Breme . In the action of 22 February, only 11 Allied sailors had become casualties. Disappointed with the lack of targets in the north, Lütjens' ships then sailed to the coast of West Africa . On 3 March 1941 they reached

33280-504: The survivors from the Chilean Reefer . After transferring 200 prisoners, he set course for Brest, France. Sighted by an aircraft from HMS  Ark Royal on 20 March, Admiral Lütjens managed to evade British warships, and reached Brest at 07:00 on 22 March. The journey of 17,800 nmi (20,500 mi; 33,000 km) in 59 days was a record for German capital ships. Raeder was pleased with Lütjens. He described his operation in

33488-412: The task of clearing British naval minefields and laying German mine zones to impede the operations of the Royal Navy. Meanwhile, Lütjens scoured the continent for the 1,800 river barges, 500 tugs, 150 steamships and 1,200 motor boats deemed necessary for the operation. Some 24,000 men were seconded from other services and trained as landing craft crewman. Lütjens was handicapped by the lack of firepower in

33696-464: The time schedule." Lütjens' mission then was to draw British units away from Narvik and facilitate the landings there and prevent the Royal Navy from attacking the destroyers and landing craft. During the landing phase, his forces were approached by a Royal Navy task-force led by the battlecruiser HMS  Renown . The British ship engaged at 05:05 and Lütjens was forced to fight an inconclusive battle with Renown . Lütjens succeeded in extracting

33904-504: The torpedo force, taking command of the 3rd Torpedo-Boat-Demi-Flotilla. On 26 September 1925 he became 1st adjutant of the Marinestation der Nordsee . He served in this position until 2 October 1929. Here he was promoted to Korvettenkapitän (Lieutenant Commander) on 1 April 1926. This assignment was interrupted for a posting to the sailing yacht Asta (1–31 August 1926) and again for a short torpedo course for staff officers at

34112-572: The torpedo school in Mürwik (5–9 December 1927). On 21 April 1928 he participated in a training exercise on Schlesien , then under the command of Alfred Saalwächter , which ended on 28 April. From 14 to 18 August 1928 he boarded Schlesien again for a torpedo firing exercise. On 3 October 1929 Lütjens took command as head of the 1st Torpedo-Boat-Flotilla in Swinemünde , present-day Świnoujście, which he commanded until 17 September 1931. This posting

34320-431: The torpedo, which offered the possibility of relatively small ships successfully attacking much larger ones. In October 1887 the first torpedo division was created at Wilhelmshaven and the second torpedo division based at Kiel. In 1887 Caprivi requested the construction of ten armoured frigates. Greater importance was placed at this time on development of the army, which was expected to be more important in any war. However,

34528-540: The traditional homes of the German Navy 's Baltic fleet, and continues to be a major high-tech shipbuilding centre. The University of Kiel , founded in 1665, is home to the GEOMAR – Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel . Kiel is an important sea transport hub, with passenger ferries to Sweden , Norway , Lithuania and other countries. Moreover, today the Port of Kiel is a popular destination for cruise ships touring

34736-595: The two centre turrets were still placed one either side of the ship, they were offset so could now fire either side. The design was considered a success, but the cost at 35.5 million marks was significantly above the 1906 allocation. Light cruiser development continued with the Dresden -class light cruisers, which were to become famous for their actions in the start of World War I in the Pacific. The ships were 3,300 tons, and armed with ten 10.5 cm rapid fire guns and

34944-417: The uniform of a British admiral to receive the visiting British ambassador. At this time the Imperial Navy had 534 officers and 15,480 men. The concept of expanding naval power, inevitably at the cost of not expanding other forces, was opposed by the three successive heads of the German armed forces, Waldersee , Schlieffen and Moltke between 1888 and 1914. It would also have been more widely opposed, had

35152-409: The usefulness of the submarine came with the introduction of quieter and cleaner diesel engines in 1910, which were much more difficult for an enemy to detect. German expenditure on ships was steadily rising. In 1907, 290 million marks was spent on the fleet, rising to 347 million marks or 24 percent of the national budget in 1908, with a predicted budget deficit of 500 million marks. By

35360-430: The vicinity, was too much of a risk. In the resultant Battles of Narvik 10 German destroyers were sunk and the campaign for the port lasted until June. Bonte was killed when his command ship, Wilhelm Heidkamp exploded. It may have been possible for him to turn on and sink Renown by attacking from different directions, using Scharnhorst and Gneisenau , but the accompanying British destroyers were well placed to join

35568-811: The wake of Lütjens return, he learned Marschall had recovered to assume command. In June and July 1940, he became Commander of Battleships and the third Flottenchef (Fleet Commander) of the Kriegsmarine , a position comparable to the British Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleet . His predecessor— Vizeadmiral Wilhelm Marschall—had had repeated differences with Raeder over the extent the Flottenchef should be bound by orders while operating at sea. Marschall led Scharnhorst and Gneisenau to intercept Allied naval forces withdrawing from Norway against orders. On 8 June 1940 he engaged and sank

35776-404: The war, Lütjens served as head of the Warnemünde (1 December 1918 – 24 January 1919 and 8 February 1919 – 10 March 1919) and Lübeck (24 January 1919 – 8 February 1919 and 8 July 1919 – 15 September 1919) Sea Transportation Agency. He was ordered to the German Imperial Naval Office on 10 March 1919 before again serving with the Sea Transportation Agency in Lübeck on 8 July 1919. As a result of

35984-424: The waterfront, and a generally more attractive feel to the place. These plans, most notably the "Kleiner Kiel Kanal", a restoration of a historic canal that was filled in to make place for road infrastructure, are to be implemented in the next few years. The oldest building in the city is the 13th century Church of St. Nicholas , which has a sculpture by Ernst Barlach in front of it called Geistkämpfer . Kiel

36192-409: Was € 35,618, which is well above Germany 's national average, and 159% of the European Union 's average. The city of Kiel was founded in 1233 as Holstenstadt tom Kyle by Count Adolf IV of Holstein , and granted Lübeck city rights in 1242 by Adolf's eldest son, John I of Schauenburg. As a part of Holstein, Kiel belonged to the Holy Roman Empire and was situated only a few kilometres south of

36400-459: Was 40, adhering to a code that an officer would marry only when he was able to support a wife. At the outbreak of World War II , Lütjens was Commander of Scouting Forces— Befehlshaber der Aufklärungsstreitkräfte (B.d.A.)—made up of German destroyers, torpedo boats and cruisers. On 1 September 1939 Germany invaded Poland and two days later, Lütjens sailing aboard his flagship, Z1 Leberecht Maass and Z9 Wolfgang Zenker took part in an attack on

36608-485: Was Germany. Five battleships of the Wittelsbach class were constructed from 1899 to 1904 at a cost of 22 million marks per ship. Five ships of the Braunschweig class were built between 1901 and 1906 for the slightly greater 24 million marks each. Technological improvements meant that rapid fire guns could be made larger, so the Braunschweig class had a main armament of 28 cm (11 in) guns. Due to torpedo improvements in range and accuracy, emphasis

36816-529: Was a draw, but it kept the surface fleet largely in port for the rest of the war. The submarine fleet was greatly expanded and threatened the British supply system during the U-boat campaign . As part of the Armistice , the Imperial Navy's main ships were ordered to be turned over to the Allies but they were instead scuttled by their own crews. All ships of the Imperial Navy bore the title SMS , for Seiner Majestät Schiff (His Majesty's Ship). The Imperial Navy achieved some important operational feats. At

37024-431: Was adopted. By 1913 there were four aeroplanes, now including a British Sopwith, and long-term plans to create six naval air stations by 1918. By 1914, the Marine-Fliegerabteilung , the naval counterpart to the well-established Fliegertruppe land-based aviation units of the Army , comprised twelve seaplanes and one landplane and disposed of a budget of 8.5 million marks. Trials in 1914 using seaplanes operating with

37232-405: Was agreed for five battleships of the Kaiser Friedrich III class , completed by 1902. The ships were innovative for their time, introducing a complex system of watertight compartments and storing coal along the sides of the ship to help absorb explosions. However, the ships went against the trend for increasingly larger main guns, having smaller diameter guns than the Brandenburg design, but with

37440-427: Was alerted and dispatched three battleships, eight cruisers, and 11 destroyers to hunt for the German ships accordingly, hoping to intercept the Germans off southern Iceland. The cruiser Naiad briefly sighted the German ships on 28 January as Lütjens prepared to break through the Iceland-Faroe gap, and reported their position. The German admiral quickly decided to retire northbound with the intention of passing through

37648-494: Was also subordinated to the Staff of the North Sea. Lütjens was posted to the Fleet Department of the Naval Command on 7 June 1921. His commanding officer here was Admiral Paul Behncke . Here Lütjens served as the head of the Fleet Department until the end of September 1923. In this position, Lütjens dealt with strategic and naval policy issues. This included the observation and analysis of the Washington Naval Conference and its disarmament agreements. On 4 October 1923 he returned to

37856-430: Was altered to place turrets on the centre line of the ship for improved accuracy. The four König -class battleships were commenced between October 1911 and May 1912 and entered service in 1914 at a cost of 45 million marks, forming the other part of the Third Squadron of the High Seas Fleet. They were 28,500 tons, with a maximum speed of 21 knots from three triple-stage Brown-Boverie-Parsons turbines. Main armament

38064-415: Was an officer cadet on Karlsruhe at the time of Lütjens' command. Lütjens took Karlsruhe on its fourth training cruise. Karlsruhe left Kiel on 22 October 1934. The ship sailed via Skagen , the Azores and Trinidad on the east coast of South America , passed the Cape Horn , up the west coast of South, Middle and North America to Vancouver. At Callao (25 January – 6 February 1935) they joined in

38272-419: Was appointed chief of the A-Demi-Flotilla in the II. Torpedo-Boat-Flotilla "Flandern" in February 1916, and at the same time commanded torpedo boat A-40 . He held this position until the end of World War I on 11 November 1918, when he returned to Antwerp and Kiel. Lütjens had been promoted to Kapitänleutnant (captain lieutenant) on 24 May 1917 during this assignment. As commander of torpedo boats along

38480-451: Was assigned to the Ministry of the Reichswehr he was promoted to Fregattenkapitän (Commander) on 1 October 1931. In the Naval Command Lütjens first served as Department Head of the Fleet- and Naval Officer Personnel Department. On 26 September 1932 he was appointed chief of this department, a function that Lütjens held until the mid-September 1934. Here he advanced in rank to Kapitän zur See (Captain) on 1 July 1933. On 30 January 1933,

38688-497: Was commanded by army officers and initially adopted the same regulations as the Prussian army. Supreme command was vested in the emperor, but its first appointed chief was General der Infanterie (General of the Infantry) Albrecht von Stosch . Kiel on the Baltic Sea and Wilhelmshaven on the North Sea served as the Navy's principal naval bases. The former Navy Ministry became the Imperial Admiralty on 1 February 1872, while Stosch became formally an admiral in 1875. Initially

38896-416: Was complemented by the introduction of a variant with lighter armour and greater speed, which became the battlecruiser . The revolution in design, together with improvements in personnel and training severely brought into question the German assumption that a fleet of two-thirds the size of the Royal Navy would at least stand a chance in an engagement. By 1906 Germany was already spending 60% of revenue upon

39104-451: Was drawn up at a similar time, all guns could be fired either side in broadsides, meaning more guns could come to bear than with the Helgoland design, despite having fewer in total. Five ships were constructed rather than the usual four, one to act as a fleet flagship. One ship, the SMS  Prinzregent Luitpold , was equipped with only two turbines rather than three, with the intention of having an additional diesel engine for cruising, but

39312-452: Was established in 1867 in the town. When William I of Prussia became Emperor William I of the German Empire in 1871, he designated Kiel and Wilhelmshaven as Reichskriegshäfen ("Imperial War Harbours"). The Kiel Yacht Club was established in 1887 with Prince Henry of Prussia as its patron. Emperor Wilhelm II became its commodore in 1891. Because of its new role as Germany's main naval base, Kiel very quickly increased in size in

39520-475: Was five double turrets housing twin 30.5 cm guns, arranged with two turrets fore and aft and one in the centre of the ship. The second turret at either end was raised higher than the outer so that it could fire over the top ( superfiring ). As with Prinzregent Luitpold , the ships were originally intended to have one diesel engine for cruising, but these were never developed and turbines were fitted instead. The ships were equipped with torpedo nets, trailed along

39728-402: Was founded on 29 September 1665 by Christian Albert , Duke of Holstein-Gottorp . A number of important scholars, including Theodor Mommsen , Felix Jacoby , Hans Geiger and Max Planck , studied or taught there. From 1773 to 1864, the town belonged to the king of Denmark . However, because the king ruled Holstein as a fief of the Holy Roman Empire only through a personal union , the town

39936-527: Was given command of the fleet on a temporary basis. Raeder regarded Lütjens as a sound tactician, excellent staff officer and a leader with all-important operational and battle experience. After the war Raeder was candid about his decision to elevate Lütjens through the chain of command. Raeder said of his progression, "He had also experience in staff work, and as my Chief of Personnel he had won by special confidence in years of close association." Raeder expressed his confidence that Lütjens displayed wise judgment and

40144-413: Was interrupted by a number of training courses, the first for staff officers (9–12 January 1930), a torpedo course (3–8 February 1930), for commanders and staff officers in leadership positions (2–7 February 1931) and lastly a navigation course (16–21 February 1931). Lütjens was called by Admiral Erich Raeder into the Naval Command of the Ministry of the Reichswehr on 17 September 1931. Shortly after he

40352-442: Was laden with soldiers belonging to the 3. Gebirgs-Division under the command of Eduard Dietl . The division was to seize Narvik. Lütjens briefed his officers aboard Gneisenau on 6 April in the presence of Raeder. Lütjens had his doubts about the wisdom of the entire operation but he showed no sign of his feelings to his subordinates. Lütjens hoped for bad weather to shield the fleet from Allied aircraft. The skies were clear and

40560-401: Was lost and by the end of 1940 plans for an invasion were postponed as Hitler turned eastward for a campaign against the Soviet Union . German naval strategy now turned to thoughts of siege and destroying Britain's shipping lanes which supplied the country from overseas and in particular North America . Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were readied for action again by the winter. Their task now

40768-417: Was minimal. The Imperial Navy was the first to operate submarines successfully on a large scale in wartime, with 375 submarines commissioned by the end of the First World War , and it also operated zeppelins . Although it was never able to match the number of ships of the Royal Navy, it had technological advantages, such as better shells and propellant for much of the Great War, meaning that it never lost

40976-404: Was named the seat of government for Schleswig-Holstein , and it officially became the state's capital in 1952. Today, Kiel is once again an important maritime centre of Germany, with high-tech shipbuilding, submarine construction and one of the world's largest ocean research centers, the GEOMAR. Regular ferries to Scandinavia and Lithuania, as well as the largest sailing event in the world called

41184-422: Was not incorporated as part of Denmark proper. Even though the empire was abolished in 1806, the Danish king continued to rule Kiel only through his position as Duke of Holstein, which became a member of the German Confederation in 1815. When Schleswig and Holstein rebelled against Denmark in 1848 (the First Schleswig War ), Kiel became the capital of Schleswig-Holstein until the Danish victory in 1850. During

41392-585: Was not possible to create several designs of cruisers specialised for long range work, or more heavily armoured for fleet work. Work commenced on an armoured cruiser design, SMS  Fürst Bismarck started in 1896 and commissioned in 1900. On 18 June 1897 Rear-Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz was appointed State Secretary of the Navy, where he remained for nineteen years. Tirpitz advocated the cause of an expanded navy necessary for Germany to defend her territories abroad. He had great success in persuading parliament to pass successive Navy bills authorising expansions of

41600-499: Was not to know—that southern convoys were virtually undefended at this point in the war, but on orders of the British Admiralty , all northern convoys had an escort of at least one capital ship . German intelligence had warned him that Ramillies and Revenge were based at Halifax, Nova Scotia . He estimated that they could escort convoys only 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometres) east of their base, and so he began to search for targets with this in mind. On 8 February, B-Dienst alerted

41808-455: Was placed on a secondary armament of smaller guns to defend against them. The five Deutschland -class battleships constructed between 1903 and 1908 had similar armament as the Braunschweig class, but heavier armour, for the slightly greater sum of 24.5 million marks each. Development of armoured cruisers also continued. Fürst Bismarck ' s design was improved upon in the subsequent Prinz Heinrich , completed in 1902. Two ships of

42016-476: Was promoted to Konteradmiral on 1 October 1937. While in command of personnel department he did nothing to enforce the Nuremberg Laws on race in the Kriegsmarine . In November 1938, Lütjens was one of only three flag officers, including Dönitz, who protested in writing to Raeder, Commander-in-Chief of the navy, against the anti-Jewish Kristallnacht pogroms . His successor at the Marinepersonalamt Conrad Patzig  [ de ] , described Lütjens as

42224-456: Was promoted to Oberleutnant zur See (Lieutenant Junior Grade) on 27 September 1913. Lütjens' next assignment was with the 4th Torpedo-Boat-Flotilla, where he served as a watch officer . On 1 October 1913, he was appointed company officer with the I. Torpedodivision, and served as a watch officer on torpedo boat G-169 of the 2nd Torpedo-Boat-Demi-Flotilla from 1 November. On 24 December 1913, he returned to his position as company officer with

42432-513: Was replaced by the long-serving Admiral Georg Alexander von Müller . The existing Imperial admiralty was abolished and its responsibilities divided between two organisations. A new position of Chief of the Imperial Naval High Command was created, being responsible for ship deployments, strategy and tactics, an equivalent to the supreme commander of the Army. Vice admiral Max von der Goltz was appointed in 1889 and remained in post until 1895. Construction and maintenance of ships and obtaining supplies

42640-402: Was the responsibility of the State Secretary of the Imperial Navy Office ( Reichsmarineamt ), responsible to the chancellor and advising the Reichstag on naval matters. The first appointee was Rear Admiral Karl Eduard Heusner , followed shortly by Rear Admiral Friedrich von Hollmann from 1890 to 1897. Each of these three heads of department reported separately to Wilhelm II. In 1895 funding

42848-618: Was to engage Allied merchant vessels bringing war materials to Britain. As fleet commander, it would be Lütjens' first operation in the Battle of the Atlantic. It was named Operation Berlin . On 28 December 1940, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau —on which Admiral Lütjens had raised his flag—left Germany for an Atlantic raid. However, due to weather, Lütjens ordered a return to port: Gneisenau to Kiel and Scharnhorst to Gdynia. While repairs were carried out Navy Group West emphasised to him that his primary targets were enemy merchant vessels. Lütjens reiterated his standing orders to his captains: "our job

43056-428: Was to initiate negotiations with Britain for an agreed slow down in naval building. Negotiations came to nothing when in 1911 the Agadir Crisis brought France and Germany into conflict. Germany attempted to 'persuade' France to cede territory in the Middle Congo in return for giving France a free hand in Morocco. The effect was to raise concerns in Britain over Germany's expansionist aims, and encouraged Britain to form

43264-403: Was unlikely to act rashly. When at sea, he allowed him to take command of the situation and make operational decisions at his own discretion. Although described as reserved and unapproachable toward subordinates, he was held to be "of manifest integrity and reliability." Hitler expressed his gratitude to Lütjens for "preparing and leading the Navy into action", and awarded him the Knight's Cross of

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