Volksmarine
The Volksmarine was the naval force of the German Democratic Republic from 1956 to 1990. The Volksmarine was one of the service branches of the National People's Army, performed a coastal defence role along the GDR's Baltic Sea coastline and territorial waters. Soon after the end of World War II and the beginning of the Cold War, the Soviet Union initiated the rearming of the German Democratic Republic, founded in October 1949 as a satellite state from the Soviet Zone of Occupation. Beginning in 1950, Soviet Navy officers helped to establish the Hauptverwaltung Seepolizei, renamed Volkspolizei–See on 1 July 1952. At the same time parts of the erstwhile maritime police were reorganized into the new Grenzpolizei–See, to guard the sea frontiers, incorporated into the Deutsche Grenzpolizei, set up in 1946. By 1952 the VP–See is estimated to have numbered some 8,000 personnel. On 1 March 1956, the GDR formally created its armed forces, the National People's Army, the VP–See became the Verwaltung Seestreitkräfte der NVA with about 10,000 men.
In November 1960, these maritime forces of the National People's Army were designated Volksmarine. Over the next years the navy received a number of new ships built in the GDR. Only the coastal protection ships and some of the fast torpedo boats were provided by the Soviet Union, as were all helicopters, some auxiliary craft were purchased from Poland. Following the building of the Berlin Wall on 13 August 1961, the Grenzbrigade Küste der Grenzpolizei was incorporated into the Volksmarine. With the reorganization of 1965 all attack forces, i.e. the fast torpedo boats, were combined into a single flotilla and stationed on the Bug peninsula of the island of Rügen. In the 1970s, the Volksmarine had grown to about 18,000 men. In the 1980s some of the ships were replaced and the Volksmarine acquired Soviet-built fighter-bombers. In 1988, the Volksmarine had brief hostile confrontations with the Polish Navy over a maritime border dispute; the Volksmarine was dissolved, like all other branches of the former National People's Army, on 2 October 1990 – the day before the official reunification of Germany.
Some of its staff was absorbed into some by the German Border Police. Most of the ships and other equipment were scrapped or sold, few if any former Volksmarine vessels remain in service with the modern-day German Navy; the last commander of the People's Navy, Vizeadmiral Hendrik Born, wrote a multi-paragraph commentary for Dieter Flohr and Peter Seemann's 2009 book, Die Volksmarine, a comprehensive and picture-oriented history of the Volksmarine. The Volksmarine was operationally incorporated into the United Baltic Sea Fleets of the Warsaw Pact states, its designated area of operations was the entrances to the Baltic Sea. Its task was to keep the sea lanes open for Soviet reinforcements and to participate in offensive actions against the coasts of hostile nations in the Baltic Sea. For these purposes, it was equipped with light forces such as anti-submarine ships, fast torpedo boats, minesweepers as well as landing craft. Routine duty was focused on extensive reconnaissance activities, carried out by the minesweepers and specialized electronic surveillance boats.
The 6th Border Brigade had a special responsibility for the prevention of "Republikflucht". With effect from 1 November 1961, it was subordinated to the Volksmarine, it had a substantial number of small patrol boats and surveillance posts along the coast. Konteradmiral Felix Scheffler Vizeadmiral Waldemar Verner Konteradmiral Wilhelm Ehm Konteradmiral Heinz Neukirchen Vizeadmiral Theodor Hoffmann Vizeadmiral Hendrik Born The People's Navy was headed by the Kommando der Volksmarine in Rostock-Gehlsdorf, it was structured as follows: 1st Flotilla in Peenemünde, 4th Flotilla in Rostock-Warnemünde, 6th Flotilla at Bug on Rügen Island, 6th Border Brigade in Rostock. In addition there were: one Torpedo Technical Support Company in Sassnitz one Naval Helicopter Wing in Parow near Stralsund one Naval Flight Wing in Laage one Navy Engineering Battalion in Sassnitz one Combat Swimmer Command in Kühlungsborn one Coastal Missile Regiment in Schwarzenpfost one Coastal Defense Regiment in Rostock one Naval Propaganda Company in Rostock-Warnemünde the Maritime Hydrographic Service of the GDR in Rostock testing and other special facilities training facilities Naval NCO Academy "Walter Steffens" in Parow Naval Officers Academy "Karl Liebknecht" in Stralsund NCO School for Support Services at Dänholm near Stralsund The People's Navy was equipped with: Landingcraft Minelayers and minesweepers Fast torpedo and missile boat Coastal defense ships Submarin
Inspector of the Navy
The Inspector of the Navy is the commander of the Navy of the modern-day German Armed Forces, the Bundeswehr. Since the various bodies responsible for the high command of the German Navy were merged in 2012, the Inspector has been based at the Navy Command at Rostock. Before the Inspector was head of the Naval Staff of the Ministry of Defence, based in Bonn. Both the Inspector and his deputy hold the rank of vice admiral; the Inspector is responsible for the readiness of personnel and materiel in the German Navy, in that regard he reports directly to the Federal Minister of Defence. The Inspector commands the Navy Command; the Inspector sits under the General Inspector of the Bundeswehr and is a member of the Defence Council for Bundeswehr-wide matters. Inspector of the Army Oberkommando der Marine Marineamt First Sea Lord List of admirals of the German Navy Inspekteure der Marine Inspekteure der Marine
German Armed Forces Badge of Marksmanship
The German Armed Forces Badge for Weapons Proficiency is a decoration of the Bundeswehr, the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The decoration is awarded to German military personnel of all grades, but is only allowed to be worn by enlisted members; the German armed forces regulations point out, that "the Schützenschnur is a decoration for weapons proficiency for enlisted soldiers." Officers can receive the award, although it is not authorized to be worn on their uniforms. Foreign military members may be awarded the badge, the German military regulation on officers still applies, permitting only the enlisted members to wear the badge; the history of the Schützenschnur dates back to the Eighty Years' War where Spanish troops were ordered to hang any Dutch person who carried a musket. Therefore Spanish musketeers began to carry ropes which were carried over one shoulder. Awarding a cord as a decoration began in the early 18th century in Prussia under Frederick William I of Prussia.
With the reorganization of the Prussian Army under Gerhard von Scharnhorst the Schützenschnur became an official military award. The Reichswehr and the Wehrmacht adapted the Schützenschnur as an award for proficiency in marksmanship; the award existed in 12 different levels with different versions for infantry and armored troops. In 1957 the Bundesgrenzschutz introduced the Schützenschnur. A similar decoration existed within the East German National People's Army and the Border Troops of the German Democratic Republic. To earn the award one must shoot weapons from all three classes: Pistol Rifle Heavy weapon (for example machine gun or antitank launcher The awarded grade is determined by the lowest weapon qualification. In the United States military, the German Armed Forces Badge for Weapons Proficiency is one of the few pre-approved foreign awards, requiring no individual approval request to be forwarded up the serviceman's chain of command to the United States Senate for acceptance. Occasion and manner of wear of the Schützenschnur are governed by the individual services' uniform regulations.
Section 22-18 part b of the DA PAM 670-1 states the following. The German Marksmanship Award is authorized for wear only by enlisted personnel. Officers may not wear the Schuetzenschnur. If authorized, personnel wear the award on the right side of the uniform coat, with the upper portion attached under the center of the epaulette, the bottom portion attached under the lapel to a button mounted for wear of this award. In the United States Air Force, approval needs to be obtained prior to wear on the uniform. AFI 36-2803, paragraph 7.3.2 states: Air Force members who have been told a foreign nation has made formal offer of a decoration to them may participate in a formal presentation ceremony and receive the decoration when accepting the award is not prejudicial to military or national interest. The receipt of the foreign decoration in this manner does not constitute official acceptance. To gain official acceptance, the recipient must forward a request to accept and retain the decoration to the appropriate approval authority.
Manner of wear, when approved, is the same for USAF members as it is for US Army members, as outlined above. AFI 36-2903, dated 28 May 2015,:149 paragraphs 11.2.2.3 through 11.2.2.6 state: Wear only one foreign badge. When wearing more than one foreign decoration, wear them in the order earned. Do not wear foreign decorations unless wearing other US military decorations and service medals; when authorized more than one decoration, wear them in the order earned. If authorized more than one foreign decoration from the same country, wear them in the order the country prescribes. On special occasions and as a matter of courtesy to a given country, Airman may wear the decorations of that country ahead of all other foreign decorations. Paragraph 11.2.2.3. Refers to paragraph 10.5.1.6 for wear location guidance, deleted during the last revision. The previous version included language to effect that foreign badges could only be worn in the theater earned, but was not included in the most recent version.
Further amplification is provided on the individual approval documentation provided by the Air Force Personnel Center, when approved. German Armed Forces Badge for Weapons Proficiency in Bronze is awarded for shooting with the rifle and the pistol and the machine pistol with at least two scores in at least bronze; the admissible categories of weapon depends on the branch of the service member. The category of heavy weapons is not mandatory to earn the bronze badge; the rifle and machine pistol are the only weapons that require minimally score of bronze. German Armed Forces Badge for Weapons Proficiency in Silver is awarded for shooting by a service member with his designated "light" weapon and one of the "heavy" weapons with all scores at least in silver. German Armed Forces Badge for Weapons Proficiency in Gold is awarded for shooting by a service member with his designated "light" weapon and one
Marineflieger
The Marinefliegerkommando is the naval air arm of the German Navy. During the First World War, naval aviators were part of the Kaiserliche Marine. Between the wars, naval aviation, the Seeflieger was absorbed by Goering's Luftwaffe in 1935, it came into existence when the aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin was laid down in 1936, but lack of suitable aircraft, coupled with the reluctance of the Luftwaffe to support the Kriegsmarine in the carrier's construction, culminated in its eventual cancellation in 1943, all anti-ship operations were transferred to the Luftwaffe shortly afterwards. After the Second World War, it was not until West Germany's entry into NATO in the 1950s and the establishment of the Bundesmarine, that a naval aviation force was formed; the British were instrumental in creation of the Marineflieger, supplying training and aircraft. A number of Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm officers operated as part of the German Navy in the process; the first aircraft included Hawker Sea Hawks which were used by Marinefliegergeschwader 1 and 2 and Fairey Gannets.
Until the new bases were ready, pilots were trained with the FAA in the UK. The Marinefliegerkommando had 2,100 personnel on active duty in 2012; as of 2017, it operates 55 aircraft. The Marinefliegerkommando operated the following aircraft.
Naval history of World War II
In the beginning of World War II the Royal Navy was still the strongest navy in the world, with the largest number of warships built and with naval bases across the globe. Totalling over 15 battleships and battlecruisers, 7 aircraft carriers, 66 cruisers, 164 destroyers and 66 submarines. In the course of the war the United States Navy grew tremendously as the United States was faced with a two-front war on the seas. By the end of World War II the U. S Navy was larger than any other navy in the world; the United States Navy grew during World War II from 1941–45, played a central role in the Pacific theatre in the war against Japan. It played a major supporting role, alongside the Royal Navy, in the European war against Germany; the Imperial Japanese Navy sought naval superiority in the Pacific by sinking the main American battle fleet at Pearl Harbor, built around its battleships. The December 1941 surprise attack on Pearl Harbor did knock out the battle fleet, but it did not touch the aircraft carriers, which became the mainstay of the rebuilt fleet.
Naval doctrine had to be changed overnight. The United States Navy had followed Alfred Thayer Mahan's emphasis on concentrated groups of battleships as the main offensive naval weapons; the loss of the battleships at Pearl Harbor forced Admiral Ernest J. King, the head of the Navy, to place primary emphasis on the small number of aircraft carriers; the U. S. Navy grew tremendously, it achieved notable acclaim in the Pacific War, where it was instrumental to the Allies' successful "island hopping" campaign. The U. S. Navy fought five great battles with the Imperial Japanese Navy: the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Battle of Midway, the Battle of the Philippine Sea, the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the Battle of Okinawa. By war's end in 1945, the United States Navy had added thousands of new ships, including 18 aircraft carriers and 8 battleships, had over 70% of the world's total numbers and total tonnage of naval vessels of 1,000 tons or greater. At its peak, the U. S. Navy was operating 6,768 ships on V-J Day in August 1945, including 28 aircraft carriers, 23 battleships, 71 escort carriers, 72 cruisers, over 232 submarines, 377 destroyers, thousands of amphibious and auxiliary ships.
The American war plan was "Rainbow 5" and was completed on 14 May 1941. It assumed that the United States was allied with Britain and France and provided for offensive operations by American forces in Europe, Africa, or both; the assumptions and plans for Rainbow 5 were discussed extensively in the Plan Dog memo, which concluded that the United States would adhere to a Europe first strategy, making the war against Germany a higher priority than the war against Japan. However President Roosevelt did not approve the plan—he wanted to play it by ear; the Navy wanted to make Japan the top target, in 1941-43 the U. S. in effect was fighting a naval war against Japan, in addition to its support for Army landings in North Africa and Italy in 1942-43. U. S. Strategy in 1941 was to deter Japan from further advances toward British, Dutch and American territories to the South; when the Allies cut off sales of oil to Japan, it lost 90% of its fuel supply for airplanes and warships. It had stocks that would last two.
It had to fight to recapture British and Dutch wells to the South. In November 1941, U. S. Army Chief of Staff George Marshall explained the American air war strategy to the press—it was top secret and not for publication: We are preparing for an offensive war against Japan, whereas the Japs believe we are preparing only to defend the Philippines.... We have 35 Flying Fortresses there—the largest concentration anywhere in the world. Twenty more will be added next month, 60 more in January.... If war with the Japanese does come, we'll fight mercilessly. Flying fortresses will be dispatched to set the paper cities of Japan on fire. There wont be any hesitation about bombing civilians—it will be all-out. Marshall was talking about long-range B-17 bombers based in the Philippines, which were within range of Tokyo. After Japan captured the Philippines in early 1942, American strategy refocused on a naval war focusing on the capture of islands close enough for the intensive bombing campaign Marshall spoke about.
In 1944, the Navy captured Saipan and the Mariana Islands, which were within range of the new B-29 bombers. After its Pearl Harbor victory in early December the Imperial Japanese Navy seemed unstoppable because it outnumbered and outgunned the disorganized Allies—US, Netherlands, China. London and Washington both believed in Mahanian doctrine, which stressed the need for a unified fleet. However, in contrast to the cooperation achieved by the armies, the Allied navies failed to combine or coordinate their activities until mid-1942. Tokyo believed in Mahan, who said command of the seas—achieved by great fleet battles—was the key to sea power. Therefore, the IJN kept its main strike force together under Admiral Yamamoto and won a series of stunning victories over the Americans and British in the 90 days after Pearl Harbor. Outgunned at sea, with its big guns lying at the bottom of Pearl Harbor, the American strategy for victory required a slow retreat or holding action against the IJN until the much greater industrial potential of the US could be mobilized to launch a fleet capable of projecting Allied power to the enemy heartland.
The Battle of Midway, together with the Guadalcanal campaign, marked the turning point in the Pacific. Between June 4–7, 1942, the United States Navy decisively defeated a Japanese naval force that had sought to lure the U. S. carrier fleet into a trap at Midway Atoll. The Japanese fleet lost four aircraft carriers
Navy
A navy or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare. It includes anything conducted by surface ships, amphibious ships and seaborne aviation, as well as ancillary support, communications and other fields; the strategic offensive role of a navy is projection of force into areas beyond a country's shores. The strategic defensive purpose of a navy is to frustrate seaborne projection-of-force by enemies; the strategic task of the navy may incorporate nuclear deterrence by use of submarine-launched ballistic missiles. Naval operations can be broadly divided between riverine and littoral applications, open-ocean applications, something in between, although these distinctions are more about strategic scope than tactical or operational division. In most nations, the term "naval", as opposed to "navy", is interpreted as encompassing all maritime military forces, e.g. navy, naval infantry/marine corps, coast guard forces. First attested in English in the early 14th century, the word "navy" came via Old French navie, "fleet of ships", from the Latin navigium, "a vessel, a ship, boat", from navis, "ship".
The word "naval" came from Latin navalis, "pertaining to ship". The earliest attested form of the word is in the Mycenaean Greek compound word, na-u-do-mo, "shipbuilders", written in Linear B syllabic script; the word denoted fleets of both commercial and military nature. In modern usage "navy" used alone always denotes a military fleet, although the term "merchant navy" for a commercial fleet still incorporates the non-military word sense; this overlap in word senses between commercial and military fleets grew out of the inherently dual-use nature of fleets. Although nationality of commercial vessels has little importance in peacetime trade other than for tax avoidance, it can have greater meaning during wartime, when supply chains become matters of patriotic attack and defense, when in some cases private vessels are temporarily converted to military vessels; the latter was important, common, before 20th-century military technology existed, when adding artillery and naval infantry to any sailing vessel could render it as martial as any military-owned vessel.
Such privateering has been rendered obsolete in blue-water strategy since modern missile and aircraft systems grew to leapfrog over artillery and infantry in many respects. Naval warfare developed. Prior to the introduction of the cannon and ships with sufficient capacity to carry the large guns, navy warfare involved ramming and boarding actions. In the time of ancient Greece and the Roman Empire, naval warfare centered on long, narrow vessels powered by banks of oarsmen designed to ram and sink enemy vessels or come alongside the enemy vessel so its occupants could be attacked hand-to-hand. Naval warfare continued in this vein through the Middle Ages until the cannon became commonplace and capable of being reloaded enough to be reused in the same battle; the Chola Dynasty of medieval India was known as one of the greatest naval powers of its time from 300 BC to 1279 AD. The Chola Navy, Chola kadarpadai comprised the naval forces of the Chola Empire along with several other Naval-arms of the country.
The Chola navy played a vital role in the expansion of the Chola Tamil kingdom, including the conquest of the Sri Lanka islands, Sri Vijaya, the spread of Hinduism, Tamil architecture and Tamil culture to Southeast Asia and in curbing the piracy in Southeast Asia in 900 CE. In ancient China, large naval battles were known since the Qin dynasty, employing the war junk during the Han dynasty. However, China's first official standing navy was not established until the Southern Song dynasty in the 12th century, a time when gunpowder was a revolutionary new application to warfare. Nusantaran thalassocracies made extensive use of naval power and technologies; this enabled the seafaring Malay people to attack as far as the coast of Tanganyika and Mozambique with 1000 boats and attempted to take the citadel of Qanbaloh, about 7,000 km to their West, in 945-946 AD. In 1350 AD Majapahit launched its largest military expedition, the invasion of Pasai, with 400 large jong and innumerable smaller vessels.
The second largest military expedition, invasion of Singapura in 1398, Majapahit deployed 300 jong with no less than 200,000 men. The mass and deck space required to carry a large number of cannon made oar-based propulsion impossible, ships came to rely on sails. Warships were designed to carry increasing numbers of cannon and naval tactics evolved to bring a ship's firepower to bear in a broadside, with ships-of-the-line arranged in a line of battle; the development of large capacity, sail-powered ships carrying cannon led to a rapid expansion of European navies the Spanish and Portuguese navies which dominated in the 16th and early 17th centuries, helped propel the age of exploration and colonialism. The repulsion of the Spanish Armada by the English fleet revolutionized naval warfare by the succe
Kommando Spezialkräfte Marine
Germany's postwar commando amphibious warfare force are called the Kampfschwimmer or Verwendungsgruppe 3402. They are the only special-purpose force of the German Navy; the Kampfschwimmer were set up when Germany joined NATO in 1955. During the existence of the GDR, the People's Navy of the GDR had a commando frogman force, stationed in Kühlungsborn, they trained at Prora on Rügen. The first German frogman commando unit was formed under the direction of Alfred von Wurzian during World War II, an Olympic swimmer from Austria. Wurzian was an artilleryman, he had to overcome a lot of hurdles to form this specialized unit as many brass types could not buy into the concept of such a specialized unit. The unit's name was Küstenjäger-Abteilung "Brandenburg". 1942 onwards: The amateur diver Alfred von Wurzian tested breathing apparatus for the Kriegsmarine. 1942: German frogmen clashed with Soviet frogmen at a Tsemes Bay seaport at Novorossiysk. The skirmish resulted in some knife battles underwater. 1943: Admiral Karl Dönitz orders Vice-Admiral Hellmuth Heye to create a special unit.
It is named Kleinkampfmittelverband but it is better known under the name of K-Verband or Meereskämpfer. Its first men, including von Wurzian, were trained by experienced Italian Decima Flottiglia MAS men. 1944 June: Three German frogman units called "Marine Einsatzkommando" became active. Each unit had 22 men, but they were not ready for D-Day. 1944 June 23: German naval frogmen blow up two bridges on the Orne river, using two torpedoes of 800 kg. 1944 July: There were several attacks by German Neger craft in the English Channel, setting off from Villers sur Mer. On July 8, these attacks badly damaged the cruiser ORP Dragon, sunk the destroyer HMS Isis. 12 attack boats were used in attacks in the mouth of the Orne river. July 1944: German frogmen destroyed the lock gates on the Orne river. 26 August 1944:MEK 60 German frogmen destroyed the Vascouy coastal artillery battery position. 1944 September 16: By this time the Allies had taken Antwerp. Two teams of five German frogmen left Rotterdam on two attack boats.
When they were stopped by defence nets, the teams continued by swimming, each towing a torpedo with a ton of explosive. One team placed its torpedo on the main canal lock in Antwerp; the lock was out of use for three months. 1944, night of September 28–29: By now the Allies had taken intact a road bridge at Nijmegen and a railway bridge at Moerdijk, had installed a strong anti-aircraft defence there. Three groups of four German frogmen set off from 10 km upstream from the bridges, they were to place explosives under the bridges and to continue with the river current 24 km further to return to their lines. The railway bridge was blown up; the road bridge was only damaged because the mine had been badly placed. Of the 12 men, three were killed, seven were captured, two returned to their lines. Soviet EPRON Diver K. D. Zolotovskiy claims his Soviet frogman team had underwater skirmishes with German frogmen in the Svir river. 1944 December: German frogman operations in the Vistula river. After Italy changed sides, the German frogman unit MEK71 based in Jugoslavia made numerous attacks against liberated Italy, using two-man canoes.
February 1945: German frogmen operations in the Oder river. March 1945: Multiple failed attempts to destroy the Ludendorff Bridge near Remagen by German frogmen; the final failed attempt was performed by seven German Waffen SS frogmen. March–April 1945:German frogmen destroyed two important supply bridges in Stettin harbor. Three bridges were destroyed between the island of the Pomeranian mainland. Another bridge was destroyed by German frogmen near Dievenow. May 1945 German frogmen failed in their initial attempt to blow up the pontoon bridges at Nipperwiese and Fiddichow. May 1945 German frogmen succeed in their second attempt to blow up the pontoon bridges at Nipperwiese and Fiddichow. Frogmen Siegfried Koneke and Walter Lewandowski were awarded the German Cross in Gold for their actions; the "lentil". It is a fast silent boat carrying 300 kg of explosive; the pilot directs it and jumps in the sea and is collected by another boat. A "chariot" copied from that of the British; the Italians never transmitted to the Germans the plans of their maiale.
The "Neger", a single-seat torpedo sailing awash at four knots. Its pilot leaves it before precipitating it on the objective. Creation of pocket submarines. Plan to attack the underwater oil pipeline PLUTO. Plan to block the Suez Canal by sinking boats in it; this section was translated from de:Kampfschwimmer. The Kampfschwimmer were set up because Germany joined NATO and there was felt to be risk of war with the Soviet Union. A unit was needed. On 1 August 1958 Group 3402, as these commando frogmen were called by the navy, was set up, it consisted of men without a Nazi past, who had served in World War II in the small combat forces and the naval employment commands. The first Kampfschwimmer were trained first with the Nageurs de combat in France. France had developed the role of the commando frogmen further in the Indochina war, to the modern single fighter; the Kampfschwimmer should carry out their tasks both in the water and ashore, like German commando frogmen
Germany
listen (help·info)) is the navy of Germany and part of the unified Bundeswehr ("Federal Defense"), the German Armed Forces. The German Navy was originally known as the Bundesmarine ("Federal Navy") from 1956 to 1995, when Deutsche Marine ("German Navy") became the official name with respect to the 1990 incorporation of the East German Volksmarine ("People's Navy"), it is deeply integrated into the NATO alliance. Its primary mission is protection of Germany's territorial waters and maritime infrastructure as well as sea lines of communication. Apart from this, the German Navy participates in peacekeeping operations, and renders humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, they also participate in Anti-Piracy operations.[2]
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Germany
