1.
Imperial German Navy
–
The Imperial German Navy was the navy created at the time of the formation of the German Empire. It existed between 1871 and 1919, growing out of the small Prussian Navy, which primarily had the mission of coastal defence, Kaiser Wilhelm II greatly expanded the navy, and enlarged its mission. The key leader was Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, who expanded the size and quality of the navy. The result was an arms race with Britain as the German navy grew to become one of the greatest maritime forces in the world. The German surface navy proved ineffective during World War I, its only major engagement, however, the submarine fleet was greatly expanded and posed a major threat to the British supply system. The Imperial Navys main ships were turned over to the Allies, all ships of the Imperial Navy were designated SMS, for Seiner Majestät Schiff. The Imperial Navy achieved some important operational feats, 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 was minimal. The Imperial Navy was the first to operate successfully on a large scale in wartime, with 375 submarines commissioned by the end of the First World War. The unification of Germany under Prussian leadership was the 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 the strongest state forming part of the new empire, supreme command was vested in the emperor, but its first appointed chief was General der Infanterie Albrecht von Stosch. Kiel on the Baltic Sea and Wilhelmshaven on the North Sea served as the Navys principal naval bases, the former Navy Ministry became the Imperial Admiralty on 1 February 1872, while Stosch became formally an admiral in 1875. Initially the main task of the new Imperial Navy was coastal protection, with France, the Imperial Navys 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, 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, the building plan had to be approved by 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 general, Count Leo von Caprivi. At this point the navy had seven armoured frigates and four armoured corvettes,400 officers and 5,000 ratings, 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. 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
Imperial German Navy
–
Dreadnoughts of the High Seas Fleet
Imperial German Navy
–
War Ensign (1903–1918)
Imperial German Navy
–
Proclamation of Wilhelm I as emperor of Germany.
Imperial German Navy
–
Kiel canal lock at Brunsbüttel.
2.
Reichsmarine
–
The Reichsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Weimar Republic and first two years of Nazi Germany. It was the branch of the Reichswehr, existing from 1919 to 1935. In 1935, it known as the Kriegsmarine, a branch of the Wehrmacht. Many of the administrative and organizational tenets of the Reichsmarine were then carried over into the organization of the Kriegsmarine, the Vorläufige Reichsmarine was formed after the end of World War I from the Imperial German Navy. Replacements for the battleships were restricted to a maximum size of 10,000 tons. The Reichsmarine was considered the naval force of the Reichswehrministerium which was headed by a civilian minister appointed by the government of the Weimar Republic. The senior most naval officer was known until 1920 as the Chef der Admiralität, the naval commander oversaw a headquarters office known as the Marinekommandiertenabteilung which was headquartered in Berlin. The Naval Command also maintained a headquarters office and a naval archives. During the 1920s, the German flagship was the SMS Schleswig-Holstein with two officers serving as fleet commander, Vizeadmiral Hans Zenker and Konrad Mommsen, between 1923 and 1927. The fleet commander position was left vacant, but the flag staff remained. The purpose of fleet command was to oversee the four major type commanders of German naval vessels and these commands were in turn responsible for the administration of various German ship classes to include equipment development, vessel deployments, and personnel assignment. Once at sea, operational control of the vessels switched to the commanders of the two main Naval Sea Stations, the Reichsmarine did not maintain traditional at-sea fleets, but instead assigned two geographical areas which oversaw all vessels operationally deployed in the North and Baltic Seas. Each naval station maintained a staff, general naval inspectorate, training department, artillery arsenal inspector. The naval stations also served as an officer for the commanders of the various German navy ports. The restrictions were intended to prevent the German Navy from becoming a threat to the Allied powers, Germany was only allowed six battleships, six cruisers, twelve destroyers, and twelve torpedo boats. The Reichsmarine tried to meet the arms restrictions with secret armament and technical innovations such as the introduction of the pocket battleship
Reichsmarine
–
Units of the Reichsmarine on maneuvers in 1929. A
Königsberg-class cruiser is on the right.
Reichsmarine
–
War Ensign (1933–1935)
3.
Kriegsmarine
–
The Kriegsmarine was the navy of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire and the inter-war Reichsmarine, the Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches—along with the Heer and the Luftwaffe —of the Wehrmacht, the armed forces of Nazi Germany. The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly during German naval rearmament in the 1930s, Kriegsmarine ships were deployed to the waters around Spain during the Spanish Civil War, under the guise of enforcing non-intervention, but in reality supporting the Franco side of the war. In January 1939 Plan Z was ordered, calling for naval parity with the Royal Navy by 1944, however, when World War II broke out in September 1939, Plan Z was shelved in favour of building submarines and prioritizing land and air forces. The Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine was Adolf Hitler, who exercised his authority through the Oberkommando der Marine, the Kriegsmarines most famous ships were the U-boats, most of which were constructed after Plan Z was abandoned at the beginning of World War II. However, the adoption of convoy escorts, especially in the Atlantic, after the Second World War, the Kriegsmarines remaining ships were divided up amongst the Allied powers and were used for various purposes including minesweeping. Adolf Hitler was the Commander-in-Chief of all German armed forces, including the Kriegsmarine and his authority was exercised through the Oberkommando der Marine, or OKM, with a Commander-in-Chief, a Chief of Naval General Staff and a Chief of Naval Operations. The first Commander-in-Chief of the OKM was Erich Raeder who was the Commander-in-Chief of the Reichsmarine when it was renamed and reorganized in 1935, Raeder held the post until falling out with Hitler after the German failure in the Battle of the Barents Sea. He was replaced by Karl Dönitz on 30 January 1943 who held the command until he was appointed President of Germany upon Hitlers suicide in April 1945, hans-Georg von Friedeburg was then Commander-in-Chief of the OKM for the short period of time until Germany surrendered in May 1945. Subordinate to these were regional, squadron and temporary flotilla commands, regional commands covered significant naval regions and were themselves sub-divided, as necessary. They were commanded by a Generaladmiral or an Admiral, there was a Marineoberkommando for the Baltic Fleet, Nord, Nordsee, Norwegen, Ost/Ostsee, Süd and West. The Kriegsmarine used a form of encoding called Gradnetzmeldeverfahren to denote regions on a map, each squadron also had a command structure with its own Flag Officer. The commands were Battleships, Cruisers, Destroyers, Submarines, Torpedo Boats, Minesweepers, Reconnaissance Forces, Naval Security Forces, Big Guns and Hand Guns, major naval operations were commanded by a Flottenchef. The Flottenchef controlled a flotilla and organized its actions during the operation, the commands were, by their nature, temporary. As a result the German surface fleet was plagued by design flaws throughout the war, military aircraft were also banned, so Germany could have no naval aviation. Under the treaty Germany could only build new ships to replace old ones, All the ships allowed and personnel were taken over from the Kaiserliche Marine, renamed Reichsmarine. From the outset, Germany worked to circumvent the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles. The launching of the first pocket battleship, Deutschland in 1931 was a step in the formation of a modern German fleet, modern destroyers and light cruisers were also built
Kriegsmarine
–
Wartime
propaganda poster
Kriegsmarine
–
Kriegsmarine (KM)
Kriegsmarine
–
The crew of a minesweeper, France, 1941
Kriegsmarine
–
Battleship
Tirpitz in Norway, 1944
4.
Germany
–
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a federal parliamentary republic in central-western Europe. It includes 16 constituent states, covers an area of 357,021 square kilometres, with about 82 million inhabitants, Germany is the most populous member state of the European Union. After the United States, it is the second most popular destination in the world. Germanys capital and largest metropolis is Berlin, while its largest conurbation is the Ruhr, other major cities include Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf and Leipzig. Various Germanic tribes have inhabited the northern parts of modern Germany since classical antiquity, a region named Germania was documented before 100 AD. During the Migration Period the Germanic tribes expanded southward, beginning in the 10th century, German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire. During the 16th century, northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation, in 1871, Germany became a nation state when most of the German states unified into the Prussian-dominated German Empire. After World War I and the German Revolution of 1918–1919, the Empire was replaced by the parliamentary Weimar Republic, the establishment of the national socialist dictatorship in 1933 led to World War II and the Holocaust. After a period of Allied occupation, two German states were founded, the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic, in 1990, the country was reunified. In the 21st century, Germany is a power and has the worlds fourth-largest economy by nominal GDP. As a global leader in industrial and technological sectors, it is both the worlds third-largest exporter and importer of goods. Germany is a country with a very high standard of living sustained by a skilled. It upholds a social security and universal health system, environmental protection. Germany was a member of the European Economic Community in 1957. It is part of the Schengen Area, and became a co-founder of the Eurozone in 1999, Germany is a member of the United Nations, NATO, the G8, the G20, and the OECD. The national military expenditure is the 9th highest in the world, the English word Germany derives from the Latin Germania, which came into use after Julius Caesar adopted it for the peoples east of the Rhine. This in turn descends from Proto-Germanic *þiudiskaz popular, derived from *þeudō, descended from Proto-Indo-European *tewtéh₂- people, the discovery of the Mauer 1 mandible shows that ancient humans were present in Germany at least 600,000 years ago. The oldest complete hunting weapons found anywhere in the world were discovered in a mine in Schöningen where three 380, 000-year-old wooden javelins were unearthed
Germany
–
The
Nebra sky disk is dated to c. 1600 BC.
Germany
–
Flag
Germany
–
Martin Luther (1483–1546) initiated the
Protestant Reformation.
Germany
–
Foundation of the
German Empire in
Versailles, 1871.
Bismarck is at the center in a white uniform.
5.
Navy
–
A navy or maritime force is a fleet of waterborne military vessels and its associated naval aviation, both sea-based and land-based. It is the branch of an armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare, namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations. The strategic offensive role of a navy is projection of force into areas beyond a countrys shores, the strategic defensive purpose of a navy is to frustrate seaborne projection-of-force by enemies. The strategic task of the navy also may incorporate nuclear deterrence by use of submarine-launched ballistic missiles. In most nations, the naval, as opposed to navy, is interpreted as encompassing all maritime military forces, e. g. navy, marine / marine corps. First attested in English in the early 14th century, the navy came via Old French navie, fleet of ships, from the Latin navigium, a vessel. The word naval came from Latin navalis, pertaining to ship, cf. Greek ναῦς, ship, ναύτης, seaman, the earliest attested form of the word is in the Mycenaean Greek compound word
Navy
–
The
Spanish Armada fighting the
English navy at the
Battle of Gravelines in 1588
Navy
–
INS Vikramaditya (R33) with a
Sea Harrier aircraft in the
Arabian Sea. It is the
Indian Navy 's largest
aircraft carrier.
Navy
–
HMS Victory, the oldest warship still in commission in the world.
Navy
–
Dreadnoughts of the
High Seas Fleet of
World War I.
6.
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 Goerings Luftwaffe in 1935. After the Second World War, it was not until West Germanys entry into NATO in the 1950s and the establishment of the Bundesmarine, the British were largely 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 previously operated the following aircraft, Panavia Tornado F-104 Starfighter Hawker Sea Hawk Fairey Gannet Luftschiffer http, //www. fly-navy. de/index2. html
Marineflieger
–
Tornado GR1 at RAF Mildenhall in 1984
Marineflieger
–
Marineflieger insignia
Marineflieger
–
Lynx helicopter on the
flight deck of a German frigate in 1993.
Marineflieger
–
A P-3 Orion painted a special scheme for the 100th anniversary of the Marineflieger.
7.
Bundeswehr
–
The Bundeswehr is the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities. The States of Germany are not allowed to maintain armed forces of their own, the Bundeswehr is divided into a military part and a civil part with the armed forces administration. The military part of the defense force consists of the Heer, Marine, Luftwaffe, Streitkräftebasis, Zentraler Sanitätsdienst. In addition the Bundeswehr has approximately 27,600 reserve personnel. 2%, the Bundeswehr are in the process of integrating smaller NATO members Brigades into divisions of the German army. The Bundeswehr is to play a role as anchor army for smaller NATO states. 2 of 3 Royal Netherlands Army Brigades are now under German Command, in 2014 the 11th Airmobile Brigade, was integrated into the German Division of fast forces. Also the Dutch 43rd Mechanized Brigade, will be integrated into the 1st Panzer Division of the German army, with the integration starting at the beginning of 2016, and the unit becoming operational at the end of 2019. The Dutch-German military cooperation are seen as an example for setting up a European defense union, also the Czech Republics 4th Rapid Deployment Brigade, and Romania’s 81st Mechanized Brigade, will be integrated into Germany’s 10 Armoured Division and Rapid Response Forces Division. The name Bundeswehr was first proposed by the former Wehrmacht general and Liberal politician Hasso von Manteuffel, the Iron Cross is its official emblem. It is a symbol that has an association with the military of Germany. The Schwarzes Kreuz is derived from the black cross insignia of the medieval Teutonic knights, when the Bundeswehr was established in 1955, its founding principles were based on developing a completely new military force for the defence of West Germany. In this respect the Bundeswehr did not consider itself to be a successor to either the Reichswehr of the Weimar Republic or Hitlers Wehrmacht, neither does it adhere to the traditions of any former German military organization. One of the most visible traditions of the modern Bundeswehr is the Großer Zapfenstreich, the FRG reinstated this formal military ceremony in 1952, three years before the foundation of the Bundeswehr. Today it is performed by a band with 4 fanfare trumpeters and timpani. The Zapfenstreich is only performed during national celebrations or solemn public commemorations and it can honour distinguished persons present such as the German federal president or provide the conclusion to large military exercises. Another important tradition in the modern German armed forces is the Gelöbnis, there are two kinds of oath, for conscripts/recruits it is a pledge but its a solemn vow for full-time personnel. The pledge is made annually on 20 July, the date on which a group of Wehrmacht officers attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler in 1944, recruits from the Bundeswehrs Wachbataillon make their vow at the Bendlerblock in Berlin. This was the headquarters of the resistance but also where the officers were executed following its failure
Bundeswehr
–
Großer Zapfenstreich
Bundeswehr
–
Insignia of the Bundeswehr
Bundeswehr
–
The Federal Republic of Germany joined
NATO in 1955.
Bundeswehr
–
Leopard 2 tanks
8.
Rostock
–
Rostock is the largest city in the north German state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Rostock is on the Warnow river, the district of Warnemünde 12 kilometres north of the city centre is directly on the Baltic Sea coast, Rostock is home to one of the oldest universities in the world, the University of Rostock, founded in 1419. The city territory of Rostock stretches for about 20 km along the Warnow to the Baltic Sea, the largest built-up area of Rostock is on the western side of the river. The eastern part of its territory is dominated by industrial estates, Rostock is considered as the only regiopolis in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. In the 11th century Polabian Slavs founded a settlement at the Warnow river called Roztoc, the Danish king Valdemar I set the town aflame in 1161. Afterwards the place was settled by German traders, initially there were three separate cities, Altstadt around the Alter Markt with St. Petri, Mittelstadt around the Neuer Markt with St. Marien and Neustadt around the Hopfenmarkt with St. Jakobi. In 1218, Rostock was granted Lübeck law city rights by Heinrich Borwin, during the first partition of Mecklenburg following the death of Henry Borwin II of Mecklenburg in 1226, Rostock became the seat of the Lordship of Rostock, which survived for almost a century. In 1251, the city became a member of the Hanseatic League, in the 14th century it was a powerful seaport town with 12,000 inhabitants and the biggest city of Mecklenburg. Ships for cruising the Baltic Sea were constructed in Rostock, the formerly independent fishing village of Warnemünde at the Baltic Sea became a part of Rostock in 1323, to secure the citys access to the Baltic Sea. In 1419, one of the earliest universities in Europe, the University of Rostock, was founded and they took advantage of a riot known as Domfehde, a failed uprising of the impoverished population. Subsequent quarrels with the dukes and persistent plundering led ultimately to a loss of economic, in 1565 there were further clashes with Schwerin that which had far-reaching consequences. Among other things, was the introduction of a beer excise that favoured the dukes. John Albert I advanced on the city with 500 horsemen, after Rostock had refused to take the oath of allegiance. The citizens slighted the fortress the following spring, from 1575 to 1577 the city walls were rebuilt, as was the Lagebusch tower and the Stein Gate in the Dutch Renaissance style. The inscription sit intra te concordia et publica felicitas, which can still be read on the gate, in 1584 it finally came to the Second Rostock Inheritance Agreement, which resulted in a further loss of former tax privileges. At the same time, these inheritance contracts put paid to Rostocks ambition of achieving imperial immediacy as Lübeck had done in 1226, the strategic location of Rostock provoked the envy of its rivals. Danes and Swedes occupied the city twice, first during the Thirty Years War, later, the French, under Napoleon, occupied the town for about a decade until 1813. In nearby Lübeck-Ratekau, Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, who was born in Rostock and this was only after furious street fighting in the Battle of Lübeck, in which he led some of the cavalry charges himself
Rostock
–
Hanseatic City of Rostock with
St. Mary's Church
Rostock
–
Warnemünde, Baltic seaside resort that is part of Rostock. The
Lighthouse and Teepott are its landmarks.
Rostock
–
University of Rostock, one of the world's oldest universities, founded in 1419.
Rostock
–
Rostock 1780-90
9.
Operation Sharp Guard
–
Operation Sharp Guard was a multi-year joint naval blockade in the Adriatic Sea by NATO and the Western European Union on shipments to the former Yugoslavia. Warships and maritime patrol aircraft from 14 countries were involved in searching for, the operation began on 15 June 1993. It was suspended on 19 June 1996, and was terminated on 2 October 1996, the operation replaced naval blockades Operation Maritime Guard and Sharp Fence. It put them under a single chain of command and control, some maintain that despite the nominal official joint command and control of the operation, in reality it was NATO staff that ran the operation. The Yugoslav Wars were being waged, and the participants hoped to limit the fighting by limiting supplies to it, fourteen nations contributed ships and patrol aircraft to the operation. At any given time,22 ships and 8 aircraft were enforcing the blockade, with ships from Standing Naval Force Atlantic, and eight maritime patrol aircraft, were involved in searching for and stopping blockade runners. Most contributors to the operation supplied one or two ships, the Turkish Navy, for example, participated with frigates, submarines, and tankers. The operational area was divided into a series of sea boxes, each boarding team was composed of a guard team to board and wrest control of the target ship, and a search team, to conduct the search. The ships were authorized to board, inspect, and seize both ships seeking to break the blockade and their cargo, the Combined Task Force 440 was commanded by Admiral Mario Angeli of Italy. It marked the first time since its founding in 1949 that NATO was involved in combat operations, the issue of differing views among nations in the coalition as to the use of force authorized by rules of engagement arose in April 1994. He received confirmation that he should follow the British commodores guidance from his own higher authority, under U. S. Navy standards, disabling fire means firing rounds into the ships engineering space. The U. S. cruiser was about to pass the order along to the Dutch Kortenaer-class frigate HMNLS Van Kinsbergen. However, the fact that the Dutch definition of disabling fire involves launching rounds into the bridge of the ship, with an increased risk of loss of life. The ship was boarded by Dutch Marines inserted by helicopter from HMNLS Van Kinsbergen, three Yugoslav Navy Končar-class corvettes challenged the NATO operation and one of them tried to ram the British frigate HMS Chatham as it was assisting Van Kinsberger. The corvettes eventually fled following the reaction of the British warship, lido II had to undergo repairs before being diverted to Italy, since the crew had sabotaged the ships engine room. The leaking was contained by a party from HMS Chatham. Seven Yugoslav stowaways were found on board, the NATO and WEU forces challenged more than 73,000 ships, boarded and inspected almost 6,000 at sea, and diverted 1,500 suspect ships to ports for further inspection. Of those, nearly a dozen vessels were found to be blockade runners, NATO officials said no ships were able to run the blockade successfully, and that the maritime blockade had a major effect in preventing escalation of the conflict
Operation Sharp Guard
–
NATO ships enforcing the blockade
Operation Sharp Guard
–
HMCS Algonquin
Operation Sharp Guard
–
Type 22 frigate HMS Chatham.
Operation Sharp Guard
–
HMS Nottingham
10.
Combined Task Force 150
–
These activities are referred to as Maritime Security Operations. Countries presently contributing to CTF-150 include, Canada, Denmark, France, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, other nations who have participated include Australia, Italy, India, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Thailand and Turkey. The command of the force rotates among the different participating navies. The task force usually comprises 14 or 15 ships, CTF-150 is coordinated by the Combined Maritime Forces, a 25-nation coalition operating from the US Navy base in Manama, Bahrain. Before 11 September 2001, Task Force 150 was a U. S. Navy formation serving as part of U. S. Naval Forces Central Command, after 11 September, it became a patrol force in the Horn of Africa region. On 5 May 2002, command of the force was handed over from the United States to Germany. On 9 December 2002, the SPS Navarra intercepted and boarded the freighter So San, the ship from North Korea was carrying a cargo of 15 Scud missiles,15 conventional warheads with 250 kg of high explosive,23 fuel tanks of nitric acid and 85 drums of chemicals. Yemen subsequently reported that the cargo belonged to them and protested against interception, on 20 December 2002, a meeting was held aboard the USS Mount Whitney with military leaders from Djibouti regarding the Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa. At the time, CTF-150 was commanded by Spanish Rear Admiral Juan Moreno, and comprised ships from France, Spain, Germany, the French DEstienne dOrves-class frigate Commandant Birot performed the boarding. The captured crew were transferred to the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS OKane, on 17 August 2005, French Vice Admiral Jacques Mazars replaced British Royal Navy Commodore Tony Rix as commander of CTF-150. At the time, it comprised ships of Italy, France, Germany, Pakistan, Canada, the CTF-150 has been engaged in anti-piracy operations in Somalia in parallel to other independent anti-piracy operations by countries such as China, Iran, India and Russia. On 22 January 2006 USS Winston S. Churchill captured a pirate vessel in the Indian Ocean as part of an ongoing effort to help maintain law. In the action of 18 March 2006, two United States Navy ships were attacked by Somali pirates during an opposed boarding, in the ensuing gun battle, all the pirates were either killed or captured. On 4 April 2006, the South Korean fishing vessel MV Dong Won reported it had come under rocket attack off the coast of Somalia. Immediately two ships from the force, the Dutch frigate HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën and the U. S. guided-missile destroyer USS Roosevelt responded. However, the pirates had already hijacked the vessel and reached Somali territorial waters after threatening the crew members. On 22 August 2006, Rear Adm. Iqbal was relieved by German Rear Admiral Heinrich Lange, in December 2006, Lange passed control to British Royal Navy Commodore Bruce Williams. In March 2007, the Dutch frigate Hr. Ms, evertsen deployed to the waters of the Horn of Africa, as part of CTF-150, and in response to a request from the United Nations World Food Programme, against piracy off the Somalian coast
Combined Task Force 150
–
Ships assigned to Combined Task Force One Five Zero (CTF-150) assemble in a formation in the
Gulf of Oman, 6 May 2004
Combined Task Force 150
–
So San assault by Spanish special forces
Combined Task Force 150
–
Ships of the multinational fleet Combined Task Force-150
Combined Task Force 150
–
The Horn of Africa (HOA) and Horn of Africa, Extended (HOAEX) regions - the main areas of CTF-150
11.
UNIFIL
–
The mandate had to be adjusted twice, due to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982 and after the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000. The first UNIFIL troops were deployed in the area on 23 March 1978, during the occupation, UNIFILs function was mainly to provide humanitarian aid. UNIFILs mandate is renewed by United Nations Security Council annually, the current mandate expires on 31 August 2017. During the 1982 Lebanon War, UN positions were overrun, primarily by the SLA forces under Saad Haddad and this was the Lebanese paramilitary force supported by the IDF in Southern Lebanon. In 1999, Israel undertook a withdrawal, which concluded in 2000, UNIFIL is currently deployed in Southern Lebanon and primarily along the United Nations-drawn Blue Line, which is the border between Israel and Lebanon. The forces activities have centered around monitoring military activity between Hezbollah and the Israeli Defense Forces with the aim of reducing tensions and allaying tension along the border. UNIFIL has also played an important role in clearing landmines, assisting displaced persons, under UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which passed as a result of the 2006 Lebanon War, its mandate and rules of engagement changed. The mandate changed to allow up to 15,000 personnel in order to assist the Lebanese Armed Forces in deploying in Southern Lebanon to implement the Lebanese governments sovereignty. The rules of engagement changed to allow the troops to fire in certain cases, mostly in cases of self-defense but also in order to protect civilians, UN personnel and facilities. ”On 27 August 2006, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said that UNIFIL would not intercept arms shipments from Syria. The Maritime Task Force is the component of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. As of February 2012, the MTF is under the command of Rear Admiral Wagner Lopes de Moraes Zamith of Brazil, the Brazilian frigate Constituição is the flagship of the fleet comprising vessels from Brazil, Bangladesh, Germany, Greece, Indonesia and Turkey. With its establishment in October 2006, the force was led by the German Navy which was also the major contributor to the force. The Germans lead the MTF up until 29 February 2008 when they passed control over to EUROMARFOR – a force made up of ships from Portugal, Spain, Italy and France. To date UNIFIL has suffered 272 fatalities,261 troops, two observers, five international civilian staff, and four local staff. Prior to the July 2006 Lebanon War, Israel had been lobbying for UNIFIL to either take an active role vis-a-vis Hezbollah or to step out of the region. Israel was concerned when it was reported that Indonesia was being considered to replace Italy as commander of UNIFILs naval force, according to the book, in 1992, two detained Lebanese men escaped from Khiam prison. Shortly afterward, Israeli Army commander Moshe Tamir visited the Norwegian battalions camp, immediately after the confrontation, the Lebanese men were smuggled onto a bus used by Norwegian peacekeepers on leave, which took them to Beirut. Hezbollah supporters have accused UNIFIL of siding with Israel, especially since the passage of Resolution 1701 which they view as one-sided
UNIFIL
–
Dutch UNIFIL base, 1981
UNIFIL
–
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon
UNIFIL
–
A
Finnish XA-180 in the UNIFIL operation in
Lebanon
UNIFIL
–
Saad Haddad (right) in a conversation with Norwegian Norbatt IV field priest major Ole Askvig Øgaard and other Norwegian UNIFIL personnel in a hotel in the Israeli town of
Metula.
12.
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 command of the German Navy were merged in 2012. Before then, the Inspector was head of the Naval Staff of the Ministry of Defence, 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, the Inspector commands the Navy Command, however, the subordinate departments of the Navy are led by their heads at Navy Command and do not report directly to the Inspector. 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
Inspector of the Navy
–
Staff car flag
13.
Friedrich Ruge
–
Friedrich Oskar Ruge was an officer in the German Navy and recipient of the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. He served as the first commander of the post-war German Navy, friedrich Ruge was the son and grandson of German educators. Joining the Imperial German Navy as a cadet in March 1914, he was soon a participant in the 1914,1915, in 1917 and 1918, he sailed with the destroyer raids in the North Sea and English Channel. After the armistice, Ruge was an officer aboard the German destroyer B-112, interned at Scapa Flow and in June 1919, he played a role in the scuttling of the German Fleet. Returning to Germany to continue his career in the service of the new Weimar Republic. From 1921 to 1923, he commanded a minesweeper. In the UK during the 1930s he met an ex British sailor at a regatta, Lt Aubrey Grey, whose ship, the HMS Partridge was sunk in 1917 by the SMS V100, the ship that Ruge had been serving on. The V100 was the ship that rescued Grey from the water after the sinking, after studies at Berlin Institute of Technology, he was the senior officer of a flotilla of minesweepers, and, in 1937, achieved the top post in that division. In World War II, he was a part of the Polish Campaign in 1939, from 1940 to 1943, he was stationed in France, rising through the upper ranks to become Vice Admiral in 1943. Sent to Italy in 1943, he served as Senior German Naval Officer until mid-summer and he was appointed as Naval Advisor to Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in November 1943 to supervise the defense of northern France from the predicted Allied invasion. He had no faith in land mines and artillery shells struck underwater, in August 1944, he became the Kriegsmarines Director of Ship Construction, a position in which he served till the end of World War II. At the end World War II, Ruge became a POW, in 1946, he started a new life as a translator, writer and educator in Cuxhaven. He was one of four Flag Officers who made up the Naval Historical Team at Bremerhaven and he entered politics as a political independent to the Cuxhaven Town Council. In 1950, Ruge was part of a group of former Wehrmacht high-ranking officers invited by Chancellor Konrad Adenauer to take part in the conference to discuss West Germanys rearmament. The conference resulted in the Himmerod memorandum that contributed to the creation of the myth of the clean Wehrmacht, during the early 1950s, he advised as to how the navy could be restructured in the new Bundesmarine, as detailed in Searles Wehrmacht Generals. Called out of retirement when Germany became a part of NATO, Ruge was appointed Inspector of the Navy, afterward, he became a member of the faculty at the University of Tübingen, eventually becoming an Associate Professor on 21 July 1967 there. He was a guest lecturer at universities, including the U. S. Naval War College at Newport. Admiral Ruge was one of the umpires for the 1974 Sandhurst wargame on Operation Sea Lion, Ruge was the author of several books, including The Soviets as Naval Opponents, 1941-1945, written for Annapolis Naval Institute in 1979, and Rommel in Normandy, written in 1959
Friedrich Ruge
–
Friedrich Ruge visiting a Minensuchflottille
14.
German Navy
–
The German Navy is the navy of Germany and part of the unified Bundeswehr, the German Armed Forces. The German Navy was originally known as the Bundesmarine from 1956 until 1995 when Deutsche Marine became the name with respect to the 1990 incorporation of the East German Volksmarine. It is deeply integrated into the NATO alliance and its primary mission is protection of Germanys territorial waters and maritime infrastructure as well as sea lines of communication. Apart from this, the German Navy participates in peacekeeping operations and they also participate in Anti-Piracy operations. The German Navy traces its roots back to the Reichsflotte of the era of 1848–52. The Reichsflotte was the first German navy to sail under the black-red-gold flag, in 1956, with West Germanys accession to NATO, the Bundesmarine, as the navy was known colloquially, was formally established. In the same year the East German Volkspolizei See became the Volksmarine, during the Cold war the all of the German Navys combat vessels were assigned to NATOs Allied Forces Baltic Approachess naval command NAVBALTAP. With the accession of East Germany to the Federal Republic of Germany in 1990 the Volksmarine along with the whole National Peoples Army became part of the Bundeswehr. Since 1995 the name German Navy is used in international context, as of 16 December 2016, the strength of the navy is 16,137 men and women. A number of forces have operated in different periods. The German Navy is also engaged in operations against international terrorism such as Operation Enduring Freedom, presently the largest operation the German Navy is participating in is UNIFIL off the coast of Lebanon. The German contribution to this operation is two frigates, four fast attack craft, and two auxiliary vessels, the naval component of UNIFIL has been under German command. The navy is operating a number of development and testing installations as part of an inter-service, among these is the Centre of Excellence for Operations in Confined and Shallow Waters, an affiliated centre of Allied Command Transformation. The COE CSW was established in April 2007 and officially accredited by NATO on 26 May 2009 and it is co-located with the staff of the German Flotilla 1 in Kiel whose Commander is double-hatted as Director, COE CSW. The displacement of the navy is 220,000 tonnes, in addition, the German Navy and the Royal Danish Navy are in cooperation in the Ark Project. This agreement made the Ark Project responsible for the strategic sealift of German armed forces where the charter of three roll-on-roll-off cargo and troop ships are ready for deployments. In addition, these ships are kept available for the use of the other European NATO countries. The three vessels have a displacement of 60,000 tonnes
German Navy
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A German Navy boarding team member assigned to the frigate FGS Augsburg (F213) provides security with a
P8 pistol for the remainder of his team as they board a local cargo dhow by fast rope to conduct a search of the vessel.
German Navy
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German Navy Deutsche Marine
German Navy
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Naval Academy Mürwik
15.
German commando frogmen
–
Germanys postwar commando frogman force are called the Kampfschwimmer or Verwendungsgruppe 3402. They are the only force of the German Navy. The Kampfschwimmer were set up when Germany joined NATO in 1955, during the existence of the GDR, the Peoples Navy of the GDR also had a commando frogman force, which was 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 originally from Austria. He had to overcome a lot of hurdles to form this unit as many brass types could not buy into the concept of such a specialized unit. The units name was Küstenjäger-Abteilung Brandenburg,1942 onwards, The amateur diver Alfred von Wurzian tested breathing apparatuses for the Kriegsmarine. 1943, Admiral Karl Dönitz orders vice-admiral Hellmuth Heye to create a special unit, one gives him the name of 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 one officer and 22 men, but they were not ready for D-Day. On July 8, these attacks badly damaged the cruiser ORP Dragon,12 attack boats were used in attacks in the mouth of the Orne river. 1944 September 16, By this time the Allies had taken Antwerp, two teams of five German frogmen left Rotterdam on two attack boats, to attack Antwerp docks. When they were stopped by defence nets, the continued by swimming. One team placed its torpedo on the 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, and had immediately installed a strong anti-aircraft defence there. Three groups of four German frogmen set off from 10 km upstream from the bridges and they were to place explosives under the bridges and then to continue with the river current 24 km further to return to their lines. The railway bridge was blown up, the road bridge was only slightly damaged because the mine had been badly placed. Of the 12 men, three were killed, seven were captured, and two returned to their lines,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,1945 February, German frogmen operations in the Oder river
German commando frogmen
–
Components
16.
Prussian Navy
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The Prussian Navy, was the naval force of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was created from the former Brandenburg Navy, following the elevation of the Duke of Prussia to King in Prussia in 1701, at that time, Brandenburg and Prussia formed a double state ruled in personal union by the House of Hohenzollern. Throughout the centuries, Prussia’s military consistently concentrated on its land power, yet historically there were always Prussian naval forces, beginning in the days when Prussia meant only the Margraviate of Brandenburg. The Electorate of Brandenburg, the predecessor of the Kingdom of Prussia, beginning around the year 1657, under Elector Frederick William, these developed into an offensive naval force. The Elector designated navigation and commerce as the noblest undertakings of a state, Frederick William’s descendants had, however, little interest in such overseas adventures and on developing their own naval power. His son Frederick I, from 1701 the King in Prussia, was glad to sell colonial possessions to the Netherlands. At the time of Brandenburg’s elevation to the Kingdom of Prussia, the Prussian kings of the 18th century had little interest in maintaining their own navy. Due to the state’s continental position and the lack of easily defensible natural borders, besides this, the kingdom was able to rely on its many friendly connections with the neighboring naval powers of Denmark and the Netherlands. Frederick II took the view that Prussia should never seek to develop its own war fleet and he believed that naval battles would only rarely decide a conflict and preferred having the best army in Europe rather than the worst fleet among the naval powers. Prussia nevertheless built up a naval force of 13 makeshift warships during the Seven Years War. This embryonic fleet lost the battle of Frisches Haff in September 1759 to a Swedish naval force, the Prussians lost all ships and as a consequence the Swedes occupied Usedom and Wollin. However, the ships were replaced already in 1760, and the new flotilla served until the end of the war in 1763, even so, the Prussian monarch wanted to take part in international maritime commerce and therefore founded several trading firms. One of these, founded in 1772 as the Societé de Commerce maritime, after the end of the Napoleonic Wars, Prussia slowly began to build its own small fleet for coastal defense. Again, more value was placed on the development of a merchant fleet than on a navy, in this connection, the Prussian Maritime Enterprise played a significant role. Its ships were armed to protect against pirates and flew the Prussian war ensign and this protective fleet existed until around 1850. One of the first to work for the development of a Prussian Navy was Prince Adalbert of Prussia and he had made a number of journeys abroad and recognized the value of a fleet to support commercial interests and to protect one’s own navigation. The German Confederation possessed practically no fleet of its own, but relied upon the powers of Great Britain, the Netherlands. During the First War of Schleswig of 1848–1851, the failure of this became clear because Great Britain
Prussian Navy
–
SMS Thetis, circa 1867.
Prussian Navy
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Naval Ensign (1819–1850)
17.
North German Federal Navy
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The North German Federal Navy, was the Navy of the North German Confederation, formed out of the Prussian Navy in 1867. It was eventually succeeded by the Imperial German Navy in 1871, in the war against France, in 1870/1871, the navy encountered enemy forces on a few occasions. In general, due to its size the navy did not play a significant role in the war. On the other hand, for organisational and political reasons the French navy found it difficult to employ its far superior fleet for an operation at the Prussian coasts. Marine-Regatta-Verein Navy League Reichsflotte Imperial German Navy Reichsmarine Kriegsmarine Bundesmarine Volksmarine German Navy since 1995
North German Federal Navy
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War Ensign (1867–1871)
18.
Volksmarine
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The Volksmarine - VM, was the official designation of the naval forces of the German Democratic Republic. It was part of the National Peoples Army, established on 1 March 1956, soon after the end of World War II and the beginning of the Cold War the Soviet Union initiated the rearming of its satellite state in East Germany. This included the formation of maritime forces. Beginning in 1950, Soviet naval officers helped to establish the Hauptverwaltung Seepolizei, by 1952 the VP–See is estimated to have numbered some 8,000 personnel. On 1 March 1956, the GDR formally created its Nationale Volksarmee, in November 1960, these maritime forces of the National Peoples Army were officially designated Volksmarine. Over the next years the navy received a number of new ships. Only the coastal ships and some of the fast torpedo boats were provided by the Soviet Union, as were all helicopters. Following the building of the Berlin Wall on 13 August 1961 the Grenzbrigade Küste der Grenzpolizei was incorporated into the Peoples Navy. With the reorganization of 1965 all attack forces, i. e. the fast torpedo boats, were combined into a single flotilla, in the 1970s the Peoples Navy had grown to about 18,000 men. In the 1980s some of the ships were replaced and the Peoples Navy acquired Soviet-built fighter-bombers, the Peoples Navy was dissolved, like all other branches of the former National Peoples Army, on 2 October 1990 – the day before the official reunification of Germany. Some of its staff was assumed into the Bundesmarine, some by the German Border Police, most of the ships and other equipment were scrapped or sold, and few if any former Peoples Navy vessels remain in service with the modern-day German Navy. The Peoples Navy was operationally incorporated into the United Baltic Sea Fleets of the Warsaw Pact states and its designated area of operations was the Baltic Sea and the entrances to the Baltic Sea. Its task was to keep the sea lanes open for Soviet reinforcements, 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 heavily focused on extensive activities, carried out mainly by the minesweepers. The 6th Border Brigade had a responsibility for the prevention of ″republikflucht″. With effect from 1 November 1961 it was subordinated to the Peoples Navy and it had a substantial number of small patrol boats and surveillance posts along the coast. It was structured as follows, 1st Flotilla in Peenemünde, 4th Flotilla in Rostock-Warnemünde, 6th Flotilla at Bug on Rügen Island, most notable is Präsentiermarsch der Volksmarine, which was composed by Ludwig Schmidt for use at ceremonial events. Unsere Volksmarine was also written for use at parades, the instrumental pieces written for the Peoples Navy fell out of use after the reunification of Germany, and are not used by the modern German Navy
Volksmarine
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The
Koni class frigate Rostock
Volksmarine
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Insignia of the Volksmarine.
Volksmarine
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The
intelligence ship Jasmund
Volksmarine
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The Frosch II class support ship
Nordperd
19.
Badge of Honour of the Bundeswehr
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The Decorations of Honour of the Bundeswehr are a series of military decorations of the Bundeswehr, the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The first awards were made on November 6,1980, in 2008, the decorations were updated and received three grades exclusively reserved for heroic deeds. The new awards were the result of a petition by German citizens to restore the order of the Iron Cross, the decoration is awarded by the Federal Minister of Defence as a visible commendation for loyal service and exemplary execution of duties. The minister is represented by the commanding officer of the awarded soldier. Those awards made for outstanding achievements or heroic deeds, Honour Cross for Bravery, on July 6, Chancellor Angela Merkel awarded the bravery grade of the Ehrenkreuz der Bundeswehr to four troopers for valor beyond the call of duty performed in Afghanistan on October 20,2008. Receiving one grade of the award is not a requirement for receipt of the higher one. If earned, all grades of the award may be worn at the same time, the regular grades of the award for meritorious service may only be awarded after a certain time was served. In special cases they may be awarded prior to that and they are worn in full display on the day of the award or on special occasions. On regular duty they are worn as a ribbon bar, the Medal of Honour is round, shows a German eagle on a Cross pattée surrounded by a wreath of oak leaves. On the reverse it reads FÜR BESONDERE VERDIENSTE BUNDESWEHR, there is an oak leaf above the word Bundeswehr and that side is also surrounded by an oak leaves wreath. The four higher grades are in the shape of a cross and in the center is the design of the lowest medal. The ribbon is black with two red stripes beside it and golden stripes on the edges as the colors of the German flag, the new grades of the Silver Cross of Honour and the Gold Cross of Honour have a red edge. The design of the Gold Cross of Honour and the Cross of Honour for Bravery is the same, Decorations for meritorious service have been awarded since 1980 and are not rare. However, only 30 awards - of which 14 to foreign service members - have been bestowed upon soldiers for outstanding achievements, the Mungo infantry carrier the Germans had travelled in caught fire and large quantities of ammunition exploded. A German soldier and five Afghan children were killed by the blast. Three other troopers and a child were seriously injured, sergeants Berges, Dietzen, Lukács and Geist rushed to their aid and were eventually able to rescue two German soldiers and one child at the risk of their lives. They also succored another soldier who had suffered wounds and was trapped inside the destroyed vehicle. The combined forces - still greatly outnumbered - managed to fend off the attackers in a fight that partly developed into a close quarters combat, scores of insurgents were killed but thanks to Seiberts and Hechts leadership, the Germans suffered no casualties
Badge of Honour of the Bundeswehr
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Gold Cross of Honour, for exemplary and meritorious service
Badge of Honour of the Bundeswehr
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The 14 German Gold Cross during the award ceremony
20.
German Armed Forces Badge for Military Proficiency
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The German Armed Forces Badge for Military Proficiency is a decoration of the Bundeswehr, the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The decoration is awarded to and worn by German soldiers of all ranks, allied soldiers may also be awarded the badge, subject to their nations uniform regulations. In the United States Army, the German Armed Forces Badge for Military Proficiency is one of several hundred foreign awards approved for wear on the uniform, to earn the award one must complete the following requirements,1. Evaluation Report, Soldier evaluation report from Commanding Officer recognizing the Soldiers physical and moral standards, the purpose of the evaluation is to show evidence that the Soldier is both physically and morally fit. First Aid Course, Combat Lifesaver Training level 1 course or equivalent, NBC Test, Soldier must demonstrate that they can properly don a protective mask and all NBC protective clothing. Basic Fitness Test Three events completed within 90 minutes, 11x10-meter sprint test, in maximum time of 60 seconds b. Flexed Arm Hang keeping chin above bar, minimum time of five seconds, C.1000 meter run/sprint, maximum time of six minutes and thirty seconds The score for each event is determined using a grading point matrix. The scores are averaged to determine what level badge you qualify for. Marksmanship, In order to qualify for the German Armed Forces Badge for Military Proficiency and it does not matter which weapon is used to qualify. There are several possible shooting exercises the German Armed Forces use for each weapon which vary distance, number of targets, position of firing, for the Proficiency Badge, it is irrelevant which weapon category or exercise is used. Foot March Foot March with 15kg rucksack, for Bronze 6 km in 60 min, Silver 9 km in 90 min, Gold 12 km in 120 min, the march must be accomplished in military uniform and boots with a rucksack weighing no less than 15 kg.7. 100 meter swim in Military Uniform Swim is conducted in Military Uniform while wearing PT uniform underneath, there is a four-minute time limit for the swim. After swim is completed time stops, however you must also successfully remove your outer uniform without touching the side of the pool to pass, grade III = German Armed Forces Badge for Military Proficiency in Gold. Grade II = German Armed Forces Badge for Military Proficiency in Silver, grade I = German Armed Forces Badge for Military Proficiency in Bronze. The metallic badge is an approximately 55mm high by 43mm wide oval wreath of oak leaves with the German eagle at its center, the badge can be in gold, silver or bronze. A 1cm by 1cm square bearing a number in increments of five is added at the bottom when the gold badge is awarded for multiple years of achieving this grade. A capital letter R is added at the bottom for those who have earned the badge while a Reservist, Reservist recipients of the gold grade for multiple years receive a badge with the R at the bottom and the numbered square at the top of the badge. The ribbon is all black with a device in the shape
German Armed Forces Badge for Military Proficiency
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German Armed Forces Badge for Military Proficiency
German Armed Forces Badge for Military Proficiency
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German airborne officer wearing the gold level badge centered on his left breast pocket as prescribed by Bundeswehr dress regulations.
German Armed Forces Badge for Military Proficiency
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Placement of the badge on the US Army uniform.
21.
German Armed Forces Badge of Marksmanship
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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, 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 currently authorized to be worn on their uniforms, foreign military members also 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 often 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 later 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 Peoples Army and the Border Troops of the German Democratic Republic. 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 accept, but may not wear the Schuetzenschnur, in the United States Air Force, approval needs to be obtained prior to wear on the uniform. The receipt of the decoration in this manner does not constitute official acceptance. To gain official acceptance, the recipient must forward a request to accept, 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, 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, when authorized more than one decoration, wear them in the order earned. If authorized more than one foreign decoration from the same country, 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. Refers to paragraph 10.5.1.6 for wear location guidance, the previous version included verbiage 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, 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, pistol and machine pistol are the weapons that require minimally score of bronze
German Armed Forces Badge of Marksmanship
–
Schützenschnur
German Armed Forces Badge of Marksmanship
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Corporal from a Prussian infantry regiment wearing a Schützenschnur in 1894
German Armed Forces Badge of Marksmanship
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CSM William Joseph Gainey with
Bundeswehr Schützenschnur
German Armed Forces Badge of Marksmanship
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Class 1 (Bronze)
22.
German Armed Forces
–
The Bundeswehr is the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities. The States of Germany are not allowed to maintain armed forces of their own, the Bundeswehr is divided into a military part and a civil part with the armed forces administration. The military part of the defense force consists of the Heer, Marine, Luftwaffe, Streitkräftebasis, Zentraler Sanitätsdienst. In addition the Bundeswehr has approximately 27,600 reserve personnel. 2%, the Bundeswehr are in the process of integrating smaller NATO members Brigades into divisions of the German army. The Bundeswehr is to play a role as anchor army for smaller NATO states. 2 of 3 Royal Netherlands Army Brigades are now under German Command, in 2014 the 11th Airmobile Brigade, was integrated into the German Division of fast forces. Also the Dutch 43rd Mechanized Brigade, will be integrated into the 1st Panzer Division of the German army, with the integration starting at the beginning of 2016, and the unit becoming operational at the end of 2019. The Dutch-German military cooperation are seen as an example for setting up a European defense union, also the Czech Republics 4th Rapid Deployment Brigade, and Romania’s 81st Mechanized Brigade, will be integrated into Germany’s 10 Armoured Division and Rapid Response Forces Division. The name Bundeswehr was first proposed by the former Wehrmacht general and Liberal politician Hasso von Manteuffel, the Iron Cross is its official emblem. It is a symbol that has an association with the military of Germany. The Schwarzes Kreuz is derived from the black cross insignia of the medieval Teutonic knights, when the Bundeswehr was established in 1955, its founding principles were based on developing a completely new military force for the defence of West Germany. In this respect the Bundeswehr did not consider itself to be a successor to either the Reichswehr of the Weimar Republic or Hitlers Wehrmacht, neither does it adhere to the traditions of any former German military organization. One of the most visible traditions of the modern Bundeswehr is the Großer Zapfenstreich, the FRG reinstated this formal military ceremony in 1952, three years before the foundation of the Bundeswehr. Today it is performed by a band with 4 fanfare trumpeters and timpani. The Zapfenstreich is only performed during national celebrations or solemn public commemorations and it can honour distinguished persons present such as the German federal president or provide the conclusion to large military exercises. Another important tradition in the modern German armed forces is the Gelöbnis, there are two kinds of oath, for conscripts/recruits it is a pledge but its a solemn vow for full-time personnel. The pledge is made annually on 20 July, the date on which a group of Wehrmacht officers attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler in 1944, recruits from the Bundeswehrs Wachbataillon make their vow at the Bendlerblock in Berlin. This was the headquarters of the resistance but also where the officers were executed following its failure
German Armed Forces
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Großer Zapfenstreich
German Armed Forces
–
Insignia of the Bundeswehr
German Armed Forces
–
The Federal Republic of Germany joined
NATO in 1955.
German Armed Forces
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Leopard 2 tanks
23.
German language
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German is a West Germanic language that is mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, South Tyrol, the German-speaking Community of Belgium and it is also one of the three official languages of Luxembourg. Major languages which are most similar to German include other members of the West Germanic language branch, such as Afrikaans, Dutch, English, Luxembourgish and it is the second most widely spoken Germanic language, after English. One of the languages of the world, German is the first language of about 95 million people worldwide. The German speaking countries are ranked fifth in terms of publication of new books. German derives most of its vocabulary from the Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family, a portion of German words are derived from Latin and Greek, and fewer are borrowed from French and English. With slightly different standardized variants, German is a pluricentric language, like English, German is also notable for its broad spectrum of dialects, with many unique varieties existing in Europe and also other parts of the world. The history of the German language begins with the High German consonant shift during the migration period, when Martin Luther translated the Bible, he based his translation primarily on the standard bureaucratic language used in Saxony, also known as Meißner Deutsch. Copies of Luthers Bible featured a long list of glosses for each region that translated words which were unknown in the region into the regional dialect. Roman Catholics initially rejected Luthers translation, and tried to create their own Catholic standard of the German language – the difference in relation to Protestant German was minimal. It was not until the middle of the 18th century that a widely accepted standard was created, until about 1800, standard German was mainly a written language, in urban northern Germany, the local Low German dialects were spoken. Standard German, which was different, was often learned as a foreign language with uncertain pronunciation. Northern German pronunciation was considered the standard in prescriptive pronunciation guides though, however, German was the language of commerce and government in the Habsburg Empire, which encompassed a large area of Central and Eastern Europe. Until the mid-19th century, it was essentially the language of townspeople throughout most of the Empire and its use indicated that the speaker was a merchant or someone from an urban area, regardless of nationality. Some cities, such as Prague and Budapest, were gradually Germanized in the years after their incorporation into the Habsburg domain, others, such as Pozsony, were originally settled during the Habsburg period, and were primarily German at that time. Prague, Budapest and Bratislava as well as cities like Zagreb, the most comprehensive guide to the vocabulary of the German language is found within the Deutsches Wörterbuch. This dictionary was created by the Brothers Grimm and is composed of 16 parts which were issued between 1852 and 1860, in 1872, grammatical and orthographic rules first appeared in the Duden Handbook. In 1901, the 2nd Orthographical Conference ended with a standardization of the German language in its written form
German language
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Old Frisian (Alt-Friesisch)
German language
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The widespread popularity of the
Bible translated into German by
Martin Luther helped establish modern German
German language
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Examples of German language in
Namibian everyday life
German language
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German-language newspapers in the U.S. in 1922
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 until 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]_of_the_German_Navy_at_RIAT_Fairford_17July2017_arp.jpg)
Germany
