Kriegsmarine

Though the German Navy's World War II surface fleet was relatively small, ships like the Graf Spee, Bismarck, and Tirpitz tied down a substantial portion of Allied naval resources for much of the war, while its U-boat fleet wreaked terror with merchant vessels and nearly starved Britain into surrender. This pictorial record explains the Kriegsmarine's World War I roots and its rebuilding in contravention to the Treaty of Versailles before going on to examine the rebirth of the German U-boat fleet, the use of commerce raiders like the Atlantis and Komet, the naval campaigns in which the German navy participated, and Kriegsmarine leaders. Everything from small coastal vessels to U-boats to giant battleships are illustrated with previously unpublished images of the Kriegsmarine in action.