Plan Z was the name given to the planned re-equipment and expansion of the Kriegsmarine from 1935 onwards. The Kriegsmarine (or War Navy) was the name of the German Navy between 1935 and 1945, during the Nazi regime, superseding the Reichsmarine. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar). ...

After World War I

Following the end of the First World War, the German armed forces became subject to the stipulations of the Treaty of Versailles. For the navy, this meant it was restricted to six armoured warships ("panzerschiffe"), six cruisers, twelve destroyers and twelve torpedo-boats. With the scuttling of the majority of the High Seas Fleet at Scapa Flow, new construction was needed. The first major ship to be built after the war was the light cruiser Emden. This was followed by a further three light cruisers of the "K class", Königsberg, Karlsruhe and Köln, and a further two ships that were modified versions of the "K class", Leipzig and Nürnberg. The Treaty also stipulated that Germany could replace its armoured ships as needed, but with vessels that were not more than 10,000 tons. So, the panzerschiff concept was thought up - this was designed primarily as an aggressor towards merchant shipping, with the proviso that it be "stronger than faster enemies" (cruisers) and "faster than stronger enemies" (battleships). This led to the Deutschland, a ship with six 11-inch guns and a speed of 28 knots. Two further units, Admiral Scheer and Admiral Graf Spee followed. These were called "pocket battleships" in the outside world. Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... The Treaty of Versailles (1919) was the peace treaty which officially ended World War I between the Allied and Associated Powers and Germany. ... Pocket battleship is the British Royal Navy description for a class of warships built by German Reichsmarine in accordance with restrictions imposed by the Treaty of Versailles. ... The USS Port Royal (CG-73), a Ticonderoga class cruiser. ... USS Lassen, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet or battle group and defend them against smaller, short-range attackers (originally torpedo boats, later submarines and aircraft). ... German battlecruiser Derfflinger scuttled at Scapa Flow. ... Aerial Photo of Scapa Flow Scapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. ... A light cruiser is a warship that is not so large and powerful as a regular (or heavy) cruiser, but still larger than ships like destroyers. ... This article refers to the third German cruiser to bear the name Emden. ... The K class was a class of light cruisers of the German Reichsmarine and Kriegsmarine, consisting of three ships named after German cities starting with the letter K: Königsberg, Karlsruhe, Köln. ... Königsberg was a light cruiser of the K class in the German Reichsmarine and Kriegsmarine. ... Karlsruhe was a light cruiser of the German K class in World War II, the other ships in class being Königsberg and Köln. ... Köln was a German light cruiser prior to and during World War II, one of three K-Class cruisers named after cities starting with the letter K. This ship was named after the city of Köln (Cologne). ... The German light cruiser Leipzig was the lead ship of her class (Nürnberg was her improved sister ship). ... The Nürnberg, was a German light cruiser of the Leipzig class named after the city of Nuremberg. ... Deutschland (Germany), later re-named Lützow, was the first German large armoured ship built after World War I. Its keel was laid down in February 1929, at the Deustche Werke shipyard in Kiel; it was launched in May 1931. ... Admiral Scheer, a pocket battleship, was built in 1933 and named after Admiral Reinhard Scheer. ... Admiral Graf Spee was a pocket battleship (Panzerschiff, later reclassified as heavy cruiser) launched by Germany in 1934 and named after the World War I Admiral Graf Maximilian von Spee who died in the first Battle of the Falkland Islands on 8 December 1914. ... Pocket battleship is an English language term for a class of warships built by German Reichsmarine in accordance with restrictions imposed by the Treaty of Versailles. ...

Nazi rise to power

In 1933, Adolf Hitler became the Chancellor of Germany. He withdrew from the stipulations of the Treaty of Versailles and began the systematic re-building of the armed forces. The prestige brought by the panzerschiffe led to two improved vessels, Panzerschiffe D & E to be ordered - these became the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, which were bigger than their predecessors, with nine instead of six guns. At the same time, studies were made into the construction of two even bigger vessels. These were initially going to be panzerschiffe with 13" guns, but with the improvements to the French fleet at the time, the new ships were redesigned as full schlachtschiffe (battleships). At this time, it was decided to embark on a large scale re-building of the German Navy, and so Plan Z was evolved. 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... Hitler redirects here. ... Scharnhorst was a 31,500 tonne Gneisenau class battlecruiser of the German Kriegsmarine, named after the Prussian general and army reformer Gerhard von Scharnhorst and to commemorate the World War I armored cruiser SMS Scharnhorst. ... Gneisenau was a famous World War II 31,100 ton Gneisenau class battlecruiser[1] of the German Kriegsmarine. ...

Plan: Battle Fleet v U-Boat

Within the Kriegsmarine, two bodies of opinion were massed as to the direction of the re-equipment of the Navy:

• A large battle fleet capable of taking on the most powerful prospective opponents (Britain and France).
• A large force of U-Boats and medium sized warships such as the panzerschiffe for destruction of the enemys commercial shipping.

However, it was pointed out that in order to carry out commerce raiding in the Atlantic Ocean, German ships would have to pass through the North Sea, which was likely to be filled with British battleships. So, the large fleet option was the one chosen. October 1939. ... The North Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, located between the coasts of Norway and Denmark in the east, the coast of the British Isles in the west, and the German, Dutch, Belgian and French coasts in the south. ...

The Plan

The plan as it came about would have seen the completion of the two battleships under construction (Bismarck and Tirpitz) to an interim design, as well as three heavy cruisers (Admiral Hipper, Blücher and Prinz Eugen), plus a further two launched in 1939, before the major construction work began. The plan was then to have the majority finished by 1945: The German battleship Bismarck is one of the most famous warships of the Second World War. ... Tirpitz was the second Bismarck class battleship of the German Kriegsmarine, sistership of Bismarck. ... The German heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper fought as part of the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. She was named after Admiral Ritter von Hipper, commander of the German battlecruiser squadron during the Battle of Jutland in 1916 and later commander-in-chief of the German High Seas Fleet. ... The German heavy cruiser Blücher ¹ was the German Kriegsmarines newest ship at the outbreak of World War II. The Blücher is most notable for being sunk on April 9, 1940, less than three years after her launch, on the first day of the invasion of Norway (Operation... The German cruiser Prinz Eugen (pron. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ...

• Four aircraft carriers
• Six H Class battleships
• Three "O Class" battlecruisers
• Twelve "Kreuzer P Class" Panzerschiffe
• Two Hipper Class heavy cruisers (Seydlitz, and Lützow)
• Four "M Class" light cruisers
• Two "Improved M Class" light cruisers
• Six " Spähkreuzer Class" large destroyers

The first work saw construction begin on the aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin in 1936, with a second planned to begin in 1938. In mid 1939, following the launch of both Bismarck and Tirpitz, the keels of the first three improved battleships were laid, while orders were placed for the modified Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters and Junkers Ju87 dive bombers for the aircraft carriers. However, with the outbreak of the Second World War, it was decided that the large and expensive construction projects required too much of the materials vital to keep the army and Luftwaffe up and running. As a consequence, work on the battleships was halted, and the materials were diverted to the construction of U-Boats. Graf Zeppelin was an aircraft carrier of the Kriegsmarine, named like the famous airship in honour of Graf (Count) Ferdinand von Zeppelin. ... The H-39 design was a type of battleship proposed by Nazi Germany before the outbreak of World War II. This was basically an enlarged version of the Bismarck class battleship, and was designed as part of the proposed Plan Z fleet. ... O Class Battlecruisers In addition to the battleships of the H-Class, a group of 12 new armored ships (Kreuzer P Class), successors to the famous Admiral Graf Spee , Admiral Scheer and Lützow , were part of the Plan Z fleet. ... Panzerschiff Kreuzer P Class In 1938 the first design studies for a Panzerschiff successor were made. ... The Admiral Hipper class was a series of five heavy cruisers of which three served with the Kriegsmarine of Germany in World War II, one was sold unfinished to the Soviet Union in 1939, and one was converted to an aircraft carrier but never completed. ... Seydlitz was a heavy cruiser, third in the Hipper class, but before her completion was selected to be converted into a small aircraft carrier. ... The Lützow was a German Admiral Hipper class heavy cruiser. ... Leichte Kreuzer M-Class (M,N,O,P) Early as spring of 1936, design studies for a new class of light cruisers started. ... Leichte Kreuzer M-Class (M,N,O,P) Early as spring of 1936, design studies for a new class of light cruisers started. ... Spähkreuzer 1938 Although called Spähkreuzer - Reconnaissance Cruiser - those ships were basically large destroyers capable for Atlantic Operations. ... Graf Zeppelin was an aircraft carrier of the Kriegsmarine, named like the famous airship in honour of Graf (Count) Ferdinand von Zeppelin. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Year 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The German battleship Bismarck is one of the most famous warships of the Second World War. ... Tirpitz was the second Bismarck class battleship of the German Kriegsmarine, sistership of Bismarck. ... German Airfield, France, 1941 propaganda photo of the Luftwaffe, Bf 109 fighters on the tarmac The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt in the early 1930s. ... Junkers Ju 87 Dive-Bombers The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka was the most famous Sturzkampfflugzeug (German dive bomber) in World War II, instantly recognisable by its inverted gull-wings and fixed undercarriage. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... The Deutsche Luftwaffe or   (German: air force, literally Air Weapon IPA: ) is the commonly used term for the German air force. ...

See also

• NV Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw