KM Cruiser availability

[mescal]

Following the study of the cruiser availability for the different navies I started in this thread :
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 6&t=147340,
I have done the same for the Kriegsmarine cruisers :

Green : active service
Red : sunk
Orange : combat damage
Yellow : noncombat damage
Purple : Dockyard/Repair/Refit
Grey : building
Light Blue : trials/Shakedown; when the flag "T" is present : used as training ship
Brown : Reserve (flag "R"), or withdrawn from service (flag "W")

Note that I'm not absolutely sure of all the exact timings of status switch for all ships.
I did it to the best of my knowledge, but there remains grey areas, especially for the end of the war : how to categorize for example Leizig, which was damaged, however not under repair, but still effectively delivering fire support ?

KM_cruiser_avail1.jpg (35.66 KiB) Viewed 3736 times

KM_cruiser_avail2.jpg (29.14 KiB) Viewed 3737 times

KM_cruiser_avail3.jpg (24.49 KiB) Viewed 3738 times

As always, any feedback is appreciated.

[LWD]

Again a very nice chart.

You have a bunch of question marks for Koln. This site: http://www.german-navy.de/kriegsmarine/ ... tions.html
implies to me that at least some can be errased.

[mescal]

Hello,

german-navy is a website I used to double check my charts.
For Köln, they do not have any entry between Weserübung and sept. 1941 :

April 1940: Operation "Weserübung":
Part of Squadron 3 (Bergen), returns to Wilhelmshaven on April 11th.
Sep - Oct 1941: Supports army to take islands Dagö and Ösel, disabling Russian coastal batteries at Cape Ristna.

Since I had not been able to find anything convincing between those 2 dates, I chose to put it in green, but with a flag to indicate that I'm not sure.

[LWD]

Ah, I see. Being sonservative is commendable especially on things like this.

I have read that the German plans for Sea Lion involved the three CLs and a couple of fast liners faking landing attempts from the North Sea. This is some indication that they were available but is by no means clear. See:
http://www.axishistory.com/index.php?id=1145

Two days prior to the actual landings, the light cruisers Emden (Kapitän zur See Hans Mirow), Nürnberg (Kapitän zur See Leo Kreisch with Vizeadmiral Hubert Schmundt, the Commander of Cruisers, aboard) and Köln (Kapitän zur See Ernst Kratzenberg), the gunnery training ship Bremse and other light naval forces would escort the liners Europa, Bremen, Gneisenau and Potsdam, with 11 transport steamers, on Operation “Herbstreise” (Autumn Journey), a feint simulating a landing against the English east coast between Aberdeen and Newcastle.*** After turning about, the force would attempt the diversion again on the next day if necessary.

http://books.google.com/books?id=n8FULo ... t#PPT25,M1
also seams to at least imply she was available during that time frame.

[phylo_roadking]

Yes, I have a list of sunk and damaged KM vessels in the Norwegian Campaign beside me - and she's not mentioned in either category.

[Andy H]

From MJ Whitleys Cruisers of World War Two Pg52:-

After April 1940 Koln carried out a couple of minelaying tasks in the North Sea and Skagerrak in May and December, until allocated to training duties. This task was briefly interrupted by the invasion of Russia

Regards

Andy H

[Sid Guttridge]

Hi Mescal,

I really enjoy statistical material presented in tables of that sort. The more the merrier.

Cheers,

Sid.

[mescal]

More is on the way, but I'm currently working on the RN cruisers ... and there is a lot of them.

I've done such tables for the USN and KM; RN cruisers are in the works and probably coming in the next few weeks.
I have the data for IJN cruisers, so it might be done in a foreseeable future.
However i completely lack data regarding Italian cruisers.
If anyone has such data or is interested in doing a similar work, we would have an almost complete overview of all great navies (except French Navy, but it's a bit more complicated with this one)

[Andy H]

Hi Merscal

This site http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono ... erland.htm for which this link shows HMS Cumberlands detailed history, is a must for anyone seeking info on the RN vessels

Regards

Andy H

[mescal]

Hello Andy,

thank for the link, but I already know this site.
In fact this is my main input for the RN cruisers study.

But there is still information regarding 90+ ships to 'translate' into something more readable, and sometimes to confirm.

Edit :
I began to post data on Royal Navy in this thread :
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 6#p1279766

[Tony D.]

[b]Köln movements[/b]

On her return from Norway, she spent two weeks at Kiel before moving to Swinemunde where she remained until 11 May 1940. She then moved to Wilhelmshaven for operational duty with Gruppe (West). By 14 May, she was anchored at Wilhelmshaven and loaded with mines, but did not sail until the 16th due to bad weather. On that day, she put to sea to mine the Fisher Bank and returned without incident on the 18th. A second mission to the same area was successfully completed a few days later.

After this, she was ordered to the Baltic and spent a brief time with Schiffes Artillerie Schule (SAS) at Sassnitz. She then spent from mid June to mid August in the Kiel area, much of it in dockyard hands or at Deutsche Werke. She had a minor collision with U.70 on 16 August. From then until December, she spent most of her time in exercises and training in the southern Baltic. Located at Kiel at the beginning of December.

On 4 December she participated in an aborted mining operation off the entrance to the Skagerrak. Sent back to Swinemunde where she unloaded her mines and then remained in that area for a short time until reassigned to training duties. She remained in this role until assigned to Operation Barbarossa duties the following spring.

Data for the above primarily from "German Cruisers of World War Two" by M.J. Whitley.

[mescal]

Thank you for the input,
I updated my spreadsheet (but I will wait a little bit more before posting the fixed picture, in case other problems appear).

Note that I posted the same type of data for the Japanese Navy in the "Japan at war" section.

[Tony D.]

Leipzig after August 1943

Recommissioned on 1 August 1943 under the command of Kpt.z.S. Hulsemann. Assigned to training duties in the southern Baltic, command transferred to Kpt.z.S. Sporel on 26 August 1944. Remained on training duties until rammed by PE in October 1944.

Lutzow in March 1941

Lutzow remained in dockyard hands being repaired from torpedo damage received in April 1940 and did not recommission until 31 March 1941 under the command of Kpt.z.S Kreisch. She sailed for Gotenhafen on 9 April where she entered a working up period that lasted until 10 June when she sailed from Gotenhafen bound for Norway. She, of course, did not complete the trip.

Data from "German Cruisers" and "German Capital Ships" both by M.J. Whitley.