If Kreigmarine operated on coal.

[Nodeo-Franvier]

If Kreigmarine merchant fleet operated on coal instead of oil would this alleviate German fuel problem and allow their merchant fleet to undertake more missions?

[thaddeus_c]

If Kreigmarine merchant fleet operated on coal instead of oil would this alleviate German fuel problem and allow their merchant fleet to undertake more missions?

merchant fleet usually refers to commercial ships not the warships of the Kriegsmarine, although during wartime they did employ converted commercial ships.

historically the KM did employ a large number of coal-fired vessels, the M-class and some trawler type ships.

[OldBill]

What kind of missions were you thinking of? Most German merchantmen were in the Baltic, and never went all that far, relatively speaking. Mines and aircraft were the biggest enemies, the type of fuel didn't really affect them.