By Blaine Taylor
April 1, 1939, was a red-letter day in the history of the reborn German Kriegsmarine for two key reasons. First, Reich Chancellor Adolf Hitler presented the fleet’s chief, Erich Raeder, with an ornate, icon-studded Navy blue baton of office as the first grand admiral since the days of   More »

Not even the timely intervention of the British Expeditionary Force could prevent France and Belgium from falling to the 1940 German Blitzkrieg.   More »

Britain appeared doomed until the German naval codes were cracked.   More »

Scandinavian volunteers took part in Nazi Germany’s 1942 summer offensive against the Soviets—and paid a heavy price at the Demyansk Pocket.   More »

As France fell in 1940, the British military saw the need for irregular warfare units that could conduct bold raids behind enemy lines.   More »

The German battle cruiser Scharnhorst was plagued by hard luck throughout her career.   More »

Prior to his arrival in North Africa, the British commander primarily led Indian troops and performed well in difficult circumstances during the campaign in Norway.   More »

The heroics of British Royal Navy armed merchant cruisers Rawalpindi and Jervis Bay were indicative of the courage displayed by the little vessels defending the convoys.   More »

Königsberg, the German cruiser, made history during the Nazi invasion of Norway. Read all about it below.   More »

During World War II, a particularly costly naval disaster in the Drøbak Strait slowed the German conquest of Norway.   More »