German destroyer Z39

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Z39 underway under American control, 1945
History
Nazi Germany
NameZ39
Ordered26 June 1939
BuilderGermaniawerft, Kiel
Yard numberG629
Laid down15 August 1940
Launched2 December 1941
Completed21 August 1943
FateTransferred to the United States Navy in 1945
History
United States
NameDD-939
Commissioned14 September 1945
FateTransferred to the French Navy.
History
France
NameQ-128
FateBroken up in 1964.
General characteristics (as built)
Class and typeType 1936A (Mob) destroyer
Displacement
  • 2,519 t (2,479 long tons; 2,777 short tons) (standard)
  • 3,691 t (3,633 long tons; 4,069 short tons) (full load)
Length
  • 121.9 m (399 ft 11 in) at Waterline
  • 127 m (416 ft 8 in) o/a
Beam12 m (39 ft 4 in)
Draught4 m (13 ft 1 in)
Installed power
Propulsion
Speed38.5 knots (71.3 km/h; 44.3 mph)
Range2,239 nmi (4,147 km; 2,577 mi) at 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph)
Complement332
Armament

Z39 was a Type 1936A (Mob) destroyer built for Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. She was laid down in August 1940 and completed three years later. Her anti-aircraft armament was modified extensively under Project Barbara. She served with the 6th Destroyer Flotilla her entire career, which she spent escorting transports in the Baltic Sea, laying mines, and bombarding land forces.

Over her career she laid numerous barrages of mines in the Baltic Sea, such as "Dorothea A", "Seeigel 6b", "Seeigel 3b", "Seeigel 7b/3", and "Seeigel 8b". In the last year of the war, Z39 helped escort steamships, which were evacuating German soldiers and civilians to Denmark. She was damaged twice, once from Soviet planes, while in Paldiski, and the other time from British planes, while in Kiel. She served with a total of three different countries: from 1943 to 1945 with the Kriegsmarine as Z39, from 1945 to 1947 with the US Navy as DD-939, and from 1948 to 1964 with the French Navy as Q-128.

Background

Destroyer Function

During World War Two, Destroyers served three basic functions: first, to act as screening ships to defend their fleets from enemy fleets, second, to attack the screening ships of enemy fleets, and third, to defend their fleet from submarines.[1] How the destroyers were actually used varied upon the country. Germany abandoned the third function almost entirely, which showed in German destroyers' lack of strong anti-submarine armament, preferring to rely upon a massive fleet of trawlers which had been requisitioned and re-fitted as minelayers. The role of the destroyer began to vary much more heavily as WW2 progressed; where the British destroyers were built for escorting fleets, defending them from enemy planes, and sinking submarines, the Germans had destroyers were built to escort fleets, or act as torpedo boats.[2]

Interbellum

After the end of World War One, Germany signed the Treaty of Versailles, which put heavy limits both upon the size and displacement of warships that Germany could possess. During the Interbellum, the period between the first and second world wars, almost all warship categories experienced a large growth in the average size of their ships, and the size of their armaments. As a result of the treaty, Germany could not possibly hope to compete with the ships of the Allied navies. Germany therefore began to ignore the treaties, at first covertly, but later openly after Hitler publicly denounced them. All German ships of the time had their displacements purposefully understated, so as to have their official sizes comply with the treaty. At first, these changes were made with the goal of being able to match or exceed the French and Polish destroyers, but later on, it was required that these destroyers be able to match British destroyers, a much harder goal.[3]

Due to the comparatively small number of German shipyards, compared to the British or French, Germany was forced to adopt a policy of overarming their destroyers, so that they bore similar armament to light cruisers, to compensate for their low numbers.[3] Several negative effects came with this however, such as making them slower, overweight, and less seaworthy.[4] Another problem that resulted was that, although the German heavy destroyers matched British light cruisers in armament, they were much less seaworthy, and had far worse facilities for control and use of their guns.[5]

Plan Z

Plan Z was a German naval re-armament plan, started in 1939, involving building ten battleships, four aircraft carriers, twelve battlecruisers, three pocket battleships, five heavy cruisers, forty-four light cruisers, sixty-eight destroyers, and 249 submarines. These ships were to be split into two battle fleets: a "Home Fleet", to tie down the British war fleet in the North Sea, and a "Raiding Fleet", to wage war upon British convoys.[6] Erich Raeder, the Grand Admiral of the Kriegsmarine, was assured by Hitler that war would not start until at least 1945. Raeder had wanted the deadline for Plan Z to be finished to be 1948, but Hitler lowered it to 1945. World War Two actually started in 1939, meaning that very few of Germany's heavy ships were finished in time for the start of the war.[7] Germany's main naval opponents, France and England, had together (compared to the number Germany had upon entry, in parentheses): 22 battleships (0), 7 carriers (0), 22 heavy cruisers (1), 61 light cruisers (6), 255 destroyers (34), 135 submarines (57, of which less than half could actually serve in the Atlantic or North Sea). Due to the severe advantage their enemies had, Raeder remarked that the Kriegsmarine could not hope to win, and thus the only course for them was to "die valiantly".[8]

Submarine Prioritization

Upon entry to the war, the Head of Submarine Operations, Karl Dönitz, estimated that in order to effectively use the submarine fleet to cut off England's trade, Germany would need 300 submarines. However, he had only 56 total submarines, 10 of which were not suitable for any action, and 30 of which could not serve in Atlantic conditions.[9] Throughout the war, Raeder, and Dönitz, who went on to succeed Raeder as Grand Admiral of the Kriegsmarine, increasingly canceled further work on Plan Z, which focused on building up the surface fleet, and prioritized work on the U-boats, in order to give balance to the navy as it was.[10][11] In August 1942, after a string of embarrassing losses for the surface fleet—the sinking of the German battleship Bismarck, and the severe damaging of the German battleship Scharnhorst—Hitler declared that he believed that "all [naval] resources" should go to the U-Boat programme.[12] This led to disagreements between Raeder and Hitler, ending in Raeder's forced resignation in December of that year. He was replaced by Donitz, who, as the former head of U-Boat Operations, was in favor of Hitler's submarine-centric strategy.[13] In April 1943, Doenitz released a new construction programme, which totally replaced that of the old one, which had focused on auxiliary ships and light surface forces. This new plan focused mainly on submarines, with an ideal output of 360 submarines per year.[14]

Design and armament

Z39 was 121.9 metres (400 ft) long at the waterline and 127 metres (417 ft) long overall, had a beam of 12 metres (39 ft), and a draught of 4 metres (13 ft). She had a displacement of 2,519 tonnes (2,479 long tons; 2,777 short tons) at standard load, and 3,691 tonnes (3,633 long tons; 4,069 short tons) at full load. She had a complement of 332.[15][16]

Before her Barbara Project modifications, was armed with seven 2 cm (0.8 in) anti-aircraft guns,[a] two twin 3.7 cm (1.5 in) anti-aircraft guns, a twin 15-centimetre (5.9 in) L/48 gun on a turret forward,[b] three single 15-centimetre (5.9 in) L/48 guns in a gunhouse aft, two quadruple 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes, and carried 60 mines. She had the Greek coat of arms on either side of her 15-centimetre (6 in) twin turret.[17] After the modifications, she carried eighteen 2 cm guns, fourteen 3.7 cm guns, and the rest of her armament remained unchanged.[18][15][19][20]

Her propulsion system consisted of six Wagner boilers feeding high-pressure superheated steam (at 70 atm (1,029 psi; 7,093 kPa) and 450 °C (842 °F)) to two sets of Wagner geared steam turbines.[21][22] These gave the ship a rated power of 70,000 shaft horsepower (52,000 kW), and a top speed of 38.5 knots (71.3 km/h; 44.3 mph). She had a range of 2,239 nautical miles (4,147 km; 2,577 mi), at her cruising speed of 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph).[23][15]

Z39's sensor suite included a FuMO 21 radar, which was placed on the ship's bridge, and four FuMB4 Sumatra aerials on the foremast searchlights.[c] She also had several other radars and radar detectors, including a FuMB 3 Bali and FuMO 81 Berlin-S on her masthead, and a FuMO 63 Hohentwei.[25] She also had a degaussing cable which wrapped around the entire ship, but was covered by her spray deflector.[26]

Service history

Z39 was ordered on 26 June 1939, laid down by Germaniawerft in Yard G629 in Kiel on 15 August 1940, launched on 2 December 1941, and was commissioned on 21 August 1943.[27][28] Her commissioning had been delayed by lengthy construction times, and Z39 was not fully operational until 7 January 1944.[29] These construction issues were due to multiple reasons. One was the fact that the German shipyards were not prepared to support the rapid expansion of the Kriegsmarine called for by Plan Z. The management of both the shipyards and the naval construction bureaus were placed under heavy strain due to the large number of ships being produced. Another main issue was the lack of experience among the workers. German military naval engineers had been dormant for nearly a decade, and even during the Reichsmarine (the interwar fleet), much of the navy's large ships were old ships built before or during World War I, so any naval construction done was in the creation of small ships. Additionally, technological difference between building merchant ships, which the naval engineers had become accustomed to building, and warships caused problems, as the warships were built by welding rather than riveting. Welding made for a lighter and stronger hull, but the practice also required skilled welders, something Germany did not possess until the mid 1940s, by which time the war was nearly over.[30] The Kriegsmarine also had the smallest number of workers by far. Near the end of the war, the Wehrmacht had 1.9 million workers, and the Luftwaffe had 2 million workers, while the Kriegsmarine had only 500,000 workers.[31] The construction was further delayed due to the shortage of steel allocated to the Kriegsmarine. During the war, Hitler refused to lower steel allocation to the civilian sector, which forced the military branches to ration steel. The Kriegsmarine, which already received very little of the steel, was forced to cut programs in order to make do.[32]

Project Barbara

At some point between her launching and commissioning, she was modified under Project Barbara with the addition of 2 cm (0.8 in) anti-aircraft (AA) guns and 3.7 cm (1.5 in) anti-aircraft guns.[29] Project Barbara was started during World War Two, after it became woefully clear that the German destroyers had severely insufficient anti-aircraft capabilities. During this project, numerous 20 millimetres (0.79 in) anti-aircraft guns were to be added to all of the surface ships, including the destroyers. In 1944 a subproject was set up, to give small ships, including destroyers, 37 mm (1.5 in) Flak M42 anti-aircraft guns. In mid–1941, the decision was made to upgrade existing 37mm guns to either 40 mm (1.6 in) or 50 mm (2.0 in) guns. The decision was made to use the 55 mm (2.2 in) Gerät 58 anti-aircraft guns, which were in development, and which were to be able to fire 2 kilograms (4.4 lb) at a rate of either 120 or 150 rounds per minute, and to be capable of single shot fire. It was to be gas operated and able to work on a triaxial or quad-axial mount. This project never reached fruition, and no guns of the type were ever mounted. Later on, the decision was made to replace all 20mm guns with 30 mm (1.2 in) guns, but this too was not completed.[33]

As part of the Barbara Program, Z39 had three pairs of two twin 3.7 cm (1.5 in) guns added, one pair forward of her bridge, one pair abreast after her funnel, and one pair abreast forward of her funnel. She had one pair of single 3.7 cm (1.5 in) guns added on to her after funnel platform. She had a pair of twin 2 cm (0.8 in) guns added to her bridge wings. She had a pair of quadruple 2 cm (0.8 in) guns and a pair of single 2 cm (0.8 in) guns added to an extended deckhouse in her No. 3 gun position.[18] After these changes, she began minelaying operations in the Skagerrak, and the Kattegat, until March, when she was transferred to Reval, off the Gulf of Finland.[34]

German service

After this move, she served in the 6th Destroyer Flotilla, alongside German destroyers Z25, Z28, and Z35.[35] Between 12 and 13 February German destroyers Z15 Erich Steinbrinck, Z28, Z39, and German minelayers Brummer, Linz, and Roland laid mines in the "Dorothea A" barrage.[36] On 10 March, she took part in minelaying operations, alongside her fellow destroyers Z25 and Z35.[37] Between 11 and 12 March she bombarded Soviet forces near Narva-Jõesuu.[34][38] From 13 March to 22 April she took part in six different minelaying operations.[34] One such operation lasted from 13 to 14 April, in which German destroyers Z28, Z35, Z39, German minelayers Brummer, Linz, Roland, T30, M14, and M22 laid the "Seeigel 6b" mine barrage, south of Suur Tyärsaari. From 16 to 17 April, Z28, Z35, Z39, Brummer, Linz, Roland, T30, German minelayers R69, and R73 laid the "Seeigel 3b" barrage off of Vigrund island, in Narva Bay. A smokescreen was laid during the operation in order to prevent the ships from being shelled by Soviet coastal artillery. An operation from 21 to 22 April, involving Z28, Z35, Z39, Brummer, Linz, Roland, T30, German minelayers M20, and M37, was cancelled midway due to Roland hitting a mine and then sinking. From 23 to 24 April, Z28, Z35, Z39, Brummer, Linz, T30, German minelayers M204, R69, R70, R72, and R127 laid the "Seeigel 7b/3" barrage, in Narva Bay. From 25 to 26 April Z28, Z35, Z39, Brummer, Linz, M20, M204, T30, R70, R72, German minelayers R119, and R127 laid the "Seeigel 8b" barrage, southwest of Suur Tyärsaari. During the operations between 13 and 26 April, a total of 2,831 mines and 1,174 sweep detonators were laid.[39]

On 23 June of the same year, she was damaged by Soviet bombers while moored off of Paldiski, and was escorted to Libau by Z28.[40][37] After reaching Libau on 29 June, Z39 made her way to Kiel for repairs, by way of the Piast Canal, near Swinemünde. While at port in Kiel, on 24 July she was hit by a bomb when the British air force bombed Kiel Harbour, which caused damage to her quarterdeck, leading to her having to be towed back to Swinemünde.[37][41] She was repaired using parts cannibalised from Z44 and Z45. Z44 had been damaged in an air raid on 29 July, while in Bremen, and sunk so that only her superstructure remained above water, and Z45 was being built.[42] Z39 had been repaired enough to be seaworthy on 28 February 1945, and was ordered to sail to Copenhagen for more extensive repairs, but due to Nazi Germany's lack of fuel, she sailed to Sassnitz instead.[37] During this time, the Kriegsmarine, which had always been suffered shortages in oil, reached critically low levels of oil supply. This was due to several reasons. One was the damage inflicted upon Germany's domestic oil industry by the British, and other allies, from 1944 to the end of the war. This bombing caused German production of diesel oil in 1944 to fall by 30%, and led to heavy and diesel oil being rationed to the military from 1 July and 1 August 1944, respectively. Additionally, during this time the German railways were similarly bombed, crippling the German's ability to transport coal, which led to problems with the Kriegsmarine's coal fired ships.[43] Most crippling of all was the loss of the shale deposits between Narva and Tallinn, and the Romanian oil fields, to the Soviet troops, both in the summer of 1944.[44][45] On 25 March, Z39 finished repairs, while in Swinemünde, and resumed operations on 1 April. From 5 April to 7 April, she escorted transports and parts of Task Force Thiele around the Bay of Danzig.[37] From 8 April to 9 April, she provided naval gunfire support for the German army.[46] On 10 April she and T33 escorted the German destroyer Z43, which had sustained damage from both mines and bombs,[47] to Warnemünde and Swinemünde.[48]

From 1944 German surface ships were called upon to provide support the Army Group North, along the Baltic Sea coast. This often involved shelling land targets, something the German ship crews had no training in. This tactical use of cruisers, destroyers and torpedo boats was difficult in the restrictive waterways of the Baltic, but, despite the difficulties and the casualties, it justified the continued existence of the surface fleet. The Soviet Union's continued advances along the east Baltic coast also spurred this change.[49] From the spring of 1945 to near the end of the war, the Kriegsmarine became almost entirely focused upon resupplying and supporting garrisons along the Baltic Coast, and later on, after March, the Kriegsmarine embarked upon the task of evacuating hundreds of thousands of civilians and soldiers from the east, ahead of the Soviet forces which were rapidly pushing westward.[50] Z39 took part in a number of these evacuation operations. On 15 April German destroyers Z5, Z34, and Z39, German minelayers T23, T28, T33, and T36 escort German steamships Matthias Stinnes, Eberhart Essberger, Pretoria and Askari to Copenhagen, with a total of 20,000 refugees.[47] On 2 May she shelled Soviet Army forces from the Oder estuary. On 3 May she, alongside the battleship Schlesien, moved to protect the bridge across the Peene river at Wolgast. After Schlesien hit a mine near Greifswalder Oie on the same day, Z39 towed her to Swinemünde, where Schlesien was deliberately grounded. The ship was placed so that her guns could fire on and defend roads leading into the city. One day later, Z34, Z38, Z39, Z43, T33, T36, ship tender Jagd, German auxiliary cruiser Orion, anti-aircraft ship Hummel, and five steamer ships, sailed for Copenhagen, taking 35,000 wounded soldiers and refugees with them.[51][48] On 8 May, Z6, Z10, Z14, Z20, Z25, Z38, Z39, T17, T19, T23, T28, and T33 set sail with 20,000 soldiers and civilians, from Hela to Glücksburg, and arrived on May 9.[48][52] She was decommissioned from the Kriegsmarine on 10 May 1945 at Kiel.[48]

American service

At some point after the war had ended, Z39 was sailed by a mixed German and British crew to Wilhelmshaven, and then, on 6 July 1945, to Plymouth.[48] The US claimed her as a prize ship on 12 July.[53] She left England on 30 July, and arrived in Boston on 7 August, where, on 14 September, after extensive trials, she was commissioned into the US Navy as DD-939.[48] She was used by the US Navy in order to test her equipment, namely her high-pressure steam propulsion plant.[54] In late 1947, the US Navy deemed her obsolete, and transferred her to the French Navy. After arriving in Casablanca in January 1948, she sailed to Toulon, redesignated Q-128, and was cannibalised for her parts, which were used to repair the French destroyers Kléber (ex-Z6 Theodor Riedel), Hoche (ex-Z25), and Marceau (ex-Z31).[48] She served as a pontoon for minesweepers near Brest, until she was broken up in 1964.[55]

Notes

  1. ^ SK – Schnelladekanone (quick loading cannon); C – Construktionsjahr (year of guns design).
  2. ^ L – Länge in Kaliber (length in caliber).
  3. ^ FuMO (Funkmessortung) means Radar device, FuMB (Funkmessbeobachter) means Radar detector.[24]

References

Citations

  1. ^ Whitley 1988, p. 12.
  2. ^ Whitley 1988, p. 13.
  3. ^ a b Whitley 1988, p. 56.
  4. ^ Whitley 1988, pp. 56–57.
  5. ^ Whitley 1988, p. 57.
  6. ^ Miller 1997, p. 33.
  7. ^ Tucker 2011, p. xxvii.
  8. ^ Miller 1997, p. 34.
  9. ^ Tucker 2011, pp. xxvii–xxviii.
  10. ^ Tucker 2011, p. xxviii.
  11. ^ Haslop 2013, p. 19.
  12. ^ Haslop 2013, p. 14.
  13. ^ Haslop 2013, pp. 14–15.
  14. ^ Haslop 2013, p. 22.
  15. ^ a b c Showell 2009, p. 165.
  16. ^ Koop & Schmolke 2003, p. 26.
  17. ^ Koop & Schmolke 2003, p. 75.
  18. ^ a b Whitley 1991, p. 75.
  19. ^ Koop & Schmolke 2003, p. 34.
  20. ^ Gröner 1990, p. 203.
  21. ^ Koop & Schmolke 2003, pp. 42–42.
  22. ^ Lenton 1975, p. 75.
  23. ^ Koop & Schmolke 2003, pp. 27 & 75.
  24. ^ Stern 2015, p. xix.
  25. ^ Koop & Schmolke 2003, p. 40.
  26. ^ Koop & Schmolke 2003, p. 33.
  27. ^ Whitley 1983, p. 278.
  28. ^ Whitley 1991, p. 38.
  29. ^ a b Chesneau 1980, p. 234.
  30. ^ Zabecki 2015, p. 1245.
  31. ^ O'Brien 2015, p. 26.
  32. ^ Zabecki 2015, p. 797.
  33. ^ Friedman 2014, p. 281.
  34. ^ a b c Both 1999, p. 135.
  35. ^ Jackson 2001, p. 150.
  36. ^ Rohwer 2005, p. 306.
  37. ^ a b c d e Koop & Schmolke 2003, p. 118.
  38. ^ Rohwer 2005, p. 311.
  39. ^ Rohwer 2005, p. 318.
  40. ^ Rohwer 2005, p. 337.
  41. ^ Rohwer 2005, p. 344.
  42. ^ Whitley 1991, p. 37.
  43. ^ Grooss 2017, p. 249.
  44. ^ Grooss 2017, p. 240.
  45. ^ Zaloga 2011, p. 39.
  46. ^ Koop & Schmolke 2003, pp. 118–119.
  47. ^ a b Rohwer 2005, p. 398.
  48. ^ a b c d e f g Koop & Schmolke 2003, p. 119.
  49. ^ Vego 2013, p. 271.
  50. ^ Thomas 1990, p. 250.
  51. ^ Rohwer 2005, p. 410.
  52. ^ Rohwer 2005, p. 414.
  53. ^ Silverstone 2012, p. 89.
  54. ^ Bauer & Roberts 1991, p. 207.
  55. ^ Jourdan & Moulin 2015, p. 284.

Books

  • Bauer, K. Jack; Roberts, Stephen S. (1991). Register of Ships of the US Navy: 1775–1990: Major Combatants. New York: Greenwood Press. ISBN 9780313262029. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Both, Gerhard (1999). Without Hindsight: Reminiscences of a German Naval Ensign. London: Janus. ISBN 978-1-85756-416-7. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Chesneau, Roger (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1922–1946. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 9780851771465. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Friedman, Norman (2014). Naval Anti-Aircraft Guns and Gunnery. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 9781612519579. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Gröner, Erich (1990). German Warships: 1815–1945, Major Surface Warships. Vol. I. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-0-87021-790-6. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Grooss, Poul (2017). The Naval War in the Baltic 1939 -1945. Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 9781526700032. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Haslop, Dennis (2013). Britain, Germany and the Battle of the Atlantic A Comparative Study. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781472511638. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Jackson, Robert (2001). Kriegsmarine: The Illustrated History of the German Navy in World War II. London: Aurum. ISBN 9781854107466. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Jourdan, John; Moulin, Jean (2015). French Destroyers: Torpilleurs d'Escadre and Contre-Torpilleurs,1922–1956 [French Destroyers: Squadron Torpedo Boats and Destroyers]. Barnsley: Seaforth. ISBN 978-1-84832-198-4. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Koop, Gerhard; Schmolke, Klaus-Peter (2003). German Destroyers of World War II. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-307-9. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help); Unknown parameter |lastauthoramp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help)
  • Lenton, H. T. (1975). German Warships of the Second World War. London: Macdonald and Jane's. ISBN 0356-04661-3. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Miller, Nathan (1997). War at Sea: A Naval History of World War II. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195110388. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • O'Brien, Phillips Payson (2015). How the War Was Won. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781107014756. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Rohwer, Jürgen (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (3rd rev. ed.). Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-119-8. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Showell, Jak Mallmann (2009). Hitler's Navy: A Reference Guide to the Kriegsmarine 1935–1945. Annapolis: Seaforth. ISBN 978-1-78346-451-7. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Silverstone, Paul (2012). The Navy of World War II, 1922–1947. New York: Routledge. ISBN 9781135864729. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Stern, Robert C. (2015). Big Gun Battles: Warship Duels of the Second World War. Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 9781848321533. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Thomas, Charles S. (1990). The German Navy in the Nazi era. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 9780870217913. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Tucker, Spencer C. (2011). World War II At Sea: An Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, LLC. ISBN 9781598844573. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Vego, Milan N. (2013). Naval Strategy and Operations in Narrow Seas. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis. ISBN 9781136317941. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Whitley, M. J. (1983). Destroyer!: German Destroyers in World War II. London: Arms and Armour. ISBN 9780853682585. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Whitley, M.J. (1988). Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-0870213267. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Whitley, M. J. (1991). German Destroyers of World War Two. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-55750-302-2. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Zabecki, David T. (2015). World War II in Europe: An Encyclopedia. Routledge: Routledge. ISBN 9781135812492. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Zaloga, Steven J. (2011). Eisenhower. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781849083607. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

External links

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