From Baird Maritime
When the Second World War broke out in 1939 the German navy was severely under-equipped. Despite the urgings and battle enthusiasm of Hitler, the war came eight or nine years too early for Gross Admiral Erich Raeder, the Commander of the German Navy.
While it had less than half of Raeder's desired surface fleet, it had a strong and effective submarine force and most of its surface ships were of high quality.
They did, therefore, represent a highly effective force. By succinctly describing the sixty-nine surface engagements fought by significant ships (i.e. larger than 500 tonnes) of the German navy, the author shows clearly just how effective that navy was. That is much more so than conventional wisdom has it.
His careful analysis shows the German navy's important contribution to its country's war effort. Indeed, he shows that it was second only to the British and Commonwealth navies in terms of naval surface engagements during the war.
A very useful and thought provoking analysis.
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