German battleship Deutschland


German battleship Deutschland - Definition

Deutschland ("Germany"), later re-named L�tzow, was the first German large armoured ship built after World War I.

Its keel was laid down in February, 1929, at the Deustche Werke in Kiel; it was launched in May, 1931. It completed fitting-out in late 1932, and its maiden voyage was in May, 1932.

Its size and characteristics where severely limited by the Treaty of Versailles, which limited Germany to ships of no more than 10,000 tons displacement. A number of technical innovations used by the Germans to build a formidable warship within this restricted weight. Even so, the Deutschland was 600 tons overweight, although for political reasons its announced displacement was always given as the 10,000 tons of the treaty limit.

Two other very similar (but not identical) ships were built in its class, the Admiral Graf Spee and the Admiral Scheer. The class was termed Panzerschiff ("armoured ship"); they were designated "pocket battleships" by the British because of their characteristics.

After the start of World War II, it was renamed from Deutschland to L�tzow in November, 1939 because Adolf Hitler feared that it might be sunk in the imminent invasion of Norway, causing a significant psychological and propoganda defeat if a ship with such a name were lost.

In February, 1940 it was re-classified as a heavy cruiser, and in April of that year it participated in the invasion of Norway. It participated in various minor events during the next years, but its only other significant service came starting in September, 1944 in the Baltic when it fired on land targets in support of the army, a service it would continue to supply in the coming months.

It was badly damaged by three 6-ton Tallboy bombs dropped by the Royal Air Force in April, 1945 as it lay off Swinem�nde, and it came to rest on the bottom. It was repaired, and then did further support of the army; it was finally scuttled by its crew in May.

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