German Pocket Battleships

Introduction

by David Tinny


Although popularly known as pocket battleships, the Germans referred to the ships of the Deutschland class as 'armored ships' until February of 1940, when they reclassified them as heavy cruisers. With the same size and protection as heavy cruisers of other countries, they were a little slower but carried guns of significantly larger size. Their greatest asset, however, were their diesel engines, which gave them great range, perfect for commerce raiding.

The German fleet put three pocket battleships to sea in World War II: Admiral Scheer, Admiral Graf Spee, and Deutschland (or Lutzow). As a group this triumvirate enjoyed mixed success at best. Here we review their exploits individually.


Jumbo Ship (81K)

More WWII German Pocket Battleships

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