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Mediterranean U-boat Campaign (World War II)
The Mediterranean U-boat Campaign lasted from about 21 September 1941 to 19 September 1944 during the Second World War. Malta was an active British base strategically located near supply routes from Europe to North Africa. Axis supply convoys across the Mediterranean Sea suffered severe losses, which in turn threatened the fighting ability of the Axis armies in North Africa. The Allies were able to keep their North African armies supplied. The ''Kriegsmarine'' tried to isolate Malta but later it concentrated its U-boat operations on disrupting Allied landing operations in southern Europe. Some 60 German U-boats made the hazardous passage into the Mediterranean Sea from 1941. Only one completed the journey both ways. Karl Dönitz, the Commander-in-Chief, U-boats, ''Befehlshaber der Unterseeboote'' (BdU) was always reluctant to send his boats into the ''Mittelmeer'' but he recognised that natural bottlenecks such as the Straits of Gibraltar were more likely to result in shipping bei ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Battle Of The Mediterranean
The Battle of the Mediterranean was the name given to the naval campaign fought in the Mediterranean Sea during World War II, from 10 June 1940 to 2 May 1945. For the most part, the campaign was fought between the Kingdom of Italy, Italian Regia Marina, Royal Navy (''Regia Marina''), supported by other Axis Powers, Axis naval and air forces, those of Nazi Germany and Vichy France, and the United Kingdom, British Royal Navy, supported by other Allies of World War II, Allied naval forces, such as those of Australia, the Netherlands, Poland, and Kingdom of Greece, Greece. American naval and air units joined the Allied side on 8 November 1942. The Vichy French Scuttling of the French fleet at Toulon, scuttled the bulk of their fleet on 27 November 1942, to prevent the Germans seizing it. As part of the Armistice of Cassibile in September 1943, most of the Italian Navy became the Italian Co-belligerent Navy, and fought alongside the Allies. Each side had three overall objectives in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leutnant Zur See
is a military rank, used in a number of navies. Belgium Germany (''Lt zS'' or ''LZS'') is the lowest officer rank in the German Navy, grouped as OF1 in NATO. The rank was introduced in the German Imperial Navy by renaming the former rank of ''Sekonde Lieutenant'' in 1890. In navy context officers of this rank were simply addressed as ''Herr Leutnant''. To distinguish naval officers from officers of the army, the suffix ''zur See'' (at sea) was added in official communication, sometimes shortened to ''z.S.'' or ''Lt.z.S.'' The rank has since been used by the Reichsmarine, the Kriegsmarine and the German Navy. In the Volksmarine the rank was originally used in the same way until the suffix ''zur See'' was dropped. Netherlands See also * Lieutenant (navy) LieutenantThe pronunciation of ''lieutenant'' is generally split between , , generally in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Commonwealth countries, and , , generally associated with the United States. See l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
La Spezia
La Spezia (, or ; ; , in the local ) is the capital city of the province of La Spezia and is located at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the southern part of the Liguria region of Italy. La Spezia is the second-largest city in the Liguria region, after Genoa. Located roughly midway between Genoa and Pisa, on the Ligurian Sea, it is one of the main Italian military and commercial harbours and a major Italian Navy base. A popular seaside resort, it is also a significant railway junction, and is notable for its museums, for the Palio del Golfo rowing race, and for railway and boat links with the Cinque Terre. History La Spezia and its province have been settled since prehistoric times. In ancient Rome, Roman times the most important centre was Luni (Italy), Luni, not far from Sarzana. As the capital of the short-lived Niccolò Fieschi Signoria in the period between 1256 and 1273, La Spezia was inevitably linked with Genoese vicissitudes. After the fall of the Republic of G ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pula
Pula, also known as Pola, is the largest city in Istria County, west Croatia, and the List of cities and towns in Croatia, seventh-largest city in the country, situated at the southern tip of the Istria, Istrian peninsula in western Croatia, with a population of 52,220 in 2021. It is known for its multitude of ancient Roman Empire, Roman buildings, the most famous of which is the Pula Arena, one of the best preserved Roman amphitheaters. The city has a long tradition of wine making, fishing, shipbuilding, and tourism. It was the administrative centre of Istria from ancient Rome, ancient Roman times until superseded by Pazin in 1991. History Pre-history Evidence of the presence of ''Homo erectus'' one million years ago has been found in the cave of Šandalja near Pula. Pottery from the Neolithic period (6000–2000 BC), indicating Colonization, human settlement, has been found around Pula. In the Bronze Age (1800–1000 BC), a new type of settlement appeared in Istria, called ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Albert Kesselring
Albert Kesselring (30 November 1885 – 16 July 1960) was a German military officer and convicted war crime, war criminal who served in the ''Luftwaffe'' during World War II. In a career which spanned both world wars, Kesselring reached the rank of the (Field marshal) and became one of Nazi Germany's most highly decorated commanders. Kesselring joined the Bavarian Army as an officer cadet in 1904, serving in the artillery branch. He completed training as a Observation balloon, balloon observer in 1912. During World War I, he served on both the Western Front (World War I), Western and Eastern Front (World War I), Eastern fronts and was posted to the Army Staff (Germany), Army Staff, despite not having attended the War Academy (Kingdom of Bavaria), War Academy. Kesselring served in the after the war, but was discharged in 1933 to become head of the Department of Administration at the Ministry of Aviation (Nazi Germany), Ministry of Aviation, where he became involved in the re-e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
OB Süd
The Ob (; ) is a major river in Russia. It is in western Siberia, and with its tributary the Irtysh forms the world's seventh-longest river system, at . The Ob forms at the confluence of the Biya and Katun which have their origins in the Altai Mountains. It is the westernmost of the three great Siberian rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean (the other two being the Yenisei and the Lena). Its flow is north-westward, then northward. The main city on its banks is Novosibirsk, the largest city in Siberia, and the third-largest city in Russia. It is where the Trans-Siberian Railway crosses the river. The Gulf of Ob is the world's longest estuary. Names The internationally known name of the river is based on the Russian name ''Обь'' (''Obʹ'', ). Possibly from Proto-Indo-Iranian '' *Hā́p-'', "river, water" (compare Vedic Sanskrit ''áp-'', Persian ''āb'', Tajik ''ob'', and Pashto ''obə'', "water"). Katz (1990) proposes Komi ''ob'' 'river' as the immediate source of der ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Greece
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to the east. The Aegean Sea lies to the east of the Geography of Greece, mainland, the Ionian Sea to the west, and the Sea of Crete and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Greece has the longest coastline on the Mediterranean Basin, spanning List of islands of Greece, thousands of islands and nine Geographic regions of Greece, traditional geographic regions. It has a population of over 10 million. Athens is the nation's capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city, followed by Thessaloniki and Patras. Greece is considered the cradle of Western culture, Western civilisation and the birthplace of Athenian democracy, democracy, Western philosophy, Western literature, historiography, political science, major History of science in cl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Salamis Island
Salamis ( ; ) or Salamina () is the largest Greece, Greek island in the Saronic Gulf, about from the coast of Athens' port of Piraeus and about west of Athens center. The chief city, Salamina (city), Salamina, lies in the west-facing core of the crescent on Salamis Bay, which opens into the Saronic Gulf. On the eastern side of the island its main port, Paloukia, connects the island with Perama in the western part of Athens urban area through a frequent ferry line and is the second largest port in Greece in terms of passengers, after the port of Piraeus. Etymology The traditional etymology of Salamis derives it from the eponymous nymph Salamis (mythology), Salamis, the mother of Cychreus, the legendary first king of the island. A more modern theory considers "Salamis" to come from the root ''sal'' 'salt' and ''-amis'' 'middle'; thus ''Salamis'' would be the place amid salt water. A theory presented by Martin Bernal in his book Black Athena, which has been overwhelmingly rejecte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Siege Of Tobruk
The siege of Tobruk () took place between 10 April and 27 November 1941, during the Western Desert campaign (1940–1943) of the World War II, Second World War. An Allies of World War II, Allied force, consisting mostly of the 9th Division (Australia), 9th Australian Division, commanded by Lieutenant-General Leslie Morshead, was besieged in the North African port of Tobruk by German and Italian forces. The tenacious defenders quickly became known as the Rats of Tobruk. After 231 days, they were finally relieved by the British Eighth Army (United Kingdom), Eighth Army. In late 1940, the Allies had defeated the Italian 10th Army during Operation Compass and trapped the remnants at Beda Fomm. On 22 January 1941, Tobruk's Italian garrison surrendered. But in early 1941, much of the British Western Desert Force was sent to the German invasion of Greece, Greek and Syria–Lebanon campaign, Syria–Lebanon campaigns, leaving only a skeleton force short of equipment and supplies. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
23rd U-boat Flotilla
''23rd U-boat Flotilla'' ("23. Unterseebootsflottille") was a unit of Nazi Germany's ''Kriegsmarine'' during World War II. The flotilla was first formed in Salamis, Greece, on 11 September 1941 under the command of '' Kapitänleutnant'' Fritz Frauenheim. It operated in the eastern Mediterranean and sank 12 ships for a total of . In May 1942 the flotilla was merged into '' 29th U-boat Flotilla'', based at La Spezia, Italy. The flotilla was re-founded in September 1943 as a Training Flotilla under the command of ''Korvettenkapitän (; ) is the lowest ranking Field officer, senior officer in the German navy. Germany Korvettenkapitän, short: KKpt/in lists: KK, () is the lowest senior officer military rank, rank () in the German Navy. Address The official manner, in li ...'' Otto von Bülow, based at Danzig. It trained new U-boat commanders in attack techniques (''Kommandantenschiesslehrgang'', "Commanders shooting training course"). The flotilla was disbanded in March 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bay Of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay ( ) is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Point Penmarc'h to the Spanish border, and along the northern coast of Spain, extending westward to Cape Ortegal. The average depth is and the greatest depth is . Etymology The Bay of Biscay is known in Spain as the Gulf of Biscay (; ). In France, it is called the Gulf of Gascony ( ; ; ; ). In Latin, the bay was known as ( Cantabrian Gulf); the name Cantabrian Sea is still used locally for the southern area of the Bay of Biscay that washes over the northern coast of Spain ( Cantabria). The English name comes from Biscay on the northern Spanish coast, probably standing for the western Basque districts (''Biscay'' up to the early 19th century). Geography Parts of the continental shelf extend far into the bay, resulting in fairly shallow waters in many areas and thus the rough seas for which the region is known. Heavy storms ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Deck Gun
A deck gun is a type of naval artillery mounted on the deck of a submarine. Most submarine deck guns were open, with or without a shield; however, a few larger submarines placed these guns in a turret. The main deck gun was a dual-purpose weapon used to sink merchant shipping or shell shore targets, or defend the submarine on the surface from enemy aircraft and warships. Typically a crew of three operated the gun, while others were tasked with supplying ammunition. A small locker box held a few 'ready-use' rounds. With a well-drilled, experienced crew, the rate of fire of a deck gun could be 15 to 18 aimed shots per minute. Some submarines also had additional deck guns like auto-cannons and machine guns for anti-aircraft defense. While similar unenclosed guns are often found on surface warships as secondary or defensive armament (such as the US Navy's 5-inch (127 mm)/25 caliber gun which was removed from battleships to mount on submarines), the term "deck gun" normally re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
