Understandably, when studying the surface fleets of most of the world’s navies the readers’ imagination is most readily captured by the capital ships such as aircraft carriers and battleships; due to their visual impression of massive strength, service in such vessels has always had an aura of glamour. This is shared by the much smaller but equally deadly submarines, whose dramatic operations have the added appeal of the intimacy of a small crew, in which we may find ourselves identifying with individuals.
However, the capital warships – being extremely costly, not just in cash terms but also in material, industrial and manpower resources – inevitably formed only a small proportion of any navy’s total order of battle. In terms of ship numbers and manhours, the great bulk of the hard daily sea-duty was to be found in the smaller, decidedly unglamorous world of support vessels. Without these ships no fleet could function, and the World War II Kriegsmarine was no exception. Germany’s minesweepers alone formed a massive proportion of its total strength, and are very much the unsung heroes of the Kriegsmarine. Very little has been written of their wartime service, despite a significant number of their personnel being highly decorated. The award rolls of the German Cross in Gold, the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross and the Roll of Honour of the German Navy all contain the names of several members of the coastal forces, whose war was equally, if not more hazardous than that of comrades serving in branches better known to the public. In fact, many of these officers and seamen continued to carry out dangerous duties well after the war ended, clearing mines from around coastal waters under British supervision in the GMSA (German Mine Sweeping Administration).
A young Fähnrich (midshipman) in dress uniform, with dagger and portepee. His rank is indicated by his narrow shouldercords, and the lack of cuff rings below the star of the seaman’s branch on his sleeve. His combat experience is evidenced by the ribbon of the Iron Cross 2nd Class worn in the buttonhole; on his left breast, in the regulation position, he proudly displays the War Badge for Minesweepers, Sub-Chasers and other units of the Sicherungsverbände. (Deutsches U-Boot-Museum)
Apart from essential minesweeping and minelaying tasks, smaller branches of the Kriegsmarine were responsible for escort duties, patrol services, fleet auxiliary roles such as refuelling, hospital and accommodation ships and sail training. The vast number of variants that existed (to say nothing of the wide range of captured enemy vessels pressed into service in such roles) precludes detailed coverage here of every type of ship; this work therefore concentrates on the main types, those that performed the bulk of the Navy’s work, predominantly in coastal or home waters.
The War Badge for Minesweepers, etc. It is an interesting departure from normal war badge designs in showing an action (the waterspout from an underwater explosion) rather than illustrating a specific type of vessel. This was perfectly logical, considering the wide range of vessels and duties associated with the Sicherungsverbände. (Author’s collection)
The award document for the Minesweeper badge, one of many variants that were produced. This document was issued to Bootsmannsmaat Karl Heesemann, a rating who went on to become a commissioned officer. Many sailors spent time on minesweepers before going on to serve in other branches of the surface fleet. (Author’s collection)