Germany (Reichsmarine): 1925-28: Wolf, Iltis, Jaguar, Leopard, Luchs, Tiger The Type 24 torpedo boat (or Raubtier class (‘Carnivorous’) were six destroyers (as built), later torpedo boats for the Reichsmarine. They were an improved version of the Type 1923, with a few differences and larger, but overall identical. They were rearmed later with 533 mm torpedo … Read more
Nazi Germany: 1936A and 1936A mob: Z23-Z39 (Built 1938-1943) The Type 1936B destroyers (Z35 class) were the last Kriegsmarine wartime destroyers. They were laid down between June 1941 and September 1943 and due to the wartime difficulties encountered by the conderned yards (Deschimag in Bremen and Germaniawerft in Kiel) only three ships out of the … Read more
Nazi Germany: 1936A and 1936A mob: Z23-Z39 (Built 1938-1943) The Type 1936A destroyers (Z23 class) were probably the best known of the Kriegsmarine wartime destroyer, the most numerous and powerful at the same time. In British literrature they are often known as the “Narvik” class. The initial type 1936A consisted in eight ships instead of … Read more
Nazi Germany: Z17-Z22 (1938-1945) The Type 1936 destroyers (Z17 class) were six destroyers of the Kriegsmarine, ordered in 1936, built from 1937 all at Deschmimag in Bremen, and completely before the war started (apart two). As previous ones they were all named after distinguished German seamen killed in World War I. They strongly derived from … Read more
Nazi Germany: Z5-Z16 (1936-1945) The Z5 class or 1934A Zerstörer (destroyers) were twelve fleet destroyers built in the mid-1930s for the Kriegsmarine, essentially repeats of the Type 1934 but with a clipper bow for improved seakeeping, the staukeil short under transom keel to imporve agility, raise the stern at high speed. But these were criticized … Read more
Nazi Germany: Z1 Leberecht Maas, Z2 Georg Thiele, Z3 Max Schulz, Z4 Richard Beitzen (1934-1945) The 1934 Type destroyers (Zerstörer) were the first Kriegsmarine true fleet destroyers, illegal as per the Versailles Treaty when developed from 1932, and legalized (but by declaring fake tonnage) after the Anglo-German naval agreement of 1935… For this important new … Read more
