Скачать или смотреть What Happened to Germany's Three "Pocket Battleships"?

In the final stages of World War II, the Kriegsmarine’s surface fleet lay in ruins, and among its most iconic warships were the three “pocket battleships” of the Deutschland class—Lützow (ex-Deutschland), Admiral Scheer, and Admiral Graf Spee. Each ship met a dramatically different end, reflecting the shifting tides of naval warfare and Germany’s deteriorating strategic position.

Lützow spent the final years of the war primarily as a shore bombardment platform in the Baltic. After a brief stint in Norway, she returned to Germany in 1944 for repairs and training. She later supported ground operations against advancing Soviet forces, firing thousands of shells in defense of East Prussia. On April 16, 1945, she was heavily damaged in Swinemünde by British bombers but was refloated and continued to fight until May. Eventually scuttled, her final fate remained uncertain until records revealed she had been raised by the Soviets and used for weapons testing, finally sinking in 1947.

Admiral Scheer, by contrast, ended her career buried beneath a modern naval base. After an active role in commerce raiding and Baltic defense, she returned to Kiel in early 1945 for urgent repairs. During a British air raid on April 9, 1945, she was capsized and sunk in shallow water while undergoing turret replacement. Postwar, the wreck was partly scrapped, but large portions of the hull were left in place and buried under rubble during the rebuilding of Kiel. A 2023 geophysical survey confirmed much of her remains are still entombed beneath the modern port facility.

Admiral Graf Spee, the most famous of the trio, met her end much earlier. After damaging three British cruisers at the Battle of the River Plate in December 1939, she limped into Montevideo for repairs. Surrounded by diplomatic pressure, misinformation about Allied reinforcements, and concerns about crew safety and seaworthiness, Captain Hans Langsdorff made the controversial decision to scuttle his ship just outside Uruguayan waters. The scuttling was a major propaganda event, observed by international media and locals alike. Days later, Langsdorff tragically took his own life in Buenos Aires. Graf Spee’s wreck remains partially visible off the coast, and several of her artifacts have since been recovered.

These ships' final moments encapsulate the tragic arc of Nazi Germany’s surface fleet—highly publicized symbols of early naval ambition that ultimately succumbed to Allied dominance, logistical decay, and shifting strategic priorities. From covert scuttling to postwar weapons testing and burial under modern infrastructure, the fates of the Panzerschiffe reflect a broader story of decline, desperation, and remembrance.

0:00 Intro
0:55 Deutschland
6:26 Admiral Scheer
15:23 Admiral Graf Spee

Sources/Other Reading:

Admiral Scheer Report: https://macau.uni-kiel.de/servlets/MC...

https://www.amazon.com/Spoils-War-Ene...

https://www.amazon.com/Pocket-Battles...

https://www.amazon.com/Big-Guns-Atlan...

https://www.amazon.com/Battle-River-P...

https://www.amazon.com/German-Fleet-W...

https://www.amazon.com/Gathering-Stor...

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