"unnecessary" Kriegsmarine ship. "unnecessary" Kriegsmarine ship Battle cruiser "Strasbourg"

Battle cruiser "Goeben"
Built by Blohm & Voss, Hamburg 28.8.09 / 28.3.11 / 2.7.1912 excl. 1964
22979/25400 t, 186.5x29.5x8.77 m. Steam turbines - 2, 24 steam boilers, 85720 hp. = 28.4 knots, 3100 tons of coal. Armor: belt up to 270 mm, towers up to 230 mm, barbets up to 265 mm, forward wheelhouse up to 350 mm, aft up to 200 mm, casemates 150 mm, decks 50 mm. crew 1053 people. Armament: 10 - 280 mm / 50, 12 - 150 mm / 45, 12 - 88 mm / 45, 4 - 88 mm / 45 anti-aircraft guns, 4 torpedo tubes 500 mm base. Soon after entering service, "Goeben" entered the Mediterranean squadron, which he formed together with the light cruiser "Breslau". With the outbreak of hostilities, he was forced to enter the Dardanelles. By agreement with the Turkish government, it became the flagship of the Turkish fleet, retaining the German crew. 11/2/1918 was interned by Turkey. In 1926-1930 - renovation in Saint-Nazaire, after which it was called “Yavuz Selim”. Since 1936 - “Yavuz”. Since 1948, a hospital in Izmir. Sold for scrap in 1973.

Armored cruiser "Kaiserin"

Armored cruiser "Blucher"
Built by Kaiserl. Werft, Hafen 1907 / 11.4.08 / 1. 10.1909 died on 24 January 1915.
15842/17500 tons, 161.8х24.5х8.84 m. Steam engines - 3, 18 steam boilers, 38320 hp. = 25.4 knots, 2510 tons of coal. Armor: belt up to 180 mm, turrets up to 180 mm, casemates 140 mm, forward wheelhouse up to 250 mm, stern up to 140 mm, deck up to 70 mm. the crew is 853 people. Armament: 12 - 210 mm / 45, 8 - 150 mm / 45, 16 - 88 mm / 45, 4 - 450 mm torpedo tubes under. The cruiser was a lightweight version of the German dreadnought "Nassau", but armed with 210-mm guns. Due to the weakness of its armament, it could not be considered a battle cruiser. From 1911 it was used as a training artillery ship. In 1914 he became a member of the Open Sea Fleet. Participated in the raiding operations of the German cruising forces on the coast of Great Britain. During one of these operations, on January 24, 1915, he was sunk by artillery fire from British battle cruisers.

Battle cruiser "Seydlitz"
The battle cruiser was built according to the 1910-1911 program. at the Blom und Voss shipyard (Hamburg), which also built its machinery. On February 4, 1911, at the Blom und Foss shipyard, the keel-laying of the newly built battle cruiser "T" began the biography of the ship, the most famous among all the large ships of the Kaiser's fleet. Its displacement was: normal 24,988 tons, total 28,550 tons, which is 2,000 tons more than the Moltke. Conway gives respectively 24 594 t and 28 510 t. Length of the ship: total 200.6 m, 200 m between perpendiculars (14 m longer than Moltke). The width was 28.5 m (1 m narrower than that of the Moltke). The maximum width, taking into account the anti-torpedo net shots laid along the sides, is 28.8 m.
As a private ship of the 1st Reconnaissance Group "Seydlitz" took part in its subsequent exercises as part of the group, until June 23, 1914, its commander, Rear Admiral Hipper, transferred his flag from the "Moltke" to it. Since then, for almost the entire period of the First World War, with the exception of short breaks, the Seydlitz was the flagship until October 26, 1917, when the battle cruiser Hindenburg entered service (although the Lutzow was the flagship in the battle of Jutland). In July 1914, "Seydlitz" took part in the expedition of the Open Sea fleet to Norway, which had to be interrupted due to the danger of a war. It was partially dismantled at Lineness in 1927, then in May 1928 it was towed to Rosyth and there, until 1930, it was finally dismantled for metal.

Gunboat "Blitz"

The book covers the history of design, construction and combat service of the last German light cruisers of the Second World War - Leipzig and Nuremberg.

The naval operations and battles of the Second World War, in which these ships participated, are described in detail, as well as the unrealized projects of light cruisers that were being developed in Germany before the Second World War.

For a wide range of readers interested in military history and the history of shipbuilding.

On April 16, 1928 (according to other sources, April 14), a light cruiser was laid down at the Naval Shipyard, which received the code designation Kreuzer "E" (or "Ersatz Amasone"). On October 18, 1929, the ship was baptized and launched. The day was not chosen by chance, it was another anniversary of the "Battle of the Nations" with Napoleon in 1815 near Leipzig. Therefore, the cruiser was named "Leipzig". He inherited this name from the cruiser, who died heroically in 1914 in an unequal battle near the Falkland Islands. The speech during the ceremony was made by the mayor of Leipzig, Dr. Roth, the widow of the commander of the deceased "Leipzig" Frau Susanne Gaun became the godmother of the ship.

Tests "Leipzig" began on October 8, 1931 and were carried out first in the North, and then in the Baltic Seas. On the whole, they were successful, and on December 18, Leipzig returned to the construction shipyard to eliminate the identified deficiencies. By February 12, 1932, the work was completed, the ship passed the test and began combat training. On August 18, the cruiser was enlisted in the Navy's Reconnaissance Forces.

In September "Leipzig" participates in the autumn fleet maneuvers. From 3 to 5 September, the Mayor of Leipzig, Dr. Goerdeler, oversees the progress of the exercise. After the completion of the exercises, the cruiser was at the disposal of the artillery and torpedo inspection. The rest of the year was spent in routine service.

From February 21 to March 15, 1933, a cruise to the Atlantic took place with a visit to the port of Los Palmos (Canary Islands). After returning, "Leipzig" was engaged in combat training in the North and Baltic Seas. On April 1, the ship takes part in the launching ceremony of the armored ship "Admiral Scheer". On May 22, representatives of the new government gathered on board the Leipzig - the newly elected German Chancellor A. Hitler, the Speaker (Chairman) of the Reichstag G. Goering and the Commander-in-Chief of the Fleet, Admiral E. Raeder. A high-ranking society watched the artillery fire.

Light cruiser "Leipzig" before launching on October 18, 1929 (above) and in one of the first campaigns

From June 23 to June 26, the ship visited the Finnish port of Hanko. In July, an overseas voyage with a stopover in the Danish port of Aarnus took place with a visit on board the "Leipzig" of the king of this country. In the fall, the cruiser took part in large fleet maneuvers. On "Leipzig" was the commander-in-chief, Admiral E. Raeder. After the completion of the maneuvers, a large parade took place. The rest of 1933 and the first months of 1934, the ship was engaged in combat training. A visit to the Norwegian port of Kristianzand took place on April 26, followed by a business visit to the Norwegian port of Stavanger on June 21. The cruiser provided assistance to the NDL liner "Dresden".

July was very busy. At the beginning of the month, the cruisers "Konigsberg" and "Leipzig" leave Wilhelmshaven. The purpose of the campaign was exercises in the Atlantic, as well as visits to the Icelandic port of Reykjavik and the British naval base of Portsmouth. This was the first visit by German ships to England after 1914. In the same month, the cruisers returned to Germany. The rest of the year passed for Leipzig in regular combat training. The cruiser did the same in 1935. In July 1935, the cruiser took part in the celebration of the Kiel week. In August, one of the shooting took place in the presence of Hitler. Occasionally and for a short time, Leipzig becomes the flagship of the Reconnaissance Forces.

In December 1935, aircraft weapons were mounted on the ship. In the literature, you can find mention of the installation of aircraft weapons on a cruiser in December 1934, but this is a mistake, since Germany withdrew from the Treaty of Versailles only in 1935.

Leipzig was the flagship of the Intelligence Force from January 19 to February 3, 1936. In January, together with the Cologne, he was engaged in combat training in the German Bay, and then, as a target ship, he provided torpedo firing of the fleet in the Baltic. On February 1, the catapult was tested. On April 15, "Leipzig", "Cologne" and "Nuremberg" leave for the Atlantic to test catapults and conduct a number of exercises. On May 8, the ships returned to Wilhelmsgafei and began conducting combat training in the Baltic Sea. On May 29, Leipzig takes part in the parade dedicated to the unveiling of the monument to the fallen sailors of the First World War in Laboe. From 25 to 28 June, a visit to the free city of Danzig takes place.

In the summer of 1936, a civil war broke out in Spain. The German government supported General Franco's rebels. Ships of the German fleet began cruises into Spanish waters. The first trip to Spanish waters began for Leipzig on 20 August. At the beginning of October, "Kelly" arrived to replace him. October 10 "Leipzig" returned to Germany. Soon, the cruiser arrives at the Wilhelmshaven shipyard for maintenance. The work was completed in January 1937, and factory tests were carried out from January 21 to 22. Then, after a course of combat training in the Baltic Sea, on March 9, the cruiser left Kiel and headed for Spain and on March 12 arrived at the main naval base of the Francoists, El Ferrol. In the waters of Spain, "Leipzig" was replaced by "Cologne".

Light cruiser "Leipzig" in the early years of service, early 1930s.

On March 13, 1937, the Leipzig was caught in a storm in the Bay of Biscay, the consequences of which were severe: the cruiser was damaged, the upper deck was deformed, and cracks appeared in the sides. But the ship still waited for its change (replacement - "Admiral Scheer" appeared only in mid-May) and went to Germany for repairs. On May 19, he returned to Germany, but on June 1, the situation required him to return to Spanish waters. On June 15 and 18, the cruiser was attacked by unknown submarines. On June 29, after another return to Germany, combat training began, both individually and as part of the formation. From 24 to 30 July, the fleet commander, Admiral Karls, was on board Leipzig, during the autumn maneuvers the cruiser was the flagship of the "blue" squadron commanded by Rear Admiral Densch, in November a march to the eastern part of the Baltic Sea took place, from November 19 to 23 a visit to the capital of Estonia Tallinn.

The entire 1938 year was spent in continuous combat training: mine layings were worked out, destroyers were carried out to transfer fuel in an open moraine, the cruiser was a target ship for submarines, and exercises were conducted on mutual towing with the cruiser Nuremberg.

On August 22, Leipzng took part in a large naval parade dedicated to the launching of the Prince Eugen heavy cruiser. This event was honored with their attention by the entire elite of the Third Reich, headed by A. Hitler, as well as by the Hungarian dictator Admiral Horthy. On October 8 and 9, the cruiser already took part in the celebrations marking the launching of the first German aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin.

From December 17, 1938 to March 15, 1939, the ship was under repair at the Deutsche Wharf plant in Kiel. March 23 "Leipzig" in the squadron takes part in the annexation of Memel (Klaipeda) to Germany. This Lithuanian city became the last peaceful acquisition, the next step of A. Hitler led to war.

From April 17 to May 18, the cruiser as part of the squadron leaves for the Atlantic on a training cruise. According to other sources, the campaign lasted from April 18 to May 16. Leipzig was the flagship of the Navy's Reconnaissance Force, and Rear Admiral Densch raised the flag on it. There were visits to the ports of Ponteoedro and Tangier.

In mid-August 1939, the mobilization began, and then the deployment of the Kriegsmarie against Poland. The invasion was scheduled for 26 August. August 23 (according to other sources, August 24) "Leipzig" began a blockade of the Polish coast.

View from the foremast to the stern of the port side of the "Leipzig" (above) Left: "Leipzig" in the dock

September 1, 1939 - the Second World War began with the German attack on Poland. On September 3, Great Britain and France declared war on Germany. The Kriegsmarie began setting up the Westwall minefield system. Leipzig also did not stand aside: on the night of September 19-20, she was the flagship of the mine-barrage formation, which consisted of the destroyers Seeadler and Wolf, and the destroyers Leberecht Maas and Georg Thiele provided cover. They set up the obstacle "Marta-4". The operation went off without incident.

At the end of September "Leipzig" returns to the Baltic Sea and at the beginning of October it becomes a steak of one of the factories for a two-week repair of the power plant. During the repair, a complete inspection of all main and auxiliary mechanisms was carried out, as well as the cleaning of the boilers. After the completion of the work, exit for short tests, artillery and torpedo firing.

On October 21, Rear Admiral G. Lutyens took command of the Fleet Reconnaissance Forces. "Leipzig" under his flag passed the Kiel Canal.

Soon the cruiser anchored in the roadstead of Brunsbütelle and on the last day of October made a return passage to the Baltic and arrived on November 1 at Swinemunde. Later, joint exercises with the cruisers "Königsberg", "Kelly" and "Nuremberg" took place. 7 November Leipzig in Kiel, at the Holtenaus dock, collides with the training and artillery ship Bremse on a dark and rainy night. Fortunately, damage to the aft starboard side was minor, and repairs at Deutsche Werf in Kiel took a week, after which Leipzig joined the Fleet Reconnaissance Force, of which the Nuremberg was the flagship. At this time, German destroyers were laying active minefields off the English coast. Light cruisers were deployed to cover them in the North Sea.

Light cruiser Leipzig. 1933 (exterior view)

Light cruiser Leipzig. 1940 (exterior view)

On November 18, the Leipzig and the destroyer flotilla sailed to sea. All night they cruised in the designated area. After meeting with the destroyers, the compound went to the base, where it arrived on November 19. On the same day, the flag of the commander of the reconnaissance forces was raised on the "Leipzig". This formation also included the cruiser "Kelya" and the destroyers "Karl Galster", "Berpd von Arnim" and "Erich Giese", as well as 4 destroyers. On November 21, German ships went to sea, covering the departure of the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau battleships going to cruise to the Atlantic. On November 22, the cruisers parted with their battleships and began the second phase of the operation: the search for enemy and neutral ships with contraband, first in the North Sea, and then in the Baltic straits.

The connection has been reorganized several times. On November 24-25, the Luttsov pocket battleship was included in its composition. After returning to base, Rear Admiral Lutyens moved his flag to the Nuremberg.

On the night of December 12-13, another mine-laying operation was planned off the English coast. Usually cruisers were covered by destroyers, but it so happened that there were no combat-ready ships, so Lutyens had to go to sea without cover. At his disposal were the cruisers Nuremberg, Leipzig and Cologne.

The night passed quietly. The only event was the receipt of a radiogram from the headquarters that the passenger liner "Bremen" would proceed through their area. But the signalmen from the cruisers did not find him. In the morning, reconnaissance planes took off from "Leipzig" and "Nuremberg". At 1040 hours on 13 December, signalmen from the cruisers discovered the Danish steamer Charkow, and Lutyens ordered Leipzig to stop and inspect it. The order was fulfilled: the cruiser stopped and lowered the boat and, when it turned out that the steamer was not carrying contraband, returned and was taken aboard.

Soon the ship caught up with the formation and the German cruisers went a kind of triangle: "Nuremberg" and "Leipzig" in the front ranks, behind them "Cologne". Then two He-115 seaplanes appeared above them, one of them began to transmit the letter "U" with a signal lamp. But this warning about the threat from under the water was misunderstood, since the same letter was the callsign for that day.

Aircraft armament "Leipzig". 1935-1937 biennium

Damage to the hull and interior of the Leipzig, caused by a torpedo hit on December 13, 1939.

The threat came in the form of the Salmon submarine, which was assigned to the 2nd Submarine Flotilla. This boat was assigned to make a 16-day reconnaissance and combat campaign to the Golgoland Bay and at the entrance to the Skagerrak Strait. The British submariners' trip was very eventful. On December 4, they sank the German U-36 submarine. On December 12, however, an unsuccessful attack on the Bremen liner took place. And on December 13, the cruisers Lutyens were discovered. The submarine commander fired a 6-torpedo salvo and immediately went deep. At 11:25 am, one of the torpedoes hit the Leipzig, the other the flagship Nuremberg.

The explosion thundered in the area of ​​the 89th frame, just aft of the bulkhead, three to four meters below the waterline. As a result, the hull had a hole from 83 to 96 frames (13 meters in length), and the keel sheets were deformed vertically from the double bottom to the waterline (5-6 meters in height), the armored deck swelled, steam lines burst, bulkheads between boiler rooms No. 2 and No. 1 were destroyed and water seeped over the armored deck as a result of secondary deformations. Oil and water filled both boiler houses, killing the entire watch, consisting of 15 people. One of the turbines failed, the second turbine worked for another 15 minutes, receiving steam from boiler room No. 3, but after the appearance of water in the fuel, the boilers had to be taken out of action. Also, both gyrocompasses, rangefinder, and steering failed. "Leipzig" was banked at 8 ° to the port side, its position was critical, but not hopeless (due to the successful division of the hull into compartments).

The only intact boiler room no. 3 was filled with smoke, and through cable glands it received water from the flooded boiler room No. 2. In total, the ship received 1700 tons of water. The struggle for the survivability of the cruiser was complicated by the incapacitation of the inter-ship communications. At 12:25, the diesel engine was started, and the damaged cruiser went to base. At this time, English aircraft appeared over the German cruisers.

Meanwhile, work was in full swing at the headquarters of the West group. After receiving a radiogram from G. Lutyens about damage to two cruisers, the formation of an escort began. It included destroyers, patrol ships and minesweepers, and requested air support. The connection of G. Lutyens was divided into three groups. The first to go ahead undamaged “Cologne”, followed by “Nuremberg”, the last was “Leipzig”. It was guarded by the destroyer Hermann Schoemann, patrol ships F-7, F-9, minesweepers from the 2nd flotilla and boat minesweepers from the 1st flotilla.

The light cruiser Leipzig, located in the North Sea, was hit by a torpedo in the middle of the hull. The torpedo was fired from a British submarine along the traverse of the ship from a distance of no more than 600 m (torpedo caliber 533 mm; explosive weight 340 kg).

At the time of damage, the ship had a stroke of 28 knots; sea ​​state 2 points, draft before damage 5.4 m. Side and double bottom tanks of fuel and feed water were filled to 85% ".

The center of the explosion fell in the area of ​​89 shp. from the left side almost 4.0 m below the waterline into the transverse bulkhead separating boiler rooms No. 1 and 2. The cruiser received the following damage from the explosion.

Light cruiser "Leipzig"

On the body. A hole was formed in the area of ​​the explosion (10x5 m), and the side armor was dented, but not destroyed. The armored deck above the boiler rooms No. 1 and 2 bulged, the armored bevel of the left side in the area of ​​impact was torn and twisted, the inner side, the bilge keel and the longitudinal bulkhead were destroyed, the intermediate deck was damaged, In the explosion zone, the transverse bulkhead was completely destroyed, and the bottom and inner bottom on the left side were partially destroyed. Throughout the middle third of the ship's length, a number of ruptures and cracks (including the shirstrek), the upper deck (including the deck stringer) and other structures were noted in the area of ​​the engine room and other structures, with ruptures occurring both along welds and throughout the metal. A number of foundations under the instruments received cracks from the shaking of the hull.

The tears in the hull plating were so significant that in stormy conditions the ship would be in a very dangerous position and could break. The ship did not have any reserve in terms of ensuring combat strength.

As a result of the damage received, boiler rooms No. I and 2 were flooded, and due to the violation of water tightness in the places where cables pass through the bulkheads, some other rooms were flooded as well. The draft increased to 6.2 m, and the ship received a roll of 4 ° to the port side. The fuel coming from the destroyed fuel tanks to the boiler room reached the level of the intermediate deck from the port side; the echo subsequently led to the outbreak of fires.

Mechanisms, electrical equipment and weapons. The boilers and the mechanisms serving them in boiler rooms Ns 1 and 2 turned out to be destroyed, from the lack of feed water the boiler room No. 3 also failed, and as a result both turbines. Most of the independent auxiliary mechanisms also ceased to function (the drain pump of the boiler room No. 3 and the bow fuel pump remained in service). The middle shaft and the diesel unit remained unharmed, so that the ship did not lose speed.

Due to the lack of steam, the aft turbine generators were out of order (this was facilitated by the damage to the main cable route of the left side and part of the starboard route laid along the longitudinal bulkheads). Some of the radio equipment and telephones were out of order.

Most of the artillery remained intact, with the exception of the main caliber turret No. 2, which could only operate with manual control. The torpedo tubes were temporarily disabled from damage to the electrical parts, but they were soon put into operation again. From the resulting deformation of the deck, the right aft torpedo tube was manually operated with difficulty.

The bow gyrocompass is out of order due to lack of cooling water; the aft gyrocompass also temporarily ceased to function. Out of order: the main machine telegraph (temporarily), electric steering, rangefinder and radio station.

The personnel waged a vigorous struggle for the survivability of the ship. The fight against water was carried out by battening down and draining the premises; the failed sump pumps were activated. Damaged equipment was restored, including: electrical equipment and cables, auxiliary mechanisms, telephones, etc. Damage was repaired and artillery, torpedo weapons, and radio communications were activated.

Losses in personnel were: 14 killed and 22 wounded.

Conclusions. From the impact of one contact explosion of a torpedo (340 kg of explosive of the TGA type) "Leipzig" received serious damage and was out of order for a long time.

Damage to the rangefinder on the cruiser Leipzig after being hit by a torpedo on October 13, 1939

2. The amount of damage received by the ship was significant and included: destruction and damage to the hull (leading to a serious decrease in its overall strength), flooding of a number of rooms (which led to an increase in draft by 0.8 m and the appearance of a roll), failure of the steam turbine unit, and turbine generator, damage to cables, partial or temporary failure of artillery, torpedo weapons and ship controls and artillery fire. The effect of the explosion was intensified by the fact that the onboard fuel tanks in the area of ​​the explosion were almost completely filled (by 85%). Although the ship did not break as a result of the explosion, it was in a dangerous position. The presence of 50-mm armor in the body, located at a distance of about 3 m from the center of the explosion, limited the amount of destruction.

3. The presence of a diesel unit on the middle shaft contributed to the conservation of progress and energy in the event of a complete failure of the steam turbine unit.

4. The laying of the electrical cable on the side longitudinal bulkhead contributed to its significant damage over a long distance, as a result of which many mechanisms, devices and weapons were out of order.

5. The actions of the personnel to fight for the survivability of the ship were successful and consisted of fighting water and fires, and restoring weapons and technical equipment. As a result, some of the weapons and mechanisms were put into operation, and the ship reached the repair base on its own.

Light cruiser "Leipzig"

The first half for December 14 passed calmly, but at 12:30 pm Leipzig and its escort were attacked by the enemy submarine Ursula. A four-torpedo salvo was fired from the boat. One (and possibly two) torpedoes hit patrol ship"F-9". In the evening, "Leipzig" and its thinning guard arrived at the base.

The initial repairs were carried out by the Blomm and Voss shipyard in Hamburg, then the cruiser was taken to the Doté Wharf plant in Kiel.

On February 27, 1940, Leipzig was excluded from the lists of the fleet, but it was decided to restore it as a training cruiser. 4 cauldrons were removed from it, instead of them they equipped cabins for cadets. Leipzig's speed dropped to 14 knots. Part of the work was carried out by Danziger Shipyard. Only almost a year after receiving the damage, the work on the cruiser was completed. December 1, 1940 "Leipzig" returns to the fleet, it is assigned to the artillery and torpedo schools.

In April 1941, "Leipzig" provided combat training for the battleship "Bismarck". But his main work was exercises and artillery fire. On June 11, the German squadron, which included the armored ship "Lutzow" and the cruisers "Emden" and "Leipzig", escorted by destroyers, set off for Norwegian waters and arrived in Oslo without incident. "Luttsov" went further north, but was damaged by a British torpedo plane. The stay in Norwegian waters was short, and on July 7 the ships returned to Germany. Peaceful life of "Leipzig" ended in September 1941, when the formation was formed, which received the name "Baltic Fleet". The purpose of this formation was to prevent the departure of Soviet ships to Sweden in the event of a breakthrough from Leningrad. "Leipzig" was enrolled in the southern group based in Liepaja.

Leipzig in the Atlantic. 1939 g.

Leipzig and the armored ship Deutschland in the Atlantic. 1939 g.

After the raids on Kronstadt, it became clear to the German command that the Soviet ships would not go to sea, the unit, having existed for several days, was disbanded. Leipzig was found almost immediately new task... The Wehrmacht at this time was conducting an operation to seize the Moonsund Islands, and he needed the support of the fleet. To accomplish this task, the cruisers Leipzig and Emden and 3 destroyers were allocated. An aircraft was taken to the deck of the cruiser to adjust fire and search for submarines. The operation was codenamed Weststurm.

On the evening of September 25, the ships left Libau and went to the Moonsund Islands. During the night transition, the locations of the shelling were clarified. At 6 o'clock in the morning, German ships opened fire. Due to poor visibility, the aircraft was used only for anti-submarine patrols. The shelling continued until noon, after which the German cruisers withdrew, but the minesweepers continued to shoot along the coast. On this day, the consumption of ammunition at the "Leipzig" was 377 shells.

The ships of the German squadron spent the night near the Moonsund Islands. On the morning of the 27th, "Leipzig" ejected the plane, and 5 minutes later, its main caliber spoke. Soon, Soviet coastal batteries began to respond from the coast. At about the same time, the commander of the torpedo boat battalion, Lieutenant-Commander A.N. Bogdanov was finishing the formation of the strike group. It included TK No. 67, No. 83, No. 111, No. 164. Lieutenant-Commander V.P. Humanenko. Soviet boats were discovered at sea, first by aerial reconnaissance, and then by a signalman on the top of the foremast of the cruiser Emden. The shelling of the coast ceased, and the cruisers prepared to repel the attack. Emden was the first to open fire on boats at 0917 hours from bow guns, when the distance to them was 10,000 meters. A few minutes later, the rest of the ships began to shoot. Our boats turned to the right and began to put the smoke screen. At this time, according to the German sailors, it was visible to hit one of them. A search has been scheduled new goal... Two minutes later, another boat was discovered and fired upon.

The battle continued for another 20 minutes, after which the torpedo boats were driven away by destroyers. "Leipzig" used up 153 shells in this battle. German sailors reported the sinking of two boats.

In fact, during this battle, the Soviet fleet lost one torpedo boat No. 83, the crew removed another boat from it. In turn, the boatmen reported on the sinking of two destroyers, as well as the infliction of heavy damage on the cruiser and the destroyer. The Germans claim that their ships were not damaged. But one way or another, the Soviet sailors fulfilled their task. The shelling of the coast was stopped.

Due to the high consumption of ammunition and fuel, the German formation stopped the task and went to Libau. During the crossing, a radio reconnaissance group on the Emden intercepted an enemy radio message, the sender of which could have been a submarine. At 14:27, when the German unit was 20 miles west of Vindava, the signalmen of the German ships saw the traces of torpedoes. They approached, from the starboard side, and "Emden" and "Leipzig" made a sharp turn to the left, dodging the torpedoes. Guarding the cruiser "T-7" began to pursue the submarine, soon two more destroyers joined the hunt. But there were no search results, and the Soviet boats returning from the campaigns did not report the attack of the cruisers. Most likely, "Shch-319" (commander Lieutenant-Commander NS Agashin) went into the attack.

She went to sea on September 20 from Kronstadt to position number 2 at Libava. The boat was reported missing. In earlier secret works, it was believed that "Ш -319" died during the crossing of the Gulf of Finland. But, most likely, the boat crossed the bay safely. In the area of ​​her position, the Germans recorded two attacks on the 27th on the cruiser, on the 29th on the minesweeper. Probably Shch-319 died in position or while returning to base.

In the evening of September 27, the German unit arrived at Libau, 29 in Kiel, where the cruiser was placed against the wall of the Deutsche Wharf plant. The work was completed on October 20, after which Leipzig returns to Gatengafen (Gdynia). The ship began to perform the duties of a training ship: in November, a joint exercise with the heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper took place, after their completion training cruises along the Danzig Gulf, on October 18, Leipzig was a target ship during the firing of destroyers and destroyers.

Leipzig in 1940

The year 1942 passed for the ship in daily service. In the life of the cruiser, two notable events took place - this is the test of a new sample of mine-action winding (MES-Anlage) and the passage of current repairs in Libau. After the "New Year battle" [* "New Year battle" - the attack of the heavy cruiser "Admiral Hipper" and the armored ship "Luttsov" with destroyers on the allied convoy. The attack was unsuccessful, the Admiral Hipper was damaged, but A. Hitler was not informed about this, which then caused his displeasure with the actions of the entire Navy.] A.

Hitler ordered all large surface ships to be scrapped *. But the new commander-in-chief K. Doenitz managed to defend most of them. But not Leipzig, whose combat value was already insignificant. In February, the ship's crew was reduced and on March 4, 1943, Leipzig was excluded from the lists of the fleet. The naval flag on the ship was lowered, and the ship went to Libau to lay down with a small crew headed by the acting commander, Captain 2nd Rank Asmus.

In July 1943, the decision was again made to return the cruiser to the fleet. "Leipzig" was to serve as a training ship for the helmsmen and navigators. On August 1, he entered the fleet. But the cruiser continued to be plagued by setbacks. On August 10, a fire broke out in boiler room No. 3. After a short repair, new tests and a course of anti-aircraft firing, from September to December training campaigns in the central part of the Baltic Sea, joint exercises with "Nuremberg".

From January 5 to January 31, 1944, Leipzig underwent current repairs at the Gotengaf branch of Deutsche Wharf, where the liners of 150-mm guns were replaced. From February 28 to March 2, a joint exercise with the cruiser "Prince Eugen" was held, on March 16, a military exercise in the Gulf of Gdansk.

Meanwhile, the situation at the front worsened. The front was approaching the combat training areas of the German fleet. The old comrades of "Leipzig" have already entered the war, shelling the Soviet troops advancing along the coast.

But "Leipzig" did not participate in hostilities. In early September, he conducted joint exercises with the heavy cruiser Admiral Scheer, on September 21, an exercise off the island of Bornholm, on September 26, Leipzig guards a military convoy from Swinemgonde to Gotengafen, and then participates in joint exercises with the heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper, light cruiser Cologne, training ship - former battleship Schlesien.

From 8 to 14 October, Leipzig was docked at the Schihau shipyard in Danzig. After leaving the dock, the cruiser receives a real combat mission: setting up a minefield at the entrance to the Skagerrak Strait. But the nearest nice arsenals were in Swinemünde, and "Leipzig" came out there from Gothenhafen. At 19 h 50 min, the cruiser passed the tip of Cape Heli. Under wartime conditions, the ship went without lights. Most likely, the radio navigation and hydroacoustic watches were not carried out, although the combat alert was broken. At about 20:00, Leipzig stopped to turn off the turbines and further move under diesel engines. There was a heavy fog, from which the heavy cruiser "Prince Eugen" literally jumped out, on its way to Gotengafen to replenish ammunition. The blow was so strong that the officer, who was in the central post of "Leipzig", wrote in the journal "04.20. Torpedo hit" (Pertek J. Na Baltyke w Arctyce i na Morze Czamym-Posnan; 1989. p. 149). Many sailors of "Leipzig" thought the same in the first minutes. The attack hit the same area as the torpedo hit in December 1939. After the impact, the lights went out, but the dim emergency lights came on.

"Leipzig" in the harbor of Wilhelmshaven "Leipzig" and "Emden" in the Baltic. September 1941

In fact, the situation was as follows: the nose of the "Prince Eugen" entered the side of the "Leipzig" between the bow superstructure and the chimney, the bow boiler rooms No. 2 and No. 3 were flooded, water began to flow into the adjacent compartments (in total, 1600 tons of water entered the hull), crew losses amounted to 11 people killed, 6 missing, 31 people were wounded (according to other sources, 27 people died). Mostly the crews of the anti-aircraft guns were killed. The dead could have been much more, in the previously destroyed boiler room there were cadets' quarters, but on alert they arrived at their combat posts.

Both cruisers drifted 2.5 miles east of Heli. Tugs and warships arrived from Gotengafen and Danzig. The first for the separation of ships, the second for carrying anti-submarine patrol. So "Leipzig" and "Eugen" sailed all night. In the morning, tugs were brought to Leipzig, and the cruisers parted: Prince Eugen gave full speed back, and the tugs pulled Leipzig log in the opposite direction, after which they brought it to Gotengafen.

Light cruiser "Leipzig"

Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Meendsen Bolken examined the damage to the cruiser and made the following decision: to urgently repair the Eugen and exclude Leipzig from the fleet lists. Now "Leipzig" was turned into a non-self-propelled training ship, and most of the crew received new assignments. The damage to the hull was hastily patched up, the boilers were not put into operation. And although several new boilers were on the factory wall, they did not have time to install them, since everyone was not up to it: the Third Reich was bursting at the seams and falling apart, the Red Army continued its rapid offensive. They decided to use the ship as a stationary floating battery.

From 11 to 24 March, "Leipzig" fired at the advancing Soviet troops, using up 896 shells. On March 25, he left the Hela raid to the west, taking with him about 500 refugees and wounded. The crossing took place on diesel engines, and the speed was low. But everything turned out well, despite the threat from Soviet aircraft and submarines, Leipzig reached the small Danish bay of Aabenraa, north of Flensburg, passing through the Small Belt.

On May 9, 1945 Germany surrendered. The victorious allies began to partition the German fleet. First of all, the ships of the Kriegsmarine were divided into three groups. The wounded Leipzig was recognized as a category C ship. In the article of the Potsdam agreements, it was written that this category should be dismantled no later than August 15, 1946. While the fate of the ship was being decided, it was used as a floating barracks in Wilhelmshaven. At the beginning of June 1946, part of the Wehrmacht's gas weapons were loaded aboard the cruiser. On July 6, tugs took Leipzig out of Wilhelmshaven. On board the ship was only a towing party. On July 11, the ship was at the sinking point. At 10 h 59 min, the towing party was removed, shortly thereafter, explosive charges were detonated, and the Leipzig sank, turning up keel. The sinking place of the ship is a point with coordinates 57 o 53, N / 06 ° 13'E. (According to other sources, "Leipzig" was sunk on July 20 and without chemical weapons).

Light cruiser Leipzig. 1945 (exterior view)

1945 Leipzig before sinking

Leipzig

cruiser "Emden"

Leipzig

Nuremberg-class light cruiser

Weimar Republic

Historical data

Total information

EH

real

doc

Reservation

Armament

Artillery

• 3 × 3 - 150 mm / 60.

Flak

• 3 × 2 - 88 mm / 76;
• 4 × 2 - 37 mm / 83;
• 4 × 1 - 20 mm / 65.

Mine torpedo armament

• 4 triple-tube 533 mm torpedo tubes;
• 120 minutes

Aviation group

• 1 catapult;
• 2 seaplanes.

Ships of the same type

Leipzig(rus. Leipzig) - German light cruiser, the lead ship of a series of two ships. He was a member of the German Navy during the Second World War. On October 15, 1944, she was seriously damaged in a collision with a heavy cruiser. Prinz Eugen... After the surrender of Germany, he served for some time as a floating barracks in Wilhelmshaven. Sunk on 11 July 1946 off the coast of Norway in the North Sea.

History of creation

At the beginning of the 1930s, the fleet of Weimar Germany had 4 light cruisers, of which the Emden, laid down in December 1921, was already morally obsolete, and the three K-type Cologne, Karlsruhe and Konigsberg were the standard in the world shipbuilding of that time. A number of new products appeared on them: three gun turrets, a combined main power plant, consisting of steam turbines and diesel engines, and new technologies were used during construction: welding and lightweight aluminum structures add-ons.

In 1928, the German designer Bleschmidt received the assignment to design another light cruiser for the Reichsmarine. The designers took the "K" type cruiser as a basis, but made an internal rearrangement: the chimneys of the boilers were brought into one pipe, and the aft towers were placed in a more traditional way in the center plane. So it appeared new project cruisers, which received the designation type "E".

On April 16, 1928 (according to other sources, April 14), a light cruiser was laid down at the Naval Shipyard, which received the code designation Kreuzer "E" (or "Ersatz Amasone"). On October 18, 1929, the ship was baptized and launched. The day was not chosen by chance, it was another anniversary of the "Battle of the Nations" with Napoleon in 1815 near Leipzig. Therefore, the cruiser was named "Leipzig". He inherited this name from the cruiser, who died heroically in 1914 in an unequal battle near the Falkland Islands. The speech during the ceremony was made by the mayor of Leipzig, Dr. Roth, the widow of the commander of the deceased "Leipzig" Frau Susanne Gaun became the godmother of the ship.

Tests "Leipzig" began on October 8, 1931 and were carried out first in the North, and then in the Baltic Seas. On the whole, they were successful, and on December 18, Leipzig returned to the construction shipyard to eliminate the identified deficiencies. By February 12, 1932, the work was completed, the ship passed the test and began combat training. On August 18, the cruiser was enlisted in the Navy's Reconnaissance Forces.

Technical and tactical elements of the cruiser

The standard displacement is 6619 tons (according to other sources, 6614 tons), the total displacement is 8382 tons (according to other sources, 8427 tons).

Dimensions: hull length 177.1 m (maximum), 165.8 m (structural waterline), width 16.2 m, draft 5.69 m (maximum), 4.88 m (average).

The hull had a longitudinal dialing system, was divided into 16 watertight compartments, the double bottom was 75% of its length. From its predecessors, the new cruiser inherited ease of recruitment and insufficient strength. One of the reasons for this was that the superstructure was not part of the overall strength of the hull, which subsequently led to accidents. Welding was widely used to save weight.

Nickel steel from the Krupp plant was used to protect Leipzig. The belt along the waterline had 50 mm, in the stern in the area of ​​the tiller compartment 25 mm, in the bow of the 20 mm (according to other sources, 18 mm) of the slab. The armored deck, 20 mm thick, had a rounded 25 mm bevel to the lower edge of the belt.

Scheme of armor protection of the cruiser "Leipzig" (cross-section)

Mine protection consisted of a 15-mm longitudinal bulkhead. The conning tower was protected by 100 mm (vertical) from 50 to 30 mm (horizontal) plates. From the conning tower to the central post there was a 50-mm inclined shaft, with a brace inside. The foremast mars were booked with 20mm (vertical), 15mm (horizontal) slabs. The nose rangefinder had 20-mm vertical and horizontal armor, a stabilized fire control post for 88-mm guns and 14-mm protection.

Light cruiser "Leipzig" plating arrangement

The turrets of the main caliber had frontal armor of 80 mm, lateral armor of 20 mm, and the rear of 32 mm plates. The turret barbet had 60 mm armor above the waterline, 32 mm below it. The upper deck in some of the most vital places reached a thickness of 20 to 32 mm. Armor shields for 88-mm guns consisted of 12-mm frontal and 10-mm side plates.

The main power plant consisted of 6 low pressure naval boilers (16 atmospheres) housed in three boiler rooms. The boilers produced steam for 2 turbines of the Parsons system produced by the Kiel plant "Germany", each working through a turbo-gear unit on its own shaft. In addition, the ship had 4 diesel engines of the "MAN" company, working on one (central) shaft. In total, the cruiser had three propellers. Turbine power was 60,000 hp, diesels 12,400 hp.

General arrangement of turbine boilers in the diesel compartment

The speed during the operation of the turbines reached 32 knots, with only diesel engines operating at 18 knots (cruising speed), the cruising range was 3780 miles at a speed of 15 knots, 2980 miles at 21 knots and 2220 miles at a speed of 32 knots. The fuel stock was equal to 1200 tons (oil) and 310 tons of fuel oil (diesel fuel). “Taking into account the fact that the turbine and diesel installations differed significantly in power, a variable pitch propeller (CPP) was installed on the middle shaft of the cruiser, which made it possible to turn the blades to the position most effective for each specific mode of the diesel installation, taking into account the ship's speed. failure of the diesel unit, as well as during the course only under the boiler and turbine unit, it was envisaged to deploy the CPP to the "vane" position along the axis of the propeller shaft, which made it possible to minimize the resistance of the idle propeller.

Electricity for numerous consumers was generated by 3 turbine generators and 1 diesel generator with a capacity of 180 kilowatts each, a total of 720 kilowatts. The mains voltage was 220 volts.

On trials, "Leipzig" during the run developed a power of 65585 hp, 309 rpm, and reached a speed of 31.9 knots.

The main artillery caliber of the "Leipzig" consisted of 9 150-mm guns of the SKC-25 system. They were placed in the same way as on K-class cruisers, in three three-gun turrets: one in the bow, two in the stern. Unlike the previous series, the aft towers were located in the center plane. Each of the towers weighed 137 tons (of which 24.8 tons were armored). The elevation angles of the guns reached 40 degrees, the descent was 10 degrees. The maximum firing range was 25,000 m. For these guns, there were high-explosive and armor-piercing shells weighing 45.5 kg. Ammunition included 1080 rounds or 120 rounds per barrel. During the war, the ammunition capacity was increased to 1,500 shells.

150-mm guns of the SKC-25 system

The main artillery fire control system was based on three rangefinders with a base of 6 meters: one on the foremast top, the second on the bow superstructure, and the third on the aft superstructure.

Initially, it was planned to install 4 88-mm C25 guns on the cruisers, the same as those used for the K-class cruisers. Due to their unavailability, the cruiser was armed with 2 and then 4 single-barreled 88-mm guns during the First World War. In 1936, 88-mm C32 guns were installed at Leipzig. Initially, two double-barreled units were mounted, then another double-barreled installation was added. The main characteristics of the installation and the guns were as follows: elevation angle 80 degrees, descent angle 10 degrees, angle of rotation of the guns 360 degrees, projectile weight 9 kg, charge weight 15 kg, firing range 19,200 m (for sea targets), 12400 m (for air targets) ). The ammunition load was: 800 shells for the old 88-mm, and from 1600 to 2400 shells for the new 88-mm guns.

Seaplane aboard the light cruiser "Leipzig"

Small-caliber anti-aircraft artillery included 8 37-mm guns of the C30 system (4 double-barreled installations had an elevation angle of 85 ", a descent of 10", a firing range of 8500 m at a sea target, 5800-6800 at an air target) with a maximum rate of fire of 160 rounds per minute per barrel, practical 80 shots. The ammunition load of 37-mm shells consisted of 9600 rounds. 8 20-mm single-barreled guns had an elevation angle of 85 degrees, a descent of 11 degrees, a firing range of 4900 m at a sea target, 3700 m at an air target, a maximum rate of fire of 280 rounds per minute per barrel, an actual 120 rounds per minute.

The gunners of the light cruiser "Leipzig"

Initially, "Leipzig" was armed with 12,500-mm torpedo tubes (4 three-tube, two per side). After the transition of the German fleet to a new caliber of torpedo tubes, the same number of 533-mm torpedo tubes were installed instead of 500 mm. Ammunition consisted of 24 torpedoes: 12 in vehicles, 12 near them. There was a centralized torpedo fire control system. If necessary, the cruiser could set up 120 mines of the barrage.

Fire of the main battery of the light cruiser "Leipzig" 1940.

The crew included 850 people, of which 26 were officers. The number of the crew grew steadily and soon amounted to 858 people, of which 30 were officers. If "Leipzig" acted as the flagship, then 26 people were added, including 6 officers.

The weight loads of the Leipzig cruiser were distributed as follows: hull (including the weight of the turret armor) 255 t, armor 774 t, main power plants 1637 t, auxiliary mechanisms 394 t, armament (fire control devices and ammunition included) 903 t, equipment with spare parts, a crew with equipment 481 tons, fuel, water for boilers, lubricating oil 1681 tons.The design displacement of the cruiser was 8427 tons.

Light cruiser "Leipzig"

The first major modernization was the replacement of torpedo tubes in 1934. In 1936, the 88-mm guns were replaced and an anti-aircraft fire control system was installed, its basis was the SC-1 central firing machine. At this time, Germany got rid of the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles and began to intensively create military aviation, so Leipzig received aviation weapons. It consisted of a catapult and a crane in the area of ​​the pipe for lifting aircraft. At first, the cruiser was based on the biplane "Not-60S". In 1938, the American seaplane Yiot Korsair was tested at Leipzig.

Due to problems with the strength of the hull, it was decided to carry out a large amount of work on the hull. It was planned to mount it in the underwater part of the boule, while the displacement of "Leipzig" would increase by 210 tons, but the draft remained the same. Further calculations showed that the work to strengthen the hull and the installation of new equipment should have increased the ship's displacement by 270 tons, moreover, during the design, a reserve of 50 tons was laid, and the displacement increased by 320 tons. But after the start of the war, this plan was abandoned.

Before the start of the war, a crane for lifting aircraft was replaced with a crane of a different system. In December 1939, the cruiser was torpedoed. During the repair, two boilers were removed from it. In 1940, two three-barreled 20-mm machine guns were installed on the ship. Small-caliber anti-aircraft artillery during this period had 4 double-barreled 37-mm and 6 20-mm machine guns. At the same time, a demagnetizing device (MES Anlage) was installed at Leipzig.

In March 1941, two three-tube torpedo tubes were removed from the cruiser and installed on the battleship Gneisenau. By 1944, the remaining two three-tube torpedo tubes were dismantled. In the summer of 1943, a radar station appeared on the ship, it was FuMO-21, as well as the FuMB-b "Palau" electronic reconnaissance station and two FuMB "Sumatra" stations.

In 1944, small-caliber anti-aircraft artillery was significantly strengthened, as a result, it consisted of 4 40-mm machine guns, 4 37-mm (two double-barreled installations), 8 20-mm anti-aircraft machine guns (according to some sources, in single-barreled installations, according to others, in 4 double-barreled). After the collision with the "Prince Eugen" from the "Leipzig" almost all anti-aircraft weapons were removed. At the time of the surrender, it consisted of only two 20-mm submachine guns.

Service

In September "Leipzig" participates in the autumn fleet maneuvers. From 3 to 5 September, the Mayor of Leipzig, Dr. Goerdeler, oversees the course of the exercise. After the completion of the exercises, the cruiser was at the disposal of the artillery and torpedo inspection. The rest of the year was spent in routine service.

From February 21 to March 15, 1933, a cruise to the Atlantic took place with a visit to the port of Los Palmos (Canary Islands). After returning, "Leipzig" was engaged in combat training in the North and Baltic Seas. On April 1, the ship takes part in the launching ceremony of the armored ship "Admiral Scheer". On May 22, representatives of the new government gathered on board the Leipzig: the newly elected German Chancellor A. Hitler, the Speaker (Chairman) of the Reichstag G. Goering and the Commander-in-Chief of the Fleet, Admiral E. Raeder. A high-ranking society watched the artillery fire.

Light cruiser "Leipzig"

From June 23 to June 26, the ship visited the Finnish port of Hanko. In July, an overseas voyage with a stopover in the Danish port of Aarnus took place with a visit on board the "Leipzig" of the king of this country. In the fall, the cruiser took part in large fleet maneuvers. On "Leipzig" was the commander-in-chief, Admiral E. Raeder. After the completion of the maneuvers, a large parade took place. The rest of 1933 and the first months of 1934, the ship was engaged in combat training. A visit to the Norwegian port of Kristiansand took place on April 26, followed by a business visit to the Norwegian port of Stavanger on June 21. The cruiser provided assistance to the NDL liner "Dresden".

July was very busy. At the beginning of the month, the cruisers "Königsberg" and "Leipzig" leave Wilhelmshaven. The purpose of the campaign was exercises in the Atlantic, as well as visits to the Icelandic port of Reykjavik and the British naval base of Portsmouth. This was the first visit by German ships to England after 1914. In the same month, the cruisers returned to Germany. The rest of the year passed for Leipzig in regular combat training. The cruiser did the same in 1935. In July 1935, the cruiser took part in the celebration of the Kiel week. In August, one of the shooting took place in the presence of Hitler. Occasionally and for a short time, Leipzig becomes the flagship of the Reconnaissance Forces.

In December 1935, aircraft weapons were mounted on the ship. In the literature, you can find mention of the installation of aircraft weapons on a cruiser in December 1934, but this is a mistake, since Germany withdrew from the Treaty of Versailles only in 1935.

Leipzig was the flagship of the Intelligence Force from January 19 to February 3, 1936. In January, together with the Cologne, he was engaged in combat training in the German Bay, and then, as a target ship, provided torpedo firing of the fleet in the Baltic. On February 1, the catapult was tested. On April 15, Leipzig, Cologne and Nuremberg leave for the Atlantic to test catapults and conduct a series of exercises. On May 8, the ships returned to Wilhelmshaven and began conducting combat training in the Baltic Sea. On May 29, Leipzig takes part in the parade dedicated to the unveiling of the monument to the fallen sailors of the First World War in Laboe. From 25 to 28 June, a visit to the free city of Danzig takes place.

In the summer of 1936, a civil war broke out in Spain. The German government supported General Franco's rebels. Ships of the German fleet began cruises into Spanish waters. The first trip to Spanish waters began for Leipzig on 20 August. At the beginning of October, “Cologne” arrived to replace him. October 10 "Leipzig" returned to Germany. Soon, the cruiser arrives at the Wilhelmshaven shipyard for maintenance. The work was completed in January 1937, and factory tests were carried out from January 21 to 22. Then, after a course of combat training in the Baltic Sea, on March 9, the cruiser left Kiel and headed for Spain and on March 12 arrived at the main naval base of the Francoists, El Ferrol. In the waters of Spain, "Leipzig" was replaced by "Cologne".

On March 13, 1937, the Leipzig was caught in a storm in the Bay of Biscay, the consequences of which were severe: the cruiser was damaged, the upper deck was deformed, and cracks appeared in the sides. But the ship still waited for its change (replacement - "Admiral Scheer" appeared only in mid-May) and went to Germany for repairs. On May 19, he returned to Germany, by June 1, the situation demanded his return to Spanish waters. On June 15 and 18, the cruiser was attacked by unknown submarines. On June 29, after another return to Germany, combat training began, both individually and as part of the formation. From 24 to 30 July, the fleet commander, Admiral Karls, was on board Leipzig, during the autumn maneuvers the cruiser was the flagship of the blue squadron commanded by Rear Admiral Doenitz. to the capital of Estonia Tallinn.

The entire 1938 year was spent in continuous combat training: mine layings were worked out, experiments were carried out to transfer fuel to destroyers on the open sea, the cruiser was a target ship for submarines, and exercises were conducted on mutual towing with the cruiser Nuremberg.

On August 22, "Leipzig" took part in a large naval parade dedicated to the launch of the heavy cruiser "Prince Eugen". This event was honored with their attention by the entire top of the Third Reich, headed by A. Hitler, as well as by the Hungarian dictator Admiral Horthy. On October 8 and 9, the cruiser already took part in the celebrations marking the launching of the first German aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin.

From December 17, 1938 to March 15, 1939, the ship was under repair at the Deutsche Wharf plant in Kiel. March 23 "Leipzig" in the squadron takes part in the annexation of Memel (Klaipeda) to Germany. This Lithuanian city became the last peaceful acquisition, the next step of A. Hitler led to war.

From April 17 to May 18, the cruiser as part of the squadron leaves for the Atlantic on a training cruise. According to other sources, the campaign lasted from April 18 to May 16. Leipzig was the flagship of the Navy's Reconnaissance Force, and Rear Admiral Doenitz raised the flag on it. There were visits to the ports of Ponteoedro and Tangier.

Light cruiser "Leipzig" in the Atlantic 1938.

In mid-August 1939, the mobilization began, and then the deployment of the Kriegsmarine against Poland. The invasion was scheduled for 26 August. August 23 (according to other sources, August 24) "Leipzig" began a blockade of the Polish coast.

On September 1, 1939, the Second World War began with an attack by Germany on Poland. On September 3, Great Britain and France declared war on Germany. The Kriegsmarine began setting up the Westwall minefield system. Leipzig also did not stand aside: on the night of September 19-20, she was the flagship of the mine blocking formation, which consisted of the destroyers Seeadler and Wolf, and the destroyers Leberecht Maas and Georg Thiele provided cover. They set up the obstacle "Marta-4". The operation went off without incident.

At the end of September "Leipzig" returns to the Baltic Sea and at the beginning of October stands at the wall of one of the factories for a two-week repair of the power plant. During the repair, a complete inspection of all main and auxiliary mechanisms was carried out, as well as the cleaning of the boilers. After the completion of the work, exit for short tests, artillery and torpedo firing.

On October 21, Rear Admiral G. Lutyens took command of the Fleet Reconnaissance Forces. "Leipzig" under his flag passed the Kiel Canal.

Soon the cruiser anchored in the roadstead of Brunsbütelle and on the last day of October made a return passage to the Baltic and arrived on November 1 at Swinemunde. Later, joint exercises with the cruisers "Königsberg", "Cologne" and "Nuremberg" took place. 7 November Leipzig in Kiel, at the Holtenaus dock, collides with the training and artillery ship Bremse on a dark and rainy night. Fortunately, damage to the aft starboard side was minor, and repairs at Deutsche Werf in Kiel took a week, after which Leipzig joined the Fleet Reconnaissance Force, of which the Nuremberg was the flagship. At this time, German destroyers were laying active minefields off the English coast. Light cruisers were deployed to cover them in the North Sea.

Light cruiser "Nuremberg" 1938

On November 18, the Leipzig and the destroyer flotilla sailed to sea. All night they cruised in the designated area. After meeting with the destroyers, the compound went to the base, where it arrived on November 19. On the same day, the flag of the commander of the reconnaissance forces was raised on the "Leipzig". This formation also included the cruiser Cologne and the destroyers Karl Galster, Bernd von Arnim and Erich Giese, as well as 4 destroyers. On November 21, German ships went to sea, covering the departure of the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau battleships going to cruise to the Atlantic. On November 22, the cruisers parted with their battleships and began the second phase of the operation: the search for enemy and neutral ships with contraband, first in the North Sea, and then in the Baltic straits.

The connection has been reorganized several times. On November 24-25, the Luttsov pocket battleship was included in its composition. After returning to base, Rear Admiral Lutyens moved his flag to the Nuremberg.

On the night of December 12-13, another mine-laying operation was planned off the English coast. Usually cruisers were covered by destroyers, but it so happened that there were no combat-ready ships, so Lutyens had to go to sea without cover. At his disposal were the cruisers Nuremberg, Leipzig and Cologne.

The night passed quietly. The only event was the receipt of a radiogram from the headquarters that the passenger liner "Bremen" would proceed through their area. But the signalmen from the cruisers did not find him. In the morning, reconnaissance planes took off from "Leipzig" and "Nuremberg". At 1040 hours on 13 December, signalmen from the cruisers discovered the Danish steamer Charkow, and Lutyens ordered Leipzig to stop and inspect it. The order was fulfilled: the cruiser stopped and lowered the boat and, when it turned out that the steamer was not carrying contraband, returned and was taken aboard.

Soon the ship caught up with the formation and the German cruisers went a kind of triangle: "Nuremberg" and "Leipzig" in the front ranks, behind them "Cologne". Then two He-115 seaplanes appeared above them, one of them began to transmit the letter "U" with a signal lamp. But this warning about the threat from under the water was misunderstood, since the same letter was the callsign for that day.

The threat came in the form of the Salmon submarine, which was assigned to the 2nd Submarine Flotilla. This boat was assigned to make a 16-day reconnaissance and combat campaign to Heligoland Bay and at the entrance to the Skagerrak Strait. The British submariners' trip was very eventful. On December 4, they sank the German U-36 submarine. On December 12, however, an unsuccessful attack on the Bremen liner took place. And on December 13, the cruisers Lutyens were discovered. The submarine commander fired a 6-torpedo salvo and immediately went deep. At 11:25 am, one of the torpedoes hit the Leipzig, the other the flagship Nuremberg.

The explosion thundered in the area of ​​the 89th frame, just aft of the bulkhead, three to four meters below the waterline. As a result, the hull had a hole from 83 to 96 frames (13 meters in length), and the keel sheets were deformed vertically from the double bottom to the waterline (5-6 meters in height), the armored deck swelled, steam lines burst, bulkheads between boiler rooms No. 2 and No. 1 were destroyed and water seeped over the armored deck as a result of secondary deformations. Oil and water filled both boiler houses, killing the entire watch, consisting of 15 people. One of the turbines failed, the second turbine worked for another 15 minutes, receiving steam from boiler room No. 3, but after the appearance of water in the fuel, the boilers had to be taken out of action. Also, both gyrocompasses, rangefinder, and steering failed. "Leipzig" was banked 8 "to the port side, its position was critical, but not hopeless (due to the successful division of the hull into compartments).

The only intact boiler room No. 3 was filled with smoke, and water from the flooded boiler room No. 2 entered it through cable entries. In total, the ship received 1,700 tons of water. The struggle for the survivability of the cruiser was complicated by the disabling of the inter-ship communications. At 12:25, the diesel engine was started, and the damaged cruiser went to base. At this time, English aircraft appeared over the German cruisers.

Meanwhile, work was in full swing at the headquarters of the West group. After receiving a radiogram from G. Lutyens about damage to two cruisers, the formation of an escort began. It included destroyers, patrol ships and minesweepers, and requested air support. The compound of G. Lutyens was divided into three groups. The first to go ahead undamaged “Cologne”, followed by “Nuremberg”, the last was “Leipzig”. It was guarded by the destroyer Hermann Schoemann, patrol ships F-7, F-9, minesweepers from the 2nd flotilla and boat minesweepers from the 1st flotilla.

Light cruiser Cologne

All day on December 13 and the night of December 14, the cruiser slowly walked to her base. The first half for December 14 passed calmly, until at 12:30 the Leipzig and its escort were attacked by the enemy submarine Ursula. A four-torpedo salvo was fired from the boat. One (and possibly two) torpedoes hit the F-9 patrol ship. In the evening, "Leipzig" and its thinning guard arrived at the base.

The initial repairs were carried out by the Blomm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg, then the cruiser was taken to the Deutsche Wharf plant in Kiel.

On February 27, 1940, Leipzig was excluded from the lists of the fleet, but it was decided to restore it as a training cruiser. 4 cauldrons were removed from it, instead of them they equipped cabins for cadets. Leipzig's speed dropped to 14 knots. Part of the work was carried out by Danziger Shipyard. Only almost a year after receiving the damage, the work on the cruiser was completed. December 1, 1940 "Leipzig" returns to the fleet, it is assigned to the artillery and torpedo schools.

In April 1941, "Leipzig" provided combat training for the battleship "Bismarck". But his main work was exercises and artillery fire. On June 11, the German squadron, which included the armored ship "Lutzow" and the cruisers "Emden" and "Leipzig", escorted by destroyers, set off for Norwegian waters and arrived in Oslo without incident. "Luttsov" went further north, but was damaged by a British torpedo plane. The stay in Norwegian waters was short, and on July 7 the ships returned to Germany. Peaceful life of "Leipzig" ended in September 1941, when the formation was formed, which received the name "Baltic Fleet". The purpose of this formation was to prevent the departure of Soviet ships to Sweden in the event of a breakthrough from Leningrad. "Leipzig" was enrolled in the southern group based in Liepaja.

After the raids on Kronstadt, it became clear to the German command that the Soviet ships would not go to sea, the unit, having existed for several days, was disbanded. “Leipzig” almost immediately found a new challenge. The Wehrmacht at this time was conducting an operation to seize the Moonsund Islands, and he needed the support of the fleet. To accomplish this task, the cruisers Leipzig and Emden and 3 destroyers were allocated. An aircraft was taken to the deck of the cruiser to adjust fire and search for submarines. The operation was codenamed Weststurm.

Light cruisers "Leipzig" and "Emden"

On the evening of September 25, the ships left Libau and went to the Moonsund Islands. During the night transition, the locations of the shelling were clarified. At 6 o'clock in the morning, German ships opened fire. Due to poor visibility, the aircraft was used only for anti-submarine patrols. The shelling continued until noon, after which the German cruisers withdrew, but the minesweepers continued to shoot along the coast. On this day, the consumption of ammunition at the "Leipzig" was 377 shells.

The ships of the German squadron spent the night near the Moonsund Islands. On the morning of the 27th, "Leipzig" ejected the plane, and 5 minutes later, its main caliber spoke. Soon, Soviet coastal batteries began to respond from the coast. Around the same time, the commander of the torpedo boat division, Lieutenant-Commander A.N. Bogdanov was finishing the formation of the strike group. It included TK No. 67, No. 83, No. 111, No. 164. Lieutenant-Commander V.P. Humanenko. Soviet boats were discovered at sea, first by aerial reconnaissance, and then by a signalman on the top of the foremast of the cruiser Emden. The shelling of the coast ceased, and the cruisers prepared to repel the attack. Emden was the first to open fire on boats at 0917 hours from bow guns, when the distance to them was 10,000 meters. A few minutes later, the rest of the ships began to shoot. Our boats turned to the right and began to put the smoke screen. At this time, according to the German sailors, it was visible to hit one of them. The search for a new target was planned. Two minutes later, another boat was discovered and fired upon.

The battle continued for another 20 minutes, after which the torpedo boats were driven away by destroyers. "Leipzig" used up 153 shells in this battle. German sailors reported the sinking of two boats.

In fact, during this battle, the Soviet fleet lost one torpedo boat No. 83, the crew removed another boat from it. In turn, the boatmen reported on the sinking of two destroyers, as well as the infliction of heavy damage on the cruiser and the destroyer. The Germans claim that their ships were not damaged. But one way or another, the Soviet sailors fulfilled their task. The shelling of the coast was stopped.

Due to the high consumption of ammunition and fuel, the German formation stopped the task and went to Libau. During the crossing, a radio reconnaissance group on the Emden intercepted an enemy radio message, the sender of which could have been a submarine. At 14:27, when the German unit was 20 miles west of Vindava, the signalmen of the German ships saw the traces of torpedoes. They approached, from the starboard side, and "Emden" and "Leipzig" made a sharp turn to the left, dodging the torpedoes. Guarding the cruiser "T-7" began to pursue the submarine, soon two more destroyers joined the hunt. But there were no search results, and the Soviet boats returning from the campaigns did not report the attack of the cruisers. Most likely, "Shch-319" (commander Lieutenant-Commander NS Agashin) went into the attack.

She went to sea on September 20 from Kronstadt to position number 2 at Libava. The boat was reported missing. In earlier secret works it was believed that "Shch-319" died during the crossing of the Gulf of Finland. But, most likely, the boat crossed the bay safely. In the area of ​​her position, the Germans recorded two attacks on the 27th on the cruiser, on the 29th on the minesweeper. Probably Shch-319 died in position or while returning to base.

In the evening of September 27, the German unit arrived at Libau, 29 in Kiel, where the cruiser was placed against the wall of the Deutsche Wharf plant. The work was completed on October 20, after which Leipzig returns to Gotenhaven (Gdynia). The ship began to perform the duties of a training ship: in November, a joint exercise with the heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper took place, after their completion training cruises along the Danzig Gulf, on October 18, Leipzig was a target ship during the firing of destroyers and destroyers.

The year 1942 passed for the ship in daily service. In the life of the cruiser, two notable events took place: the test of a new sample of mine-action winding (MES-Anlage) and the passage of current repairs in Libau. After the "New Year's battle" A. Hitler ordered all large surface ships to be scrapped ("New Year's battle" - the attack of the heavy cruiser "Admiral Hipper" and the armored ship "Luttsov" with destroyers on the allied convoy. The attack was unsuccessful, "Admiral Hipper" was damaged, but A. Hitler was not reported about this, which then caused his displeasure with the actions of the entire Navy). But the new commander-in-chief K. Doenitz managed to defend most of them. But not Leipzig, whose combat value was already insignificant. In February, the ship's crew was reduced and on March 4, 1943, Leipzig was excluded from the lists of the fleet. The naval flag on the ship was lowered, and the ship went to Libau to lay down with a small crew headed by the acting commander, Captain 2nd Rank Asmus.

In July 1943, the decision was again made to return the cruiser to the fleet. "Leipzig" was to serve as a training ship for the helmsmen and navigators. On August 1, he entered the fleet. But the cruiser continued to be plagued by setbacks. On August 10, a fire broke out in boiler room No. 3. After a short repair, new tests and a course of anti-aircraft firing, from September to December training campaigns in the central part of the Baltic Sea, joint exercises with "Nuremberg".

From 5 to 31 January 1944, Leipzig underwent current repairs at the Deutsche Wharf's Gotenhaf branch, where the liners of 150-mm guns were replaced. From February 28 to March 2, a joint exercise with the cruiser "Prince Eugen" was held, on March 16, a military exercise in the Gulf of Gdansk.

Meanwhile, the situation at the front worsened. The front was approaching the combat training areas of the German fleet. The old comrades of "Leipzig" have already entered the war, shelling the Soviet troops advancing along the coast. But "Leipzig" did not participate in hostilities. In early September, he conducted joint exercises with the heavy cruiser Admiral Scheer, on September 21, an exercise off the island of Bornholm, on September 26, Leipzig guards a military convoy from Swinemünde to Gotenhafen, and then participates in joint exercises with the heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper, light cruiser "Cologne", training ship, former battleship "Schlesien".

From 8 to 14 October, Leipzig was docked at the Schihau shipyard in Danzig. After leaving the dock, the cruiser receives a real combat mission: setting up a minefield at the entrance to the Skagerrak Strait. But the nearest mine arsenals were in Swinemünde, and "Leipzig" went there from Gotenhaven. At 19 h 50 min, the cruiser passed the tip of Cape Heli. Under wartime conditions, the ship went without lights. Most likely, the radio navigation and hydroacoustic watches were not carried out, although the combat alert was broken. At about 20:00, Leipzig stopped to turn off the turbines and further move under diesel engines. There was a heavy fog, from which the heavy cruiser "Prince Eugen" literally jumped out, on its way to Gotenhafen to replenish ammunition. The blow was so strong that an officer at the Leipzig headquarters wrote down in the journal "04.20. Torpedo hit." Many sailors of "Leipzig" thought the same in the first minutes. The attack hit the same area as the torpedo hit in December 1939. After the impact, the lights went out, but the dim emergency lights came on.

In fact, the situation was as follows: the nose of the "Prince Eugen" entered the side of the "Leipzig" between the bow superstructure and the chimney, the bow boiler rooms No. 2 and No. 3 were flooded, water began to flow into the adjacent compartments (in total, 1600 tons of water entered the hull), crew losses amounted to 11 people killed, 6 missing, 31 people were wounded (according to other sources, 27 people died). Mostly the crews of the anti-aircraft guns were killed. The dead could have been much more, in the previously destroyed boiler room there were cadets' quarters, but on alert they arrived at their combat posts.

Heavy cruiser "Prince Eugen"

Both cruisers drifted 2.5 miles east of Heli. Tugs and warships arrived from Gotenhaven and Danzig. The first for the separation of ships, the second for carrying anti-submarine patrol. So "Leipzig" and "Prince Eugen" sailed all night. In the morning, tugs were brought to Leipzig, and the cruisers parted: Prince Eugen gave full speed back, and the tugs pulled Leipzig log in the opposite direction, after which they brought it to Gotenhaven.

Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Meendsen Bolken examined the damage to the cruiser and made the following decision: to urgently repair the Eugen and exclude Leipzig from the fleet lists. Now "Leipzig" was turned into a non-self-propelled training ship, and most of the crew received new assignments. The damage to the hull was hastily patched up, the boilers were not put into operation. And although several new boilers were on the factory wall, they did not have time to install them, since everyone was not up to it: the Third Reich was bursting at the seams and falling apart, the Red Army continued its rapid offensive. They decided to use the ship as a stationary floating battery.

From 11 to 24 March, "Leipzig" fired at the advancing Soviet troops, using up 896 shells. On March 25, he left the Hela raid to the west, taking with him about 500 refugees and wounded. The crossing took place on diesel engines, and the speed was low. But everything turned out well, despite the threat from Soviet aircraft and submarines, Leipzig reached the small Danish bay of Aabenraa, north of Flensburg, passing through the Small Belt.

On May 9, 1945 Germany surrendered. The victorious allies began to partition the German fleet. First of all, the ships of the Kriegsmarine were divided into three groups. The wounded Leipzig was recognized as a category C ship. In the article of the Potsdam agreements, it was written that this category should be dismantled no later than August 15, 1946. While the fate of the ship was being decided, it was used as a floating barracks in Wilhelmshaven. At the beginning of June 1946, part of the Wehrmacht's gas weapons were loaded aboard the cruiser. On July 6, tugs took Leipzig out of Wilhelmshaven.

Light cruiser "Leipzig" 1945

On board the ship was only a towing party. On July 11, the ship was at the sinking point. At 10 h 59 min, the towing party was removed, shortly thereafter, explosive charges were detonated, and the Leipzig sank, turning up keel. The place where the ship was sunk is a point with coordinates 57.53 "N / 06.13" E. (According to other sources, "Leipzig" was sunk on July 20 and without chemical weapons).

Damage to the German light cruiser Leipzig on December 13, 1939

The light cruiser Leipzig, located in the North Sea, was hit by a torpedo in the middle of the hull. The torpedo was fired from a British submarine along the traverse of the ship from a distance of no more than 600 m (torpedo caliber 533 mm; explosive weight 340 kg).

At the time of damage, the ship had a stroke of 28 knots; sea ​​state 2 points, draft before damage 5.4 m. Side and double bottom tanks of fuel and feed water were filled to 85% ".

The center of the explosion fell in the area of ​​89 shp. from the left side almost 4.0 m below the waterline into the transverse bulkhead separating boiler rooms No. 1 and 2. The cruiser received the following damage from the explosion.

On the body. A hole was formed in the area of ​​the explosion (10x5 m), and the side armor was dented, but not destroyed. The armored deck above the boiler rooms No. 1 and 2 bulged, the armored bevel of the left side in the area of ​​impact was torn and twisted, the inner side, the bilge keel and the longitudinal bulkhead were destroyed, the intermediate deck was damaged. In the explosion zone, the transverse bulkhead was completely destroyed, and the bottom and inner bottom on the left side were partially destroyed. Throughout the middle third of the ship's length, a number of ruptures and cracks (including the shirstrek), the upper deck (including the deck stringer) and other structures were noted in the area of ​​the engine room and other structures, with ruptures occurring both along welds and throughout the metal. A number of foundations under the instruments received cracks from the shaking of the hull.

The tears in the hull plating were so significant that in stormy conditions the ship would be in a very dangerous position and could break. The ship did not have any reserve in terms of ensuring combat strength.

As a result of the damage received, boiler rooms No. I and 2 were flooded, and due to the violation of water tightness in the places where cables pass through the bulkheads, some other rooms were flooded as well. The draft increased to 6.2 m, and the ship received a roll of 4 degrees to the port side. The fuel coming from the destroyed fuel tanks to the boiler room reached the level of the intermediate deck from the port side; this subsequently led to the outbreak of fires.

Mechanisms, electrical equipment and weapons. The boilers and the mechanisms serving them in boiler rooms No. 1 and 2 turned out to be destroyed, boiler room No. 3 was also out of order due to the lack of feed water, and, as a result, both turbines. Most of the independent auxiliary mechanisms also ceased to function (the drain pump of the boiler room No. 3 and the bow fuel pump remained in service). The middle shaft and the diesel unit remained unharmed, so that the ship did not lose speed.

Due to the lack of steam, the aft turbine generators were out of order (this was facilitated by the damage to the main cable route of the left side and part of the starboard route laid along the longitudinal bulkheads). Some of the radio equipment and telephones were out of order.

Most of the artillery remained intact, with the exception of the main caliber turret No. 2, which could only operate with manual control. The torpedo tubes were temporarily disabled from damage to the electrical parts, but they were soon put into operation again. From the resulting deformation of the deck, the right aft torpedo tube was manually operated with difficulty.

The bow gyrocompass is out of order due to lack of cooling water; the aft gyrocompass also temporarily ceased to function. Out of order: the main machine telegraph (temporarily), electric steering, rangefinder and radio station.

The personnel waged a vigorous struggle for the survivability of the ship. The fight against water was carried out by battening down and draining the premises; the failed sump pumps were activated. Damaged equipment was restored, including: electrical equipment and cables, auxiliary mechanisms, telephones, etc. Damage was repaired and artillery, torpedo weapons, and radio communications were activated.

Losses in personnel were: 14 killed and 22 wounded.

Notes (edit)

Cm. also

Sources of

• The book of I.M. Korotkina Combat damage to surface ships. Sudpromgiz. 1960
• S. Trubitsyn Light cruisers of Germany. Part I. BKM. S-Pb. 2003.

Gallery

Kriegsmarine

During its relatively short military service for a cruiser (just over 13 years), Leipzig was excluded from the fleet three times and already in the eighth year of service was transferred to the category of training ships. In fact, the cruiser turned out to be unnecessary during the Second World War, and the appearance of such ships in the German fleet can be explained by the inertia of thinking of the then naval commanders who went through the First World War.

The light cruiser Leipzig, together with the cruiser Nuremberg, belonged to the series of German E-class cruisers, which represented the next stage in the development of the K-series cruisers, the reference warships of the mid-1920s. The cruiser, which received the letter designation Kreuzer "E" and the code name "Ersatz Amasone" (German - "replacement of the Amazon"), due to political goals (Germany tried to present the construction of a new ship as a replacement for the cruiser "Amazon", which remained in the fleet since the First World War), was laid on the slipway of the Naval Shipyard in Wilhelmshaven on April 16 (according to other sources - April 14) 1928. On October 18, 1929 (on the regular anniversary of the Battle of the Nations near Leipzig), the cruiser was launched and named "Leipzig"

Descent of the cruiser "Leipzig" on the water, October 18, 1929
A source:
vetrabotnik.narod.ru

Specifications

In the course of its relatively short service, the cruiser was repeatedly modernized, which led to a difference in the data on its tactical and technical characteristics in various sources. The data on the geometric dimensions and operational characteristics of the cruiser, given in various sources, differ slightly:

The power plant of the cruiser was significantly different from those installed on the previous cruisers. The ship was designed as a three-shaft ship and had two power plants: the main one and an economical propulsion system. The main power plant consisted of two turbines with a total capacity of 60,000 hp. and six boilers. The installation of an economical course was of an experimental nature (for the first time in the history of German shipbuilding, diesel engines were used in its composition), consisted of four MAN diesel engines with a total capacity of 12,600 hp. and was mounted on the middle shaft (when the turbines were connected, the middle shaft was disconnected from the diesel engines). Power plants provided "Leipzig" with a maximum speed of 32 knots or an economical speed of 16.5 knots.

The data on the cruising range of the ship and the number of its crew are rather contradictory. Most likely, the given data refer to different periods of the ship's service.

The scheme of the cruiser "Leipzig"
Source: “Handbook of the ship composition of the navies of the world. 1944 "(Military Publishing House of the USSR)

The armor protection system of the Leipzig cruiser was significantly different from the protection systems of its predecessors. When designing the cruiser, the designers returned to the so-called "belt + bevel" system. The main armor belt had an angle of inclination of 18 degrees, with a noticeable decrease in the thickness of the armor from the middle of the belt to the stern and bow. The armored deck in the middle of the ship was flat, and rounded to the sides and in contact with the lower edge of the belt. The length of the armored citadel was about 70% of the total length of the ship, while the Leipzig cruiser was the first to use the improved Wh grade armor. The data on the thickness of the armor in modern sources and reference books during the Second World War also differ somewhat:

Wartime sources generally tended to overestimate the armor thickness of the main belt and underestimate the thickness of the turret and conning tower armor. It can be assumed that such a trend could be the result of misinformation on the part of German intelligence.

Artillery weapons

The artillery armament of large German surface ships, built after Hitler came to power, was organized in a progressive way and consisted of artillery of the main caliber placed in towers, universal medium-caliber artillery and anti-aircraft machine guns. The data on the composition of the Leipzig artillery weapons in various sources are practically identical. The main caliber artillery consisted of nine 150 mm guns (barrel length - 55 calibers, firing range - 120 cables, projectile weight - 45.3 kg, rate of fire - 10 rounds per minute), installed in three three-gun turrets, one of which was located on bow, and two - at the stern of the ship, which made it possible to provide a simultaneous side salvo with all guns. In the process of operation, the composition of the anti-aircraft artillery weapons of the "Leipzig" has changed several times. Initially, four single 88 mm anti-aircraft guns were installed on the cruiser. However, the experience of their operation and the development of aviation required the strengthening of air defense. In 1936, 88-mm guns of the C32 system were installed at Leipzig - initially they mounted two, and then added another two-gun mount. On a similar cruiser "Nuremberg" four two-gun mounts were installed, which leads to an erroneous indication by a number of sources of eight 88 mm guns as part of the "Leipzig" armament. As a result of the upgrades, the cruiser's anti-aircraft artillery began to consist of six universal guns of 88 mm caliber (barrel length - 76 calibers, firing range - 94 cables, projectile weight - 9 kg), eight anti-aircraft guns (four paired installations) of 37 mm caliber (barrel length - 83 caliber, firing range - 46.5 cables, projectile weight - 0.745 kg, rate of fire - 50 rounds per minute) and four anti-aircraft guns of 20 mm caliber (barrel length - 65 calibers, projectile weight - 0.15 kg, rate of fire - 150– 160 rounds per minute). Universal guns (located in a triangle in the stern) and anti-aircraft guns (located around the perimeter) provided almost all-round crossfire, with the only vulnerable zone being the bow of the ship, but an air attack from this zone was considered unlikely. In the summer of 1943, a FuMO-22 radar was installed on the cruiser.

Cruiser "Leipzig"
Source: wunderwaffe.narod.ru

Mine torpedo armament

Initially, "Leipzig" was armed with twelve 500-mm torpedo tubes (4 three-pipe installations, two on each side). After the transition of the German fleet to a new caliber of torpedo tubes, the same number of 533-mm torpedo tubes were installed instead of 500 mm. However, the subsequent combat experience of German ships showed that there was no urgent need for such weapons. In March 1941, two three-tube torpedo tubes were removed from the cruiser and installed on the battleship Gneisenau, and by 1944 the remaining two tubes were also dismantled. Light cruisers were originally considered by the German admirals as universal ships, therefore, for the use of Leipzig as a minelayer, the possibility of taking on board 120 mines was provided.

Aviation

In the 30s, in the navy of the leading countries of the world, there was a fashion for naval spotter aircraft. This fashion also did not escape Germany: after the abolition of the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles, military aviation was intensively created in the country, so in December 1935 Leipzig received aviation weapons, which consisted of a catapult and a crane for lifting aircraft located near the chimney. According to the state, the ship's air group included two seaplanes. At first, the non-60S biplanes were based on the cruiser, and then the Ar-196 seaplanes entered service with the cruiser.

Cruiser "Leipzig", 1936. A seaplane is already installed on the cruiser
Source: Sergey Patyanin “The Kriegsmarine. Navy of the Third Reich "

Combat service

Tests "Leipzig" began on October 8, 1931 and were carried out in the North and Baltic Seas. On the whole, they were successful, and on December 18 the cruiser returned to her "native" shipyard to eliminate the remarks of the selection committee. By February 12, 1932, the work was completed, the ship was tested and began combat training. On August 18 of the same year, the cruiser was enrolled in the reconnaissance forces of the fleet. In peacetime, Leipzig, as a symbol of the resurgent German navy, took part in commemorative celebrations and launches of new ships, as well as demonstrating the flag while visiting foreign ports.

The participation of the cruiser in the Spanish Civil War stands apart. During the war, the cruisers Leipzig and Cologne, replacing each other, carried out patrol duty off the coast of Spain, ensuring control of traffic flows, escorting ships en route to Franco ports, and also collecting information about ships heading to ports controlled by Republicans. On June 15 and 18, 1937, the cruiser Leipzig was attacked by unknown submarines. Most historians believe these attacks were carried out by a Spanish Republican submarine - possibly under the guidance of a Soviet specialist. There is no mention of this fact in Soviet sources, which confirms the likelihood of an accidental attack on the cruiser by a Franco or Italian submarine. As a result of this attack, the cruiser was not damaged. During the operation of "Leipzig" the command of the Kriegsmarine was faced with the impossibility of using it for its intended purpose. The use of the cruiser as a scout for the squadron was impossible due to the absence of the squadron itself. The attacks of enemy oceanic convoys, as the experience of the First World War showed, were not possible without the presence of naval bases abroad, therefore the use of the cruiser for attacks on oceanic convoys was excluded. The crew of the cruiser spent the entire 1938, practicing the skills to perform alternative combat missions, such as laying mines and using the ship as a base for destroyers (experiments were carried out on refueling on the high seas).

Cruiser "Leipzig", 1939
Source: Robert Jackson The Kriegsmarine. Navy of the Third Reich "

On March 23, 1939, "Leipzig", as part of a squadron, took part in the annexation of the city of Memel (now Klaipeda) to Germany, during the Polish campaign participated in the blockade of the coast of Poland, and on the night of September 19-20, 1939 - was the flagship of the mine blocking formation, which established obstacle "Marta-4" (part of the defensive minefield Westwall ("Western Wall"), covering the approaches to the Heligoland Bay and the coast of Germany).

In the period from November 18 to December 13, 1939, the Leipzig cruiser was the flagship of the reconnaissance forces, which first covered the departure of the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau battleships sailing to the Atlantic, and from November 22 began to search for enemy and neutral ships with contraband - first in the North Sea, and then in the Baltic straits.

On December 13, 1939, at 11:25 am, the cruiser was torpedoed by the British submarine Salmon. The explosion thundered around the 89th frame, as a result of which the hull received a hole - 13 meters long and 5-6 meters high, which led to the flooding of boiler rooms No. 2 and No. 1. Also, both gyrocompasses, rangefinder, and steering failed. "Leipzig" was banked at 8 degrees to the port side, its position was critical (the ship took 1700 tons of water), but not hopeless (due to the successful division of the hull into compartments). At 12.25, the ship's crew managed to start the diesel engine, and the damaged cruiser went to the Swinemunde base. On December 14, at 12:30 pm, Leipzig and its escort were attacked by the British submarine Ursula - a four-torpedo salvo was fired from the boat. The cruiser itself was not injured, but one (and possibly two) torpedoes hit the F-9 patrol ship.

After repairs, due to the impossibility of using "Leipzig" for its intended purpose, on February 27, 1940, it was excluded from the lists of the fleet, but almost immediately it was decided to restore it as part of the Kriegsmarine as a training cruiser. 4 boilers were removed from the "Leipzig" (instead of them were equipped with cockpits for cadets), so the speed of the ship dropped to 24 (according to other sources, to 14) knots. December 1, 1940 "Leipzig" returned to the fleet and was assigned to the artillery and torpedo schools. In April 1941, he was involved in the combat training of the battleship "Bismarck": he participated in exercises and artillery firing.

The use of the cruiser in the Norwegian campaign was reduced to its short-term participation in the transfer of second echelon troops to the already captured Oslo in the period from June 11 to July 7, 1940.

In September 1941, the cruiser was included in the German Baltic Fleet, designed to prevent the breakthrough of Soviet ships into neutral Sweden. Given the low speed of the ship, it was most likely intended to be used as a floating battery to cover minefields. Later, Leipzig, together with the cruiser Emden, the 8th destroyer flotilla and the 2nd destroyer flotilla, was involved in the artillery support of the German troops fighting on the Moonsund Islands. The participation of the cruiser in the battles for the Moonsund Islands boiled down to two episodes: the shelling of Soviet positions on the Syrvesäar (Svorbe) peninsula on the Saaremaa (Ezel) island on September 26 and 27, 1941. On September 26, at 6 am, German ships (cruisers Leipzig, Emden and 3 destroyers) fired for the first time at the positions of Soviet troops and coastal battery No. 315. Due to poor visibility, the spotter aircraft was used only for anti-submarine patrols, which reduced the accuracy of fire. The shelling continued until noon, after which the German ships withdrew (the Leipzig cruiser used up 377 shells). There is no data on the return fire of battery # 315. The battle on September 27 turned out to be more dramatic and effective. Soviet history like a fight in Lyu Bay.

This battle, which was not of great importance for the Kriegsmarine, is one of the largest military clashes of the Soviet coastal defense with enemy warships in the entire history of its existence. Thanks to this, the course of the battle was described by very authoritative sources - in particular, such as:

• Yu. Chernov "The War Extinguished the Lighthouses";
• A. I. Matveev "In the battles for Moonsund";
• SI Kabanov "On the Distant Approaches".

Despite the seeming abundance of information, the history of the battle in Lyu Bay contains a number of mysteries.

Forces of the parties

Germany

The first mystery of the battle is the composition of the German forces - oddly enough, but all Soviet sources name the different composition of the German squadron that participated in the battle:

• Yu. Chernov ("The war put out the beacons"): a cruiser and 6 destroyers;
• A. I. Matveev ("In the battles for Moonsund"): "An auxiliary cruiser, a Hans Ludemann-class destroyer, five Leberecht Maas-class destroyers and two large torpedo boats";
• SI Kabanov ("On the Distant Approaches"): auxiliary cruiser and 6 destroyers.

The auxiliary cruiser mentioned in the book by A. I. Matveev "In the battles for Moonsund" is definitely "Leipzig", which had already officially become a training ship by that time. With the composition of the escort ships, the situation looks ambiguous. All Soviet sources speak of the presence of six destroyers (destroyers of the Leberecht Maas type in the German nomenclature are designated as “destroyers of the 1934 type, so Matveyev has a clear error), which completely contradicts German data. According to German data, the Kriegsmarine Baltic Fleet in September 1941 included: the 8th destroyer flotilla (destroyers Z-25, Z-26 and Z-27 of the "1936A" type) and the 2nd torpedo boat flotilla (destroyers T-2, T -5, T-7, T-8 and T-11 type "1935"). Most likely, the cruiser Leipzig, one destroyer of the 1936A type with a displacement of 3,079 tons, five destroyers (T-2, T-5, T-7, T-8 and T-11 of the 1935 type) participated in the battle from the German side. ) with a displacement of 844 tons and, possibly, two torpedo boats of the "S-26" type with a displacement of 112 tons.

the USSR

The Soviet coastal defense in the Lyu Bay area consisted of the 315th battery (commander - Captain Stebel) and battery 25-A (commander - senior lieutenant Bukotkin). If the 315th battery was a capital structure armed with four 180-mm guns located in the towers, then the 25-A battery was a typical temporary structure armed with one 130-mm gun located in an open area (in the future, it was planned to install two more guns). In addition to artillery, the Soviet command had four torpedo boats (No. 67, No. 83, No. 111 and No. 164 under the command of Lieutenants B. P. Ushchev, N. P. Kremensky, A. I. Afanasyev and V. D. Naletov) under the general leadership Senior Lieutenant V.P. Gumanenko.

Light cruisers of the Leipzig class

Construction and service

Total information

Reservation

Armament

Built ships

History of creation

Emden- the last German cruiser, built according to the project of the First World War

Prerequisites

Germany's cruising fleet began active renewal in the 1920s. The Treaty of Versailles limited the number of German cruisers to six, their displacement was 6,000 tons, and the caliber of the main guns was 150 millimeters. In the post-war decade, the fleet received four new light cruisers. Of these, only one was practically outdated. Cruiser Emden, laid down first, belonged to the development of the First World War. Such cruisers, especially given the limitation on their number, could not satisfy the fleet. It was required to create the most modern ships capable of fighting competitors - British and French cruisers.

Predecessors

The design of the next type of cruisers began even before launching. Emden, in 1924. Three new ships were of the type K, or Königsberg, they were supposed to become fast, weakly protected cruisers with powerful artillery weapons - classic light cruisers. On these ships, the Germans tested many technical innovations, which were then used on cruisers of the type Leipzig... Three ships of the series K received three-gun turrets with 150-mm guns, a power plant that combines steam turbines and diesel engines, new materials and means of assembling the hull and superstructures were used to facilitate cruisers designed for maneuverable combat and fast cruising through enemy waters.

Development of

Building construction Nürnberg

An order for the design of a new type of cruiser was received in 1928, a year after the last cruiser of the type was launched. Königsberg... The new ships were to be based on the type just built, but include another shaft driven only by diesel engines, improved armor including boules, one pipe (also one small additional pipe for diesel exhaust). Since the cruiser Nürnberg was laid five years later than Leipzig, he received additional improvements - it became a little larger, increased its displacement, due to which it was able to get improved booking and anti-aircraft artillery. In general, the concept of the design and use of cruisers of the type Leipzig repeated that of the previous type. Cruiser type Leipzig became the last light in the German fleet, which was replenished after their surrender only with heavy cruisers.

Construction and launching

Leipzig was laid down at the shipyard in Wilgemshafen on April 28, 1928 under the designation Kreuzer E... Its construction took about one and a half years, and on October 18, 1929, the cruiser was launched. The launch date and the name of the ship were not chosen by chance - this event marked the anniversary of the "Battle of the Nations" with Napoleon near Leipzig, in which Prussia actively participated. The ship was accepted into the fleet on October 8, 1931.

Nürnberg was laid as Kreuzer F November 4, 1933 in Kiel. A little more than a year later, the ship was completed and launched on December 8, getting its name. Admitted to the fleet on November 2, 1935, while raising the flag of the Weimar Republic, which has already ceased to exist. On November 7, the flag of the Third Reich was raised over the ship.

Design

General characteristics of the cruiser Leipzig

Total information

Two ships of the type Leipzig had serious differences, which sometimes lead to their separation as independent types of ships. Leipzig had a length of 165.8 meters at the waterline and 177 meters in total. The width of the ship was 16.3 meters, the draft reached 5.69 meters. The displacement was 6820 tons (with a full load of 8100 tons). Nürnberg, laid down much later and therefore modernized relative to the initial design even before construction began, was larger and heavier. Its length was 170 meters at the waterline, and its total length was 181.3 meters. The width of the ship was the same, but due to the enhanced booking and additional units (including air defense guns and improved superstructure), the draft increased to 5.74 meters. Displacement - 8060 tons, full - 9040 tons.

Frame

Hulls of both ships of the type Leipzig were divided into fourteen watertight bulkheads. They also got a double bottom stretching from 75 ( Leipzig) to 83 ( Nürnberg) percent of their length. The ships were equipped with anti-torpedo bullets. Both received a bow bulb, which was a significant step forward compared to cruisers of the type Königsberg... Due to the bulb, new ships, generally similar in design to their predecessors, received increased speed and at the same time saved fuel, especially when moving at high speeds. The hull was recruited according to a longitudinal scheme, its basis was a steel frame. When assembling the ships, almost exclusively welding was used (90% of the seams are welded), which made it possible to save on weight. The ships were very different in superstructure, by which they are easiest to distinguish. Leipzig received a superstructure that practically did not differ from that of its predecessors, while on Nürnberg a new massive superstructure was installed. With almost the same overall height, the superstructure Nürnberg was more "filled" above 50 meters and was more voluminous at the base. Two more striking structural differences are the platform with the spotlight on the tube Nürnberg and the location of the catapult - behind the pipe on Nürnberg and in front of her on Leipzig.

Crew

Upon commissioning Leipzig its crew consisted of 26 officers and 508 non-commissioned officers and sailors. In the course of the service, the composition of the crew changed first to 30 officers and 628 lower ranks, then to 24 officers and 826 lower ranks. Leipzig had the opportunity to act as a flagship, additionally taking on board an admiral of 6 officers and 20 sailors. Nürnberg began service with 25 officers and 648 non-commissioned officers and sailors. In the course of the service, their number increased to 26 and 870, respectively. The ships were equipped with two patrol boats, a launch, a boat and motor boats.

Aviation

The ships of the type had one catapult and two reconnaissance seaplanes. When building Leipzig did not have a catapult, it was added in 1934. At the beginning of the war, these were biplanes. Heinkel He.60, in 1939 they were replaced by monoplanes Arado Ar 196... The catapult was located between the pipe and the front superstructure at Leipzig and behind the pipe at Nürnberg.

Power plant and driving performance

The power plant of the ships was a combined diesel-tube one. It included two steam turbines produced by shipyards Deutsche Werke and Germaniawerft and four seven-cylinder two-stroke diesel engines manufactured by the company MAN... Steam for the turbines was provided by six steam boilers, which had a double-sided installation (pairs of boilers were docked at the rear, the partition between them was removed, which made it possible to save a little on weight, which was important for a light cruiser). The boilers used oil as fuel. The power delivered by steam turbines was 60,000 hp, diesel engines produced 12,400 hp. This allowed a speed of up to 32 knots (when using turbines). The cruising range depended on the system used. For long-distance crossings, diesel engines were intended, which at a speed of 10 knots gave the ship 3900 nautical miles. The turbines gave a cruising range of 2800 nautical miles, but at a speed of 16.5 knots. This combined installation gave the ship great flexibility in choosing the mode of movement: it could reach a very high speed for a cruiser, but also extremely economically navigate long distances using diesel engines. There were, however, drawbacks. When using one of the installations to start the second, it was necessary to completely stop the machine for several minutes.

The two ships of the series had different power supply systems. Leipzig was equipped with three power plants. Each of them was equipped with both a turbine and a diesel generator with a capacity of 180 kilowatts each. Thus, the ship had a power of 1080 kilowatts at a voltage of 220 volts. Nürnberg had four installations, each - 300 kilowatts of a turbine generator and a diesel generator. The total power that the ship could count on is 1200 kilowatts.

The cruisers had one balance rudder, which provided them with the necessary maneuverability. However, in critical situations, the turning speed could be increased using the engine. The control system was supplemented by a transmission, which made it possible to transfer torque from the engines in different directions: some of the screws rotated forward, some - back. This also reduced the radius of the circulation. In general, the cruisers were three-shaft. The middle shaft was driven by diesel engines, onboard - by turbines. Thus, the middle shaft was used for slow and long swimming, the two outer ones - for high speed and quick turn. Despite the overall good seaworthiness, a number of problems of the ships of the series can be noted. So, they tended to roll away into the wind, and in a strong wind - to be brought to the wind. At low speeds, they drifted significantly into the wind. This problem was especially acute for Nürnberg due to its bulky superstructure.

Booking scheme for cruisers of the type Leipzig

Reservation

The cruisers' booking material was different: Leipzig received the classic German cemented armor produced by the plant Krupp, whereas Nürnberg used new material- steel Wotan harte produced at the same plant. The rest of the booking of cruisers was similar. They had an armored deck 20 mm thick. The main armor belt was protected by 50 mm armor at a greater slope than that of cruisers of the type Königsberg... In the stern, the thickness of the armor belt decreased to 35 mm, in the bow - to 18 mm in Leipzig and 20 mm y Nürnberg... A curved slab 25 mm thick went from the deck to the belt. The conning tower was protected by 100-mm armor, its roof - by a 50-mm plate. The protection of the main caliber guns was noticeably different. Have Leipzig the frontal armor of the turrets was only 30mm, while Nürnberg received 80 mm protection. The sides of the towers were 35 mm, the roof was 32 mm. The traverses were protected by 70 mm armor.

Communication and detection equipment

At the time of construction, the cruisers did not have radars due to the unavailability of the latter. During the upgrades, they received radars. FuMO 21/25, FuMB 6, at the end of the war Nürnberg received FuMO 63... Fire control was carried out using 6-meter rangefinders. One rangefinder was installed separately on the mast, two more on the superstructure, in front and behind the fire control post.

Armament

Cruiser weapons Nürnberg

Main caliber

Cruiser type Leipzig carried nine 150-mm guns in three three-gun turrets. One tower was located in front, two - in the stern. All towers were located along the longitudinal axis of symmetry of the ships, the rear towers could fire in one direction. The ships had a stock of 1080-1500 shells, 120-166 per gun. The rate of fire was 6-8 rounds per minute at Leipzig and 10-12 y Nürnberg... Loading was carried out manually (tower Drh Tr C / 28 on Nürnberg used a system of automatic shooting of the sleeve), the drive of the towers is electro-hydraulic.

Characteristics of guns and turrets of the main caliber

Main caliber turret diagram

Cruiser turret layout Leipzig and Königsberg

Flak

Two-gun 88-mm mount

Anti-aircraft artillery ships were represented by three guns: 88-mm SK C / 32, 37 mm SK C / 30 and 20 mm C / 30... The number of these guns on both ships was very different and constantly changed during upgrades. At the time of construction Leipzig had only two 88-mm guns, fourteen 37-mm and eight 20-mm guns. During the service, the main change affected the 88-mm guns, of which there were six. However on Nürnberg there were eight of them already at the time of delivery of the cruiser. There were the same number of 37-mm guns, but there were only eight 20-mm guns. However, during the war Nürnberg also increased the number of air defense guns.

88-mm mounts were of two types - single-gun ( L / 45) and two-gun ( L / 76). On cruisers such as Leipzig the latter were used. The projectile departure speeds were 790 and 960 m / s, respectively. Projectile weight - 9 kg. The rate of fire in real use is 15-20 rounds per minute. The speed of rotation of installations was 8-10 degrees per second, declination - 10 degrees per second. The mass of the gun mount is 23.65 tons.

The cruiser's 37-mm semi-automatic guns were classic for the German navy. They were used on almost all surface ships, although during the war they were replaced with improved counterparts. The main disadvantage of the guns SK C / 30 there was a weak rate of fire (about 30 rounds per minute) due to the separate loading of single shells. In addition to the angles of rotation and declination, the mounts of these guns had an additional suspension, which compensated for the roll of the ship, allowing you to track the target. This mechanism, however, was not reliable enough due to its complexity. The mass of the projectile was 742 grams, the departure speed was 1 km / s. Each gun had a stock of 1,000 rounds.

Automatic 20 mm guns were also found on almost all ships of the German navy. They also suffered from a low rate of fire due to the small magazine volume (20 rounds). The practical rate of fire was usually 120 rounds per minute. The mass of the projectiles is 134-148 grams, the departure speed is 800-835 m / s. The rotation speed of the installations was 30 degrees per second, the declination speed reached 60.

Mine torpedo armament

Both cruisers were equipped with 12 torpedo tubes - four three-tube tubes, two per side. On Leipzig at first there were 500-mm outdated vehicles, but after modernization, he received the same 533-mm torpedoes that Nürnberg had when building. In addition to 12 loaded torpedoes, the cruiser carried another 12 spare. Each cruiser also carried 120 min.

Modernization and refurbishment

The modernization of both ships was generally subordinated to the general scheme: the installation of a demagnetization system in 1940, the loss of the catapult and part of the torpedo tubes in 1941, the installation of radars in 1941 and beyond, and the repeated strengthening of anti-aircraft artillery.

The ship received the first major modification in 1934. Part of the superstructure between the mast and the pipe was removed, and a catapult took its place. Accordingly, the ship received a reconnaissance seaplane and a catapult installed in place of the crane on the port side. At the same time, anti-aircraft artillery was strengthened: weak single-gun 88-mm guns L / 45 replaced with two-gun L / 76, soon the ship received an additional pair of anti-aircraft guns. In 1940, the ship received a demagnetization system cable to protect against magnetic mines. A year later, a number of modernizations began, during which anti-aircraft artillery was strengthened, while the rear torpedo tubes on both sides and the catapult were removed. They were replaced by eight 37-mm and fourteen 20-mm anti-aircraft guns, but by 1944 the number of the latter had dropped to eight. In 1943, the ship lost its remaining torpedo tubes, but received a radar FuMO 24/25 mounted in place of the searchlight on the mast, and the radar FuMB 6... It is also worth noting that during most of 1940 Leipzig was off the lists of the fleet and was used as a training ship. During this time, he lost four boilers.

The ship was commissioned five years later than Leipzig, and even a year later than the latter received the first upgrades. That's why Nürnberg fewer improvements were required. The first major modification was the installation of a demagnetization system in 1940, then a radar. FuMO 21 in 1941, replacing the front 6-meter rangefinder. However, at the beginning of 1941, the rangefinder was returned, and the radar was replaced by FuMO 25, mounted on the mast, at the same time the ship lost its catapult and rear torpedo tubes. Finally, in 1944, the radar was installed FuMO 63... Anti-aircraft armament, powerful enough for a light cruiser already under construction, was also improved. At the end of 1942, the ship received two four-gun 20-mm army-standard anti-aircraft guns (one on the second tower, one on the roof of the bridge). In May 1944, two 40 mm cannons were installed. Bofors and two 20-mm gun mounts, one instead of the army one on the roof of the tower, another one in front of the anti-aircraft fire control post, both army mounts were moved to the deck.

Leipzig

Nürnberg

Service history

• The beginning of service until April 1936 - exercises in the Baltic Sea.
• Köln and Leipzig.
• 1936-1939 - patrolling the waters of Spain during the Civil War (three exits, July 16, 1937 - possibly a submarine attack).
• September 1937 - exercises with Admiral graf spee , Deutschland , Karlsruhe , Leipzig and several destroyers.
• Early 1938 - patrolling in the Baltic Sea.
• June 1938 - hike to the coast of Norway.
• Until May 1939 - a hike in the Mediterranean with Admiral graf spee and Leipzig.
• Early September 1939 - blocking of Polish ships.
• September 3, 1939 - laying mines in the North Sea.
• October 1939 - exercises in the Baltic Sea.
• November 1939 - cover for destroyers laying mines off the British coast.
• December 4-6, 1939 - laying mines off the coast of Norway.
• HMS Salmon... One torpedo hit the bow. The ship slowed down to 12 knots and was re-attacked, but managed to increase its speed, the torpedoes detonated astern. Participated in the bombardment of the submarine using the rear turret. The next day, the ship escaped another attack and successfully arrived at Kiel, although her speed dropped to 18 knots.
• April 1940 - completion of the renovation.
• June 10, 1940 - departs for Norway.
• June 17, 1940 - arrives in Narvik.
• July 25-28, 1940 - escorting the damaged Gneisenau to Kiel.
• Until the end of the year - exercises and patrols in the Baltic Sea.
• February 15, 1941 - transferred to training ships.
• June 1941 - Brief return to the fleet as a cruiser for the alleged resistance to the breakthrough of the Baltic Fleet.
• January - August 1942 - modernization, installation of anti-aircraft guns.
• August - October 1942 - teachings.
• November 1942 - April 27, 1943 - patrolling off the coast of Norway, covering the battleship Tirpitz .
• May 1943 - repair and modernization of the power plant.
• Late May 1943 - early 1945 - Submarine crew training.
• January 13, 1945 - laying mines off the coast of Norway.
• January 24, 1945 - Arrival in Copenhagen. The ship had no fuel to continue operations.
• May 24, 1945 - Departure from Copenhagen, accompanied by British ships.
• May 28, 1945 - arrived in Wilhelmshaven.
• December 19, 1945 - the ship was handed over to the Soviet Union, a new crew is boarded.
• January 2, 1946 - departs for Libau to continue serving as a cruiser of the USSR Navy.

• 1932 - 1933 - exercises in the Baltic Sea.
• Early 1935 - exercises in conjunction with Deutschland , Köln and Schlesien during which the ship was visited by Hitler.
• April 1936 - training trip to the Atlantic Ocean with Köln and Nürnberg.
• August 1936 - June 1937 - Patrolling Spanish waters during the Civil War.
• Until the end of 1938 - exercises in the Baltic Sea.
• March 1939 - Memel's campaign and occupation.
• Until May 1939 - a trip to the Atlantic Sea with Deutschland, Gneisenau and several destroyers and submarines.
• Early September 1939 - blocking of Polish ships.
• September 1939 - laying of mines in the North Sea.
• Until November 1939 - exercises in the Baltic Sea.
• November 17-19, 1939 - laying mines in the North Sea.
• November 21-22, 1939 - raid together with Deutschland, Köln and three torpedo boats.
• December 13, 1939 - cover for destroyers off the coast of Britain. The ship was attacked by a submarine HMS Salmon... One torpedo hit occurred at the junction of two boiler rooms. A strong explosion damaged the keel, the ship received about 1,700 tons of water, the wiring was damaged, the turbine on the port side stopped. The ship was repeated, but unsuccessfully attacked on the way to Kiel.
• End of 1940 - returned to service as a training ship after repairs.
• Early June 1941 - escort Lützow to Norway.
• July - August 1941 - support for the German offensive in the Baltic States.
• September 1941 - support for the landing on the Baltic Sea islands.
• End of September 1941 - blocking of the Baltic Fleet of the USSR.
• October 1941 - exercises in conjunction with Admiral scheer .
• Until September 1944 - work as a training ship, modernization.
• Mid September 1944 - patrolling in the Baltic Sea.
• October 14, 1944 - departs for Gothenhaven for a cargo of mines. In conditions of dense fog, the ship was rammed by a heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen... The blow fell in front of the pipe, it was decided not to repair the ship, only to keep it afloat.
• March 1945 - support for the defending garrison of the city.
• March 24, 1945 - Departure for Hel at a speed of 6 knots.
• After the war, it was used as a barracks for German sailors in Denmark, and was engaged in mine clearance.
• December 16, 1946 - flooded.

Nürnberg

Leipzig

Comparison with contemporaries

Future enemies and allies of Germany were building at this time already mainly heavy cruisers, which had a large displacement, firepower and booking, while maintaining the same speed characteristics (however, only Japan did not create new light cruisers in 1920-30). Cruiser type Leipzig could not compete with them, but for the tasks assigned to them - raids, patrolling, escorting, laying minefields - they were perfect. According to the speed and armament required to perform these tasks, the cruiser Leipzig slightly inferior to their contemporaries: due to their smaller displacement, German cruisers were generally either worse armored, or weaker armed, or slower.

Comparison with cruisers from other countries