German battleships
not only because of his lack of knowledge and the sheer cost of construction, but the risk of losing one at sea. Yet, in spite these concerns, in early 1939 Hitler authorised Plan Z, which was the name given to the planned re-equipment and expansion of the Kriegsmarine. The building of the new German fleet was solely undertaken to challenge British naval power. Development of the plan began in
1938, but the Oberkommando der Marine (Naval High Command) had already been quietly thinking about such a development since World War I. In fact, a number of the vessels were already being constructed in the shipyards in secrecy, totally violating the Treaty of Versailles. Plan Z was centred on a fleet of the construction of 10 battleships and four aircraft carriers which were to be used against the Royal Navy. Supporting this fleet would be the introduction of a number of long-range cruisers that would assist in the attacking of British shipping. A small force of U-boats was also planned. The vessels that marked the beginning of German naval rearmament after the Treaty of Versailles abolition and part of
Plan Z included the Scharnhorst class of German battleship (or battlecruisers). It comprised of two vessels the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. Another was Bismarck which was the first of two Bismarck-class battleships built for the Kriegsmarine and designed in the mid-1930s. Tirpitz was the second of two Bismarck-class battleships that was built prior to World War II. Another vessel included the Admiral Scheer which was a Deutschland-class heavy cruiser, often termed a pocket battleship. In total there were three Panzerschiffe (armoured ships) that were part of the Deutschland-class series. The other two vessels included the Deutschland and the Admiral Graf Spee. These ships would be regarded as the backbone to German naval power on the high-seas and would play a pivotal part in action against the mighty British fleet.