German Awards - World War I "Imperial Navy

The Navy is the nation's naval force. In addition to ships and personnel, the Kriegsmarine also includes air and artillery forces, shipyards and coastal bases for the construction and maintenance of the fleet. Marine units operate both on water and underwater and in the air.
The German Navy was literally the horse of William II. At the end of the 19th century, the navy was significantly modernized. The reason for this was probably the defense of the German colonies, as well as the desire of England to challenge maritime sovereignty. In 1897, the Kriegsmarine consisted of 7 battleships and 17,000 soldiers. By the end of 1913, the German Navy already had 33 battleships and 13 large warships, and the number of troops was 64,500 people.
By the beginning of the war, Germany had 28 submarines. By the end of the war, 335 U-boats had been activated and about 400 were still under construction.