KMS Admiral Hipper

Of orthodox heavy cruiser design, KMS Admiral Hipper was the first and thus nameship of the Hipper class cruisers. Her keel was laid in February 1937, and at that time German ships were not restricted by weight. Therefore the Hipper class ships were comparable with the heavy Japanese cruisers and actually displaced more than the Deutschland class pocket battleships. The Hipper class cruisers carried eight main guns and had not very strong armor protection. Contemporary British heavy cruisers mounted guns of comparable calibers, displaced less and yet had better armor protection. The Hipper class' disadvantages could partly be traced to the Kriegsmarine's lack of experience after World War I, and partly to the designers' intentions of construction the Hipper class so that it resembled the Bismarck class battleships. This scheme paid off during Operation Rhein�bung (Rhine Exercise) when HMS Hood mistook KMS Prinz Eugen for KMS Bismarck.
Admiral Hipper had a commendable war career despite continual engine trouble. In the Norwegian campaign, Admiral Hipper was rammed and damaged by the destroyer HMS Glowworm, which emerged from a smoke screen at close range but was ultimately sunk by Admiral Hipper. Out of commission for a while, Admiral Hipper returned to sink 12 merchant ships in 1941. At the end of 1942, Admiral Hipper participated in the futile operation against Russia-bound JW51B convoy. An infuriated Hitler threatened to decommission all capital ships, but Admiral D�nitz saved them from destruction by dissuading Hitler. Admiral Hipper subsequently served as a training ship in the Baltic Sea where she helped protect and evacuate the retreating German troops and refugees holded up in East Prussia, in what became the largest maritime evacuation in history. There Admiral Hipper saved many Germans, firing shells in anger to halt the Russian assaults. She fired so many shells that the gun bores had to be replaced -- the first time in her whole combat career. In 1945, Admiral Hipper sustained heavy bomb damage from RAF bombers and was scuttled in Kiel on 3 May.

Click on one of the thumbnails below to view the full picture.
	Technical data and/or diagram of Admiral Hipper class cruisers.
	Admiral Hipper in 1939, note the new Atlantic bow was not yet installed.
	Admiral Hipper in 1939, again with the old bow.
	HMS Glowworm emerging fast from a smoke screen. The destroyer was about to ram Admiral Hipper, which ultimately sank the British ship.

Back to German Cruisers Page
Back to Kriegsmarine Page
Back to Homepage