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1 Oct 1838

Germany
  • Engineer August Ferdinand Howaldt and ship owner Johann Schweffel started a multi-faceted business named Schweffel & Howaldt in Kiel, Germany. ww2dbase [Howaldtswerke Kiel | Kiel | CPC]
12 Aug 1884

Germany
  • The firm Gebrüder Howaldt established the Schwentine-Dock-Gesellschaft in Kiel, Germany. ww2dbase [Howaldtswerke Kiel | Kiel | CPC]
4 May 1889

Germany
  • In Kiel in northern Germany, Schwentine-Dock-Gesellschaft and Georg Howaldt Kiel Shipyard merged to form the Howaldtswerke corporation. ww2dbase [Howaldtswerke Kiel | Kiel | CPC]
27 Feb 1890

Germany
1 Oct 1899

Germany
11 Dec 1902

Photo(s) dated 11 Dec 1902
German light cruiser SMS Undine immediately after launching, Howaldtswerke shipyard, Kiel, Germany, 11 Dec 1902
20 Dec 1902

Photo(s) dated 20 Dec 1902
Launching of battleship Braunschweig from the old shipyard
28 May 1925

Germany
  • The former Kaiserliche Werft Kiel in Germany became the public limited company Deutsche Werke Kiel AG. ww2dbase [Deutsche Werke Kiel | Kiel | AG]
15 Sep 1926

Germany
  • In Kiel, Germany, the firm Howaldtswerke was liquidated, and the shipyarding portion of the business would continue operations under the name Dietrichsdorier Werft AG. ww2dbase [Howaldtswerke Kiel | Kiel | CPC]
1 Jan 1930

Germany
  • German Shipbuilders Ltd. of Hamburg Factory Vulcan took over Dietrichsdorier Werft AG and renamed the company HDW AG Kiel. ww2dbase [Howaldtswerke Kiel | Kiel | CPC]
19 May 1931

Germany
2 Aug 1934

Germany
22 Aug 1934

Germany
6 Sep 1934

Germany
11 Feb 1935

Germany
1 Mar 1935

Germany
3 Mar 1935

Germany
2 Apr 1935

Germany
20 May 1935

Germany
25 May 1935

Germany
1 Jun 1935

Germany
15 Jun 1935

Germany
2 Jul 1935

Germany
14 Aug 1935

Germany
11 Sep 1935

Germany
1 Oct 1935

Germany
13 Dec 1935

Germany
11 Apr 1936

Germany
23 Apr 1936

Germany
12 Aug 1936

Germany
28 Aug 1936

Germany
28 Dec 1936

Germany
1 Feb 1937

Germany
22 Mar 1937

Photo(s) dated 22 Mar 1937
German carrier hull Flugzeugträger A (future Graf Zeppelin) under construction, Kiel, Germany, 22 Mar 1937, photo 1 of 9German carrier hull Flugzeugträger A (future Graf Zeppelin) under construction, Kiel, Germany, 22 Mar 1937, photo 2 of 9German carrier hull Flugzeugträger A (future Graf Zeppelin) under construction, Kiel, Germany, 22 Mar 1937, photo 3 of 9German carrier hull Flugzeugträger A (future Graf Zeppelin) under construction, Kiel, Germany, 22 Mar 1937, photo 4 of 9
See all photos dated 22 Mar 1937
1 Apr 1937

Germany
12 Aug 1937

Germany
21 Sep 1937

Germany
30 Apr 1938

Germany
22 Aug 1938

Germany Photo(s) dated 22 Aug 1938
Launching of German cruiser Prinz Eugen, slip VIII of Germaniawerft yard, Kiel, Germany, 22 Aug 1938, photo 1 of 3Launching of German cruiser Prinz Eugen, slip VIII of Germaniawerft yard, Kiel, Germany, 22 Aug 1938, photo 2 of 3Launching of German cruiser Prinz Eugen, slip VIII of Germaniawerft yard, Kiel, Germany, 22 Aug 1938, photo 3 of 3
3 Sep 1938

Germany
21 Sep 1938

Photo(s) dated 21 Sep 1938
Carrier Graf Zeppelin under construction, Kiel, Germany, 21 Sep 1938
23 Sep 1938

Germany
8 Dec 1938

Germany Photo(s) dated 8 Dec 1938
Launching of Graf Zeppelin, Kiel, Germany, 8 Dec 1938
1 Apr 1939

Germany
15 May 1939

Germany
8 Jun 1939

Germany
15 Aug 1939

Photo(s) dated 15 Aug 1939
Launching of U-54 at Slip III of Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft, Kiel, Germany, 15 August 1939
19 Sep 1939

Germany
23 Sep 1939

Germany
13 Oct 1939

Germany
  • The 1,819-ton neutral Norwegian merchant steamer Kvernaas, captured by the Germans in Sep 1939, was released from Kiel, Germany along with its cargo of 2,585 tons of cellulose. ww2dbase [Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein | HM]
23 Oct 1939

Photo(s) dated 23 Oct 1939
Scharnhorst and U-47 at Kiel, Germany, 23 Oct 1939
13 Nov 1939

Germany
29 Apr 1940

Germany
23 May 1940

Germany
4 Jun 1940

Germany
21 Jun 1940

Photo(s) dated 21 Jun 1940
Carrier Graf Zeppelin under construction, Kiel, Germany, 21 Jun 1940
23 Jun 1940

Germany
8 Jul 1940

Germany
  • British bombers attacked German heavy cruiser Lützow in dock at Kiel, Germany. Lützow, under repair for extensive torpedo damage to her stern caused by HMS Spearfish on 11 Apr 1940, was hit by a bomb that failed to detonate. ww2dbase [Deutsche Werke Kiel | Deutschland | Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein | CPC]
28 Sep 1940

Germany
  • Battleship Bismarck departed Kiel, Germany for Gotenhafen (Gdynia), occupied Poland and then into the Baltic Sea for her trials. ww2dbase [Bismarck | Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein | CPC]
22 Jan 1941

Germany
8 Mar 1941

Germany
25 Jul 1941

Germany
  • British bombers took off at 2230 hours on the previous day, reaching Kiel, Germany at about 0145 hours on this date; bombs were dropped on the Deutsche Werke shipyard facilities; surviving attacks landed at their bases in Britain at about 0600 hours. On the same day, Bombers of British No. 102 Squadron RAF attacked Hanover, Germany after sundown. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | Deutsche Werke Kiel | Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein | CPC]
7 Aug 1941

Germany
  • After dark, 84 British aircraft were launched to attack Essen, Germany (108 tons of high explosive bombs and 5,720 incendiary bombs were dropped, damaging the Krupp coke oven batteries), 31 launched against Hamm (damaging rail marshalling yard), 32 launched against Dortmund, 88 launched against Kiel (104 tons of high explosive bombs and 4,836 incendiary bombs were dropped, damaging Deutsche Werke Shipyards), and a number of bombers were launched against Hamburg (poor visibility and results were not observed). ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | Deutsche Werke Kiel | Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein | CPC]
20 Aug 1941

Germany
6 Jan 1942

Germany
26 Feb 1942

Germany
  • 49 British RAF bombers attacked Gneisenau in the drydock at Kiel, Germany. A bomb penetrated the armored deck, triggering a detonation in the forward turret which caused great damage to entire bow section of the ship; 112 were killed, 21 were wounded. ww2dbase [Deutsche Werke Kiel | Gneisenau | Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein | CPC]
28 Apr 1942

Germany
15 May 1942

Germany
18 May 1942

Germany
  • Prinz Eugen arrived at Kiel, Germany to receive a new stern, which was destroyed on 23 Feb by a torpedo from HMS Trident. ww2dbase [Prinz Eugen | Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein | CPC]
4 Jun 1942

Germany
6 Sep 1942

Germany
5 Dec 1942

Germany
31 Jan 1943

Germany
1 Mar 1943

Germany
12 Mar 1943

Germany
14 Mar 1943

Germany
4 Apr 1943

Germany
9 Apr 1943

Germany
27 Apr 1943

Germany
3 May 1943

Germany
5 May 1943

Germany
  • The USAAF 44th Bomber Group dispatched 21 B-24 Liberator bombers from their base at Shipham, Norfolk on England's east coast to join a raid on the submarine building yards of Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft in Kiel, Germany. They joined a force of 125 B-17 Flying Fortress bombers from other units, making them the only B-24 Liberator bombers participating. The group earned their first Unit Citation in what would be a memorable action. German anti-aircraft fire was terrific and German fighters engaged the aircraft on both the fight to and from the target. The group claimed 32 aircraft destroyed, five probables and many damaged. The 67th Squadron lost all three of their aircraft flying as the tail end Charlies, the 68th and 506th both had an aircraft shot down whilst the Liberator piloted by Lieutenant Reed of the 66th Squadron was so severely damaged by fighters and anti-aircraft fire that he ordered the crew to bail out whilst he headed out to sea and jumped. The control tower at the Shipham base, not wanting the runways blocked, diverted one of the homeward 506th aircraft to another base due to noticing how much damage they had suffered plus the tyres being shot flat. The aircraft made it all the way to Belfast in Ireland where the pilot made a landing without any incident. The 44th was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for its conduct on this operation; this was the first such honour granted to a combat unit of the 8th Air Force. In 1991 Lieutenant Colonel Tom Holmes, then a Captain in the 68th Squadron wrote a piece about the action including a brush with an enemy fighter: "One fighter came in so close and so straight at us I couldn't see how we could avoid running into him. Occasionally the fighter pilots would be shot and come in out of control, taking one or two bombers with them. But this fighter was coming directly at us from just slightly above and a little to our left. At the very last moment it looked as if there was no way to avoid a head-on collision and I ducked my head to get set for the collision which, miraculously, never took place." ww2dbase [Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft | Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein | HM]
14 May 1943

Germany
19 May 1943

Germany
1 Jul 1943

Germany
29 Jul 1943

Germany
18 Sep 1943

Germany
  • U-537 departed Kiel, Germany for her first war patrol. She carried Wetter-Funkgerät Land-26 weather station equipment along with meteorology expert Dr. Kurt Sommermeyer and his assistant Walter Hildebrant on board. ww2dbase [Weather Station Kurt | U-537 | Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein | CPC]
30 Sep 1943

Germany
13 Dec 1943

Germany
16 Dec 1943

Germany
4 Jan 1944

Germany
5 Jan 1944

Germany
9 Mar 1944

Germany
28 Mar 1944

Germany
9 Apr 1944

Germany
11 Apr 1944

Germany
  • U-860, a Type IX-D Type German submarine, under Fregattenkapitän Paul Büchel, set sail from Kiel, Germany. She carried, among others, 100 tons of mercury and 100 tons of lead for Japan as well as location devices, test equipment, tools and consumables for 4 submarines in East Asia. She was to make a stop at Kristiansand, Norway before heading into the Atlantic Ocean. ww2dbase [U-860 | Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein | HM]
22 May 1944

Germany
22 Jul 1944

Germany
30 Jul 1944

Germany
30 Aug 1944

Germany
18 Nov 1944

Germany
4 Jan 1945

Germany
21 Jan 1945

Germany
6 Feb 1945

Germany
11 Mar 1945

Germany
  • While under repair at Deutsche Werke shipyard in Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, Emden suffered damage on the forward deck and port torpedo launchers from Allied aerial incendiary bombs. ww2dbase [Deutsche Werke Kiel | Emden | Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein | CPC]
20 Mar 1945

Germany
25 Mar 1945

Germany
3 Apr 1945

Germany
4 Apr 1945

Germany
9 Apr 1945

Germany
13 Apr 1945

Germany
20 Apr 1945

Germany
26 Apr 1945

Germany
3 May 1945

Germany
4 May 1945

Germany
19 May 1945

Photo(s) dated 19 May 1945
German cruiser Admiral Hipper in dry dock at Kiel, Germany after being captured by the Allies, 19 May 1945. Note German attempts at camouflage and damage from Allied bombing.
12 Aug 1954

Germany
  • The District Court of Kiel, Germany declared Horst Böhme to have died in Königsberg, Germany on 10 Apr 1945. ww2dbase [Horst Böhme | Kiel | CPC]
5 May 1962

Germany
  • USS Wasp arrived at Kiel, West Germany; she became the first carrier to visit Kiel. ww2dbase [Wasp (Essex-class) | Kiel | CPC]

Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis




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