Battleships of the High Seas Fleet during the Belkan War.
The High Seas Fleet (Hochseeflotte) was the main battle fleet of the Belkan Navy that took part in operations against the Osean Maritime Defense Force during the Belkan War of 1995.
History[]
Formation[]
Originally founded during the military expansion of the Belkan armed forces, the High Seas Fleet came into existence in August 1978. The Navy did not see much action during the expansionist conflicts during the 1970s, and the priority for funding and development were the Belkan Air Force and Army. Nonetheless, the High Seas Fleet received the majority of the vessels that the Belkan shipyards did construct over next decade, dividing them into three battle squadrons and two scout groups. The Admiralty also came up with several operational plans for theoretical conflicts with the Oseans during that time, which involved attacks by the High Seas Fleet against the Osean northern coast.
The most notable event in its early history was the appointment of General Admiral Rudolf von Hohenstaufen as its commander, on 11 November 1992. He reformed its order of battle, lobbied the government for more funding, and ran frequent military drills to keep the fleet at combat-readiness. This resulted in the expansion of the Fleet and increase in quality of its personnel. By the time the Belkan War began in March 1995, the High Seas Fleet was mainly used for coastal patrol duties.
Belkan War[]
The Fleet remained mostly inactive until April of that year, when it was ordered to prepare to land troops on the northern Osean coast. This was an effort by the Belkan General Staff to open a new front against the Oseans and hopefully cause them to halt their offensive in other locations. The Admiralty understood that to accomplish that, the enemy's fleets in the region would have to be eliminated. The Osean 1st and 2nd Naval Fleets, which were stationed along the country's northern coast, outnumbered the High Seas Fleet, and thus General Admiral von Hohenstaufen decided to strike quickly and eliminate them individually.
Organization[]
The force was divided into three battle squadrons, each containing three battleships, six to eight cruisers, and fourteen to eighteen ships of smaller classes (including destroyers, frigates, and corvettes). In addition, it had two scout groups, each consisting of three cruisers, eight destroyers, and ten smaller vessels. Each unit also had one to three submarines attached to it.
- I Battle Squadron
- II Battle Squadron
- III Battle Squadron
- I Scout Group
- II Scout Group
Attached to it were two naval aviation squadrons, which operated from the airfields at the Fleet's base in Anfang.
Known commanders:
- Vice Admiral Reinhold Mackensen (1978—1981)
- Admiral Carl Gustav Friedeburg (1981—1986)
- Admiral Yuri Bezmenov (1986—1992)
- General Admiral Rudolf von Hohenstaufen (1992—1995)
- Admiral Leopold von Sachsen-Meiningen (1995; acting)
Composition[]
- SHS Hindenburg
- SHS Friedrich der Grosse
- SHS Zahringen
- SHS Boyarin
- SHS Tötenkopf
- SHS Imperator Ludwig