Fourth German Reich Navy

The Fourth German Reich Navy (also known as the Greater German Reich Navy, Imperial Navy, or simply GGRN) is the naval arm of the German armed forces. While it is generally considered to be inferior to the United American Federation Navy, the GGRN is still a formidable force. Its primary mission is the defense of the heavily fortified Sol system, and it has also more recently been tasked with the protection of the GGR's renewed colonization efforts.

## History

After the Kaiserreich Coup D'Etat, the *Deutsche Marine* (German Navy) was disbanded and the *Kaiserliche Marine* (Imperial Navy) was created in its place. The GGRN is modeled after the navies of the Second and Third Reich many of its naval traditions and ship names are taken directly from these two former German naval forces. Its organization and its doctrine are especially similar to that of the navy of the original *Kaiserreich*.

## Organization

The GGR Navy is under the administration of the Imperial Naval Cabinet (INC) and the Imperial Admiralty Staff (IAS). The INC is a civilian led government agency whose members are directly appointed by the Kaiser while the IAS is strictly a military organization composed mainly of admirals and several vice admirals. The INC is headed by the Supreme Authority on the Navy (SAN) while the IAS is headed by the Chief Admiral. The INC is responsible for allocating funds and resources and equipment procurement while the IAS is responsible for ship deployments, strategy, training, and tactics. Both entities report directly to the Kaiser although different Kaisers have taken different approaches to naval matters. Kaiser Guther Horst Wilhelm has shown a preference for giving the IAS freedom to operate independently while Kaiser Ferdinand von Wilhelm preferred to have a much more direct hand in naval matters.

### Fleet Organization

The GGRN is composed of 5 fleets each with a specific area of operation. The primary combat arm of the GGRN is the Outer Sol Fleet.

### Task Force Organization

The primary task force grouping is the dreadnought squadron (DS). However, the size and even the composition of the dreadnought squadron is highly variable throughout the three fleets that have dreadnoughts. Other than the DS, there are escort groups (EG) and battlecruiser squadrons (BCG).

### Earth Defense Fleet

The Earth Defense Fleet is dedicated to the defense of Earth. The fleet itself is small compared to the other GGR fleets relying more on Earth's planetary-based and orbital defenses. The fleet is made up of two dreadnought squadrons each composed of a dreadnought, 2 heavy cruisers, 3 light cruisers, and 6 destroyers.

### Inner Sol Fleet

The Inner Sol Fleet is responsible for all naval activities inside the asteroid belt of the Sol system. It is the second largest fleet in the navy and assumes several important roles. The Inner Sol Fleet acts as the backup line of defense if an enemy is able to penetrate through the outer solar system and it can also supplement the Earth Defense Fleet as needed. It is also tasked with protecting the GGR's border with the People's Republic of Mars and maintains a constant patrol around Mars. The fleet is made up of 4 dreadnought squadrons each composed of a dreadnought, a heavy cruiser, 2 light cruisers, and 8 destroyers.

### Outer Sol Fleet

The Outer Sol Fleet is the primary arm of the Imperial Navy and is responsible for all naval activities from the asteroid belt to the border of the Sol system. It is by far the largest fleet in the GGRN and is the only fleet to contain fleet carriers. It is the first line of defense against any incursion into the Sol system and is therefore equipped with the best ships and personnel the GGR has available. The Outer Sol Fleet is also responsible for protecting the GGR's border with Pluto. The fleet is made up of 5 dreadnought squadrons each composed of 2 dreadnoughts, a fleet carrier, 2 heavy cruisers, 4 light cruisers, 14 destroyers, and 3 frigates. One dreadnought squadron in the fleet operates without a fleet carrier.

### Escort Fleet

The Escort Fleet is responsible for securing supply lines throughout GGR territory. The fleet lacks any significant firepower but is well suited to the task of protecting supply convoys in the Sol system and the GGR's colonies outside of Sol. The fleet is made up of nine escort groups composed of 2 destroyers and 9 frigates.

### Deep Space Fleet

The Deep Space Fleet was formerly integrated into the Outer Sol Fleet but in 2190, coinciding with the GGR's renewed colonization efforts, it was given its own separate fleet structure. The Deep Space Fleet is responsible for all non-Escort Fleet related activities outside of the Sol system. Since GGR territory outside of Sol is limited, the Deep Space Fleet is small compared to the other German battle fleets. The fleet relies on speed to be able to outrun any UAF fleets that would surely have the upper hand outside of the Sol system. The fleet therefore contains all 4 of the GGRN's battlecruisers and does not contain any other ships heavier than a light cruiser. The fleet is made up of 4 battlecruiser squadrons each composed of a battlecruiser, a light cruiser, 4 destroyers, and a frigate.

## Equipment

### Dreadnoughts

* 12 Bismarck Class (4 completed)
* 7 Erika II Class
* 5 Fatherland Class

### Heavy Cruisers

* 12 Permanent Expulsion Class (8 completed)
* 10 Dönitz Class

### Light Cruisers

* 16 Rhine Class
* 12 Luna Class
* 10 Teutoburg Forest Class

### Other Spacecraft

* SJ-162 Starfighter
* SB-73 Interplanetary Bomber
* SF-9 Interceptor

## Doctrine

The naval doctrine of the GGRN is based around advanced Mahanian theories modernized for space combat.  Consistent with Mahan’s decisive battle theories, the GGRN is centered around super-heavy dreadnoughts armed with massive weaponry to crush enemy fleets in decisive engagements.  Current German naval strategy in the event of a UAF incursion into Sol consists of massive concentration of force and consistent offensive action.  German naval planners hope that the UAFN’s broad commitments, even in the event of all-out war, will prevent them from mustering enough ships to counter combined German fleets in a decisive battle.

While the GGRN does field a small number of carriers, their role within German doctrine is subsidiary to the dreadnoughts.  The carrier’s role is mainly defensive; their primary goal is to protect the dreadnoughts from enemy drones and strike-craft.  Dreadnoughts are armed with minimal countermeasures against these small crafts, and the defense against them is heavily reliant on the carriers and smaller screen vessels.

The GGRN has a sizeable number of heavy and light cruisers at its disposal.  Heavy cruisers serve a similar function to dreadnoughts in an ideal decisive battle situation, adding firepower to the German combined fleets.  In this scenario light cruisers serve primarily as screening vessels but can also add their firepower in shorter range engagements.  In a scenario in which an enemy has naval superiority and has forced the German fleets to remain in port, cruisers become the central vessel of the GGRN. In line with Mahanian naval theories, when an enemy has control of the battlespace, cruisers are used to perform constant offensive harassing operations against the weak points of an enemy fleet.

Destroyers are the most numerous ships in the German fleet.  Their main role is to screen for the larger ships and protect against attacks from smaller carrier launched crafts.  In complete contrast to dreadnoughts, destroyers are mainly armed with defensive weaponry but do have a minimal number of offensive weapons that can be used in extremely short-range engagements.

The GGR’s offensive naval strategy has long favored weapons over defensive shielding technologies.  Almost all available power during a battle is siphoned to weapons systems giving German ships minimal defensive capabilities.  Because of this, German weapons technologies are considered to be slightly more advanced than their UAF counterparts while shielding technologies are lagging behind.  Since German naval strategy is almost completely offensive, the lack of shielding is considered to be non-relevant and of little issue.

## Notable Ships

* DKM Bismarck
* DKM Fatherland
* DKM Superiority
* DKM Jupiter
* DKM Permanent Expulsion

* DKM Retribution

## Notable Personnel

* The Kaiser is the commander-in-chief of all German armed forces and therefore the head of the GGRN.
* Chief Admiral Niklas von Katterfeld