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Admiral Hipper was the first ship of the Hipper class
heavy cruiser. She served with distinction in the Kriegsmarine from the beginning
to the very end. She participated in commerce raiding and later in evacuating
the Germans along the Baltic coast. |
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Blücher was the second of the Hipper class. She
was deployed in Weserübung to subdue Denmark and Norway. The ship was to sneak
into Oslo harbor at night and land troops and the occupation governement there.
She was discovered and fired upon by Norwegian shore batteries and sunk in the
channel. |
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Prinz Eugen was the third of the Hipper class. Long
considered the "lucky ship" by the crew, she escaped intact from several dangerous
situations. She served right till the collapse of the Reich and was the largest German
ship afloat in May 1945. Afterwards she was taken over by the Americans and used in
atomic bomb trials. |
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Seydlitz was the fourth of the Hipper class. She
was almost completed when it was decided to convert her into a carrier. Her
superstructure was torn down and was ready for conversion when the plan was
abandoned. She was scuttled when the Russians arrived. |
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Lützow was the fifth and last of the Hipper class. She
was half-complete when the hull was sold to the Soviet Union. The Soviets tried
to complete her but the war broke out before it could be completed. She was then
bombed and sunk in shallow water. |