Leicht Kreuzer Koln
 History07 Aug, 1926: Laid down 23 May, 1928: Launched 15 Jan, 1930: Commissioned 1934: Torpedoes converted to 533mm. 01 Sep, 1939: Attached to Reconnaissance Forces, of Naval Group Command Eastwith Nurnberg and Leipzig. 02 Sep, 39: Reconnaissance Force transferred to North Sea. 03-20 Sep, 1939: Participated in laying of Westwall mine barrage in NorthSea with Nurnberg, Leipzig, Konigsberg and Emden, 16xDD 10xTB & 3xML 08 Oct, 1939: Sortied with Gneisenau, and 9xDD up the Norwegian coast tolure the Home Fleet as a target for air attacks. 21-22 Nov, 1939: Reconnaissance Force, Lutzow, Leipzig, Koln, and 3xTBoperated against merchant shipping in Skagerrak. 24-25 Nov, 1939: Reconnaissance Force, Lutzow, Leipzig, Koln, 5xDD and 4xTBoperated against merchant shipping in Skagerrak. 13 Dec, 1939: Koln sortied with Leipzig and Nurnberg to meet destroyermining force in North Leipzig and Nurnberg both damaged in asubmarine attack. 07 Apr, 1940: Koln, Konigsberg with Bremse and 2xTB formed Group 3 for theinvasion of Norway. Their objective was Bergen. 1940: Assigned to Baltic. 88mm battery augmented to 4 twin mounts. 23 Sep, 1941: Baltic Fleet (Tiripitz, Admiral Sheer, Koln, Nurnberg, 3xDDand 5xTB sailed from Swinemunde to Aaland Sea to block possibleattempt by Soviet units to escape 29 Sep, 1941: Units returned to Gotenhafen. 12-13 Oct, 1941: Koln with 4xTB and 7xMS executed operation Westfalen, afeint to mislead Soviets about landing locations on Dago Island. 13 Oct, 1941: Soviet SS Shch 323 attacked Koln unsuccessfully. 14 Oct, 1941: Koln shelled Cape Ristna on Dago.Torpedo armament reduced to six tubes and catapult removed. Aug, 1942: Sailed to Narvik via Oslo Jan, 1943: Koln with Admiral Hipper and 3xDD left Altafjord for transfer toGermany. 25 Jan, 1943: Koln arrived at Narvik 30 Jan – 2 Feb, 1943: Koln based temporarily at Trondheim to patrol Skagerrakfor blockade runners. 8 Feb, 1943: Koln arrived at Kiel. Spring, 1943: Decommissioned for refit and towed to Konigsberg. Oct, 1944: Recommissioned and operated as Flag Destroyer in waters aroundDenmark and Southern Norway. Used to train cadets and as an escortvessel. 13/14 Dec 44: Koln attacked by RAF bombers in Oslofjord. Damaged by nearmisses. Dec, 1944: Emergency repairs effected in Oslo. Jan, 1945: Returned to Wilhelmshaven. 3 Mar, 1945: Damaged by RAF attack at Wilhelmshaven 30 Mar, 1945: Koln sunk by USAAF B-24s at Wilhelmshaven 6 Apr, 1945: Decommissioned, although some guns remain above water and shewas used as a defence battery. 1946: Broken up.
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