Friedrich Ruge

Friedrich Oskar Ruge (24 December 1894 – 3 July 1985) was an officer in the German Navy and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. He served as the first commander (Inspector of the Navy) of the post-war German Navy. He was the author of four books, including Der Seekrieg, the story of the German Navy in World War II, published in the United States by the U. S. Naval Institute.

Articles by Friedrich Ruge

Beachhead 1715

by Vice Admiral Friedrich Ruge, Federal German Navy (Retired)
December 1966
Yet, 230 years earlier, allied Danes, Prussians, and Saxons had landed 12,250 troops on the island of Rügen in only two hours.
Scapa Flow looking south from the island of Pomona

Scapa Flow

By Vice Admiral Friedrich Ruge, German Federal Navy
December 1959
On 21 June 1919, the ships of the German High Seas Fleet interned at Scapa Flow were scuttled by their own crews.

Do Small Navies Still Make Sense?

By Vice Admiral Friedrich Ruge, German Federal Navy
September 1959
In the good old days, one could buy a small corvette complete for about $1,000. What a boon that must have been for budget and defense committees, to say nothing ...

German Naval Strategy Across Two Wars

By Vice Admiral Friedrich Ruge, Former German Navy (Retired)
February 1955
When World War I broke out, Germany had a powerful, well-trained navy, about two-thirds as strong as the British Navy. German ships fought well, the fleet suffered comparatively minor losses ...

German Minesweepers in World War II

By Vice Admiral Friedrich Ruge, former German Navy (Retired)
September 1952
Peace-time Problems In World War I, mines caused a great many losses and gave the German Navy some unpleasant surprises, from the Russian minefields in the Central Baltic in 1914 ...