Hans Michahelles (18 May 1899 – 14 June 1975) was a German admiral during which global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945, although related conflicts began earlier?
World War II World War II (often abbreviated to WWII or WW2), also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945, although related conflicts began earlier. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. It was the most widespread war in history, and directly involved more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. In a state of total war, the major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, erasing the distinction between civilian and military resources.
Altmark Incident The "Altmark" Incident (Norwegian: "Altmark"-affæren; German: "Altmark-Zwischenfall") was a naval incident of World War II between British destroyers and the German tanker "Altmark", which happened on 16-17 February 1940. It took place in what were, at that time, neutral Norwegian waters. On board the "Altmark" there were some 300 allied prisoners (officially internees), whose ships were sunk by the pocket battleship "Graf Spee" in the Southern Atlantic Ocean. British naval forces cornered the tanker and later the destroyer "Cossack" attacked the German ship and freed all the prisoners, killing and injuring eight German seamen with firearms and wounding ten others, five of them seriously. A British and a Norwegian sailor was also seriously wounded in the action. Germany claimed that the attack was a grave violation of international law and of Norwegian neutrality.