Many German warships were already at sea when war was declared, including most of the available U-boats and the "pocket battleships" (Panzerschiffe) Deutschland and Admiral Graf Spee which had sortied into the Atlantic in August.
Mange tyske krigsskibe var allerede til havs, da krigen brød ud, herunder de fleste undervandsbåde og også "lommeslagskibene" (tysk: Panzerschiff) Deutschland og Admiral Graf Spee, der sejlede ud i Atlanterhavet i august.