ABSTRACT
K leink am p fv erba n d e (KKV) Admiral Erich Raeder (q.v.) considered naval spe cial forces units as unsavory and unnecessary. His resignation on 31 January 1943 as chief of the German Navy cleared the way for the Kriegsmarine to form its first special operations force. Desig nated Kleinkampfverbande (Small Fighting Units or KKV), the force was modeled after Italy’s 10th Light Flotilla (q.v.), which had enjoyed such great success in the Mediterranean. Unfortunately, the KKV enjoyed few successes because Allied intelli gence, primarily ULTRA (q.v.), provided advanced warning of their presence and operations. They suffered excessive casualties (over 80 percent) for the small gains achieved. Still, the KKV served to divert extensive Allied air and naval forces from other missions. In that respect, perhaps, their op erations may have been successful.
