Operation Hagen (i)

(legendary German warrior)

'Hagen' (i) was a German series of 91 convoys in the Black Sea to deliver reinforcements, equipment and supplies to Generaloberst Richard Ruoff’s (from 24 June Generaloberst Erwin Jaenecke’s) 17th Army in the Kuban beach-head across the Strait of Kerch from eastern Crimea (1 June/20 September 1943).

The effort was later supplemented by the 'Bansin' convoys from Feodosiya to Anapa, and was based largely on the use of 13 naval ferry barges of Kapitänleutnant Max Giele’s 1st Landungs-Flottille, Fregattenkapitän Gustav Strempel’s 3rd Landungs-Flottille and Korvettenkapitän Carl Mehler’s 5th Landungs-Flottille, bolstered by varying numbers of tugs and lighters.