The Gneisenau was a German battlecruiser — later reclassified as a battleship — that spent much of World War II as a strategic headache for the Kriegsmarine's own high command. After being damaged by RAF bombing in Kiel in 1942, Hitler ordered the ship's guns removed for coastal defense, effectively ending her operational career. She was scuttled at Gdynia in 1945 as a blockship. Malawi's inclusion of German warships in its collector series reflects a broader wave of Pacific and African island-nation issues farming naval history for the commemorative market in the 2000s.
The Gneisenau was a German battlecruiser — later reclassified as a battleship — that spent much of World War II as a strategic headache for the Kriegsmarine's own high command. After being damaged by RAF bombing in Kiel in 1942, Hitler ordered the ship's guns removed for coastal defense, effectively ending her operational career. She was scuttled at Gdynia in 1945 as a blockship. Malawi's inclusion of German warships in its collector series reflects a broader wave of Pacific and African island-nation issues farming naval history for the commemorative market in the 2000s.