Disguised German merchant raiders in 1940

Germany kept pressure on Allied shipping through armed merchant raiders such as Atlantis, Orion, Widder, Thor, Pinguin, Komet, and Kormoran. Equipped with modern guns, torpedo tubes, and often reconnaissance aircraft, they used elaborate disguises and remote rendezvous with supply ships to remain at sea. They targeted isolated merchantmen, sometimes simulated distress or attacked at night, and shifted cruising grounds and identities when an area became dangerous. Their ability to range across the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans made them difficult to locate, while only cruiser-strength warships were considered powerful enough to engage them. Komet's Soviet-assisted passage along Siberia's northern coast also exposes the diplomatic and logistical support that enabled German commerce raiding early in the war.