The lead ship of her class, Königsberg had a similar operational history to that of her sister ships like Köln (see above), operating as a training vessel until the outset of World War Two. She spent the early part of the war laying defensive minefields in the North Sea before participating in the invasion of Norway as part of Operation Weserübung. It was here that she met her demise, whilst attacking the city of Bergen. Here she was struck by a Norwegian coastal artillery battery, and whilst languishing in the harbour the following day was sunk by British bombers. Her wreck was raised in 1942 and broken up for scrap. —description from the publisher's website