| 15.01.1930: |
Commissioned. |
| July - October 1930: |
Trials and training in the Baltic and North Sea. |
| 28.10.1930-05.12.1930: |
Artillery drills in the North Atlantic, meets Karlsruhe
on her first international voyage. |
| -June 1931: |
Training and trials in the Baltic Sea. |
| June 1931: |
Voyage to Norway, followed by fleet operations in the North Sea, Jutland and the Baltic Sea. |
| -January 1932: |
Training and artillery drills in the Baltic Sea. |
| 07.01.1932-29.01.1932: |
Artillery drills in the North Atlantic, followed by training in coastal waters. |
| 08.12.1932-12.12.1933: |
First international voyage: Mediterranean, Alexandria, Suez Channel, India, Indonesia, Australia, Pacific, Japan, Tsingtau, China, Indonesia, Ceylon, Suez Channel, Greece, Italy and Spain. |
| -June 1934: |
Fleet operations. |
| 09.06.1934-28.06.1934: |
Artillery drills together with Panzerschiff Deutschland
. |
| Nov - Dec 1934: |
Repairs in Wilhelmshaven. |
| -April 1936: |
Fleet operations. |
| May - June 1936: |
Atlantic operation near Portugal. |
| 07-29.06.1936: |
Operations at the Spanish coast. |
| 30.07 - 08.10.1936: |
Operations at the Spanish coast. |
| 1937: |
Several operation at the Spanish coast. |
| Jan - Feb 1938: |
Repairs and refits in Kiel. |
| -October 1938: |
Fleet operations. |
| 31.10.1938 - Mar 1939: |
Repairs and refits in Kiel. |
| 13.04 - 16.05.1939: |
Training in the North Atlantic. |
| 08.10.1939: |
Köln
takes part in a North Sea raid together with BC Gneisneau
and the destroyers Wilhlem Heidkamp
, Friedrich Ihn
, Diether von Roeder
, Karl Galster
, Max Schulz
, Paul Jakobi
, Bernd von Arnim
, Erich Steinbrink
and Friedrich Eckoldt
with no special events. |
| 12-13.12.1939: |
Screening a mining mission of five DD with CL Nürnberg
and CL Leipzig
. |
| April 1940: |
Operation "Weserübung":
Part of Squadron 3 (Bergen), returns to Wilhelmshaven on April 11th. |
| Sep - Oct 1941: |
Supports army to take islands Dagö and Ösel, disabling Russian coastal batteries at Cape Ristna. |
| 1941-1942: |
Tests and trials with ship based helicopter Flettner Fl 282 Kolibri. |
| February - May 1942: |
Repairs and refits in Wilhelmshaven. |
| 09-12.07.1942: |
On the way to Norway, the light cruiser Köln
, esorted by the destroyer Friedrich Eckold
, lays mines near Jutland. |
| 13.07.1942: |
Left Oslo for northern Norway. |
| 14-15.07.1942_ |
Mine laying operation in the North Sea by light cruiser Köln
and destroyers Friedrich Ihn
, Friedrich Eckoldt
and Z24
. |
| 06.08.1942: |
Arrived at Narvik, joins Battle Group. |
| 10.09.1942: |
Together with Admiral Scheer
and Admiral Hipper
, the Köln
moves to the Alta Fjord to attack Convoy PQ18. Unsuccessful British submarine attack, the attack on the convoy is stopped. |
| February 1943: |
Admiral Hipper
and Köln
sail to the Baltic to be withdrawn from service. |
| Mar 1943 - Mar 1944: |
Out of service. |
| March 1944: |
The Köln
is towed from Kiel to Königsberg. |
| 01.04.1944: |
Recommissioned to train cadet engineers. |
| April- July 1944: |
Refits. |
| July - September 1944: |
Battle training. |
| September 1944: |
Mining operations in south Norwegian sea. |
Oct - Nov 1944:
|
Convoy operations between Norway and Denmark. |
| 13.12.1944: |
Heavy damages from bombing attacks: power stations and starboard engine destroyed. |
| 31.12.1944: |
Additional damage cause by repeated bombing attacks. |
| January 1945: |
Sailed to Wilhelmshaven for repairs, damaged by bombs near the island Wangerooge. |
| 14.02.1945: |
Reached Wilhelmshaven. |
| 31.03.1945: |
The CL Köln
is sunk after hit by five heavy bombs during the last British night raid on Wilhelmshaven. The ship sinks on its keel, the turrets remain operational even after the ship was taken out of service. |
| April 1945: |
The main artillery is used against troop concentrations near the villages of Neuenburg and Bockhorn for two nights.
|
