History of the North Sea the North Sea though they saw little action. The Austro-Prussian War (1866) resulted in Prussia's gaining full control of the Kiel Canal, allowing their Baltic ports access to the North Sea. France declared war on Prussia 19 July 1870 which initiated the Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871). The French Navy was, at the time far larger and superior to the North German Federal Navy, the Navy of the North German Confederation. Though the French did take a number of merchant ships bound to and from North Germany, shortages of manpower and coal, as well as conflicting orders, made the attempted blockade of
Baltic Sea campaigns (1939–45) forces successfully protected the evacuation convoys, after which the ships were disarmed and scuttled. Only "VTV-1" was spared, being transported by rail to the Baltic. Soviet naval forces started their attacks on Onega on 26 June, and by the time they landed troops at Petrozavodsk on 28 June, the Finns had already left the area. Baltic Sea campaigns (1939–45) The Baltic Sea Campaigns were conducted by Axis and Allied naval forces in the Baltic Sea, its coastal regions, and the Gulf of Finland during World War II. After early fighting between Polish and German forces, the main combatants were Germany