History
Older names for the combined Skagerrak and Kattegat were the Norwegian Sea or Jutland Sea; the latter appears in the Knýtlinga saga.
In both the world wars, the Skagerrak was strategically very important for Germany. One of the biggest sea battles of World War I, the Battle of Jutland, also known as the Battle of the Skagerrak, took place there May 31 to June 1, 1916. The importance of controlling this waterway, the only sea access to the Baltic, was the motivation for the German invasion of Denmark and Norway during World War II. These naval engagements have contributed to the large number of shipwrecks in the area.
Read more about this topic: Skagerrak
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