Naval regions and districts were the official shore establishment of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The Kriegsmarine shore establishment was divided into four senior regional commands, who were in turn subordinated to the operational Navy Group commanders who commanded all sea and shore naval forces within a particular geographical region.Lohmann W. & Hildebrand H., Die Deutsche Kriegsmarine, Verlag Hans-Henning Podzun, Bad Nauheim (1956) Within each naval region were several subordinate naval districts who were responsible for all navy shore activities within their area of responsibility, most significantly were the various German ports of occupied Europe.
Naval regions The naval regions (Marineoberkommando) were the senior most shore command in a given geographical area and were subordinate to the Navy Group commanders. A total of four naval regions were eventually established in occupied Europe during the Second World War. A deputy commander, known as the "2. Admiral" commanded staff units and oversaw regional administrative matters. Specifically, the deputy region commander oversaw the Schiffs–Stamm-Abteilung (Ship's Administration Department) which was a liaison for port commands and also served as the ultimate authority for personnel in transit or stationed in shore naval garrisons. For those permanent assigned to the ship's department, a subordinate Schiffs–Stamm-Regiment existed as an intermediary command.Goerlitz, Walter. History of the German General Staff, 1657-1945. Boulder and London: Westview Press (1985)
Other major subordinates to the regional command were the Befehlshaber der Sicherung (Commander of Security), Inspektion des Schiffsmaschinewesens (Naval engineering inspector), Artilleriearsenalinspektionen (Inspector of arsenals and artillery), and the Sanitätsamt der Marinestation (Medical department). A regional signals detachment (Marine–Nachrichten–Abteilung) also existed to coordinate orders and messages between the various subordinate commands.
All naval regions were permanently assigned at least one navy shore combat unit. In most cases this was known as the Marine–Schützen–Bataillon; a larger formation known as a Marine–Bordflak–Brigade also existed. Engineering and pioneer naval units were typically grouped into a Marine–Festungspionier–Bataillon. Regional commands were also responsible for the operation of all naval prisons. Naval prisoner-of-war camps were under the jurisdiction of a senior officer known as the Kommandantur des Marine–Kriegsgefangenen– und Interniertenlagers.
All naval regions further maintained a legal office as well as a war correspondence company (Marinekriegsberichterkompanie). All induction and recruiting centers operated through an office known as the Marine–Abrechnungs– und Vorprüfungsamt while the Dienststelle für Eignungsprüfung administrated certification examinations for the various naval rates. Each naval region also maintained a billeting and housing office, known as the Abwicklungsamt.
Naval Region North Sea
The North Sea naval region was the first to be established and was originally known as Der Kommandierende Admiral der Marinestation der Nordsee. The command was formed from an existing unit of the Reichsmarine, known as the Marinestation der Nordsee. In the spring of 1943, the title was renamed as the Marineoberkommando der Nordsee. Major subordinate districts were the Deutsches Marinekommando Italien (this command eventually became Naval Region South) and the Admiral in den Niederlanden which oversaw all German naval matters in the occupied Netherlands.
The following officers held the title of regional commander during the years of Naval region North Sea's existence. Admiral Otto Schultze July 1935 – October 1937 Admiral Hermann Boehm October 1937 – October 1938 Admiral Alfred Saalwächter October 1938 – August 1939 Admiral Otto Schultze August – November 1939 Vice admiral Hermann Densch November 1939 – March 1943 Admiral Erich Förste March 1943 – May 1945
Major port cities under the control of Naval Region North Sea were Wilhelmshaven, Hamburg, and Bremen. The regional command was also the authority for all naval observatories in the area. A central administrative office, known as the Heimatverwaltung West coordinated all shore activities while the Heimatverwaltung Ausland oversaw region personnel deployed to other areas of the Kriegsmarine. The Troßschiffverband Nord was the department responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of all troop ships on call for deployment into the North Sea.
Naval Region Baltic Sea
Germany had maintained a naval presence in the Baltic Sea since the 19th century, and in 1865 the earliest continuous command in the area, the Marinestation der Ostsee, was established in Kiel. By June 1935, the Reichsmarine had established a position known as Der Chef der Marinestation der Ostsee. In November 1938, the Kriegsmarine created the post of Der Kommandierende General der Marinestation der Ostsee, also headquartered at Kiel. The region was commanded by a full admiral (or general admiral) with a deputy known as the 2. Admiral der Ostseestation.
Subordinated to the Baltic Sea regional commander were three "coastal commanders" (Küstenbefehlshaber) who oversaw various harbor and coastal defense units. The port superintendent of Kiel (Marineintendantur Kiel) also reported directly to the regional command as well as several inspection units for naval weapons, artillery, torpedoes, and well as an Inspector for Training and Education (Inspektion des Bildungswesens der Marine). The naval region also contained a signals unit, medical department, and personnel branch. The commander of U-boats was originally administratively subordinated to the Baltic regional commander, but became an independent separate command after 1938.
In mid 1942, the name of the command was shortened to Kommando der Marinestation der Ostsee and in 1943 adopted its final name as Marineoberkommando Ostsee. The two primary subordinate naval districts were the Admiral Dänemark (controlling all shore based German naval forces in Denmark) and the Admiral Ostland which controlled naval shore forces east of Kiel, including those stationed in Poland.
The following Kriegsmarine officers held the position as Baltic Sea regional commander: Admiral Conrad Albrecht: Jul 1935 - Nov 1938 Admiral Rolf Carls: Nov 1938 - Jan 1940 Admiral Günther Guse: Jan 1940 - Mar 1943 Admiral Hubert Schmundt: Mar 1943 - Mar 1944 General admiral Oskar Kummetz: Mar 1944 - May 1945
Naval Region South
Shore activities in the Mediterranean Sea were originally overseen by an office, known as the Chef des Deutschen Marineverbindungsstabes, headed by Rear Admiral Eberhard Weichold and established in June 1940. The following year, the office adopted the lengthy title Deutscher Admiral beim Admiralstab der königlich italienischen Marine. In November 1941, the office was re-designated as the Befehlshaber des Deutschen Marinekommandos Italien. In March 1943, the command was assumed by Rear Admiral Wilhelm Meendsen-Bohlken. Meedsen-Bohlken was briefly replaced by Vice Admiral Friedrich Ruge, in May 1943, before Meedsen-Bohlken returned to the same post that August. In July 1944, command was assumed by Vice Admiral Werner Löwisch. In January 1945 the Italian naval shore command was renamed as the Oberbefehlshaber Marineoberkommando Süd.
Naval Region Norway
The final Navy regional command established during the Second World War was the Marineoberkommando in Norwegen, established in late 1943 to deal specifically with German naval forces in Norway. Admiral Otto Ciliax served as regional commander until the last month of the war when he was replaced by Admiral Theodor Krancke.
The headquarters of the Norwegian naval region was at Oslo where was maintained a headquarters staff, signals company, and war correspondence unit. A naval weapons office, known as the Torpedoarsenal Norwegen oversaw all logistics for naval arms, in particular submarine torpedoes, for Kriegsmarine units stationed in Norway. The region also operationally controlled a submarine netting group known as Netzsperrgruppe Nord. In addition to regular naval shore commands, the Norwegian Naval Region also hosted four naval construction brigades (Bauaufsicht der Kriegsmarine) which were stationed in Horten, Bergen, Trondheim, and Tromsø
Naval districts
Naval districts were the direct operational forces for all shore units of the Kriegsmarine and were assigned coastal areas of responsibility as well as operational command of any permanently assigned submarine or ship flotillas (although administratively, these units were under the various type commanders). Most naval regions also maintained a staff headquarters unit, signals unit, war correspondence company, as well as a regional medical clinic.
Navy districts were operationally subordinated to Navy group commanders and were organized by either geographical region or country of occupation. The "Admiral Deutsche Bucht" was headquartered in Wilhelmshaven and commanded German ports along the North Sea. The "Admiral z.b.V. Südost" was in command of inland waterways, river units, and was headquartered at Traunstein.
France and the Low Countries
After the occupation of France and the Low Countries, the Kriegsmarine established a single regional command for these areas which was known as "Admiral West". The command was first stood up in May 1940, while the Battle of France was still ongoing, with its first commander Admiral Karlgeorg Schuster. In June 1940, following the surrender of France, the command's name changed to Kommandierender Admiral Frankreich and was headquartered in Paris. In May 1941, command as "Admiral Frankreich" was passed to Otto Schultze. In August 1942, the final commander, Wilhelm Marschall was appointed and would hold the command until that November. At that time the naval region of France was broken up into smaller areas as a result of Case Anton when Germany occupied the entirety of France.
The three late war naval districts of France were: Admiral Atlantikküste (Western France) Admiral Kanalküste (English Channel) Admiral französischen Südküste (Southern France)
Friedrich Rieve commanded the English channel district during the Invasion of Normandy while Ernst Scheurlen commanded southern France during Operation Dragoon. In both these cases, the commands were disbanded shortly thereafter due to an overrun of the districts by Allied forces. The "Atlantic Coast" command, overseeing the majority of naval forces in western France, remained active until early 1945 under its final commander, Admiral Johannes Bachmann.
A special naval area was also established for the city of Paris and was known as the Höheres Kommando der Marinedienststellen in Groß-Paris (Supreme Command for Naval Services in the Greater Paris Area). The command contained a headquarters staff, several transport units, a signals and communications division, legal office, and medical staff. Werner Lindenau served as naval commander of Paris from June 1943 until the Germans evacuated the city the following year.Rosbottom, R. When Paris Went Dark: The City of Light Under German Occupation, 1940-1944, Back bay Books (2015)