Commanding Admiral French South Coast
The agency commanding admiral French south coast was a commanding authority of the German Navy in World War II , which existed from September 1943 to August 1944. The headquarters were in Aix-en-Provence . She was under the Marine Group Command West in Paris .
history
After the occupation of southern France , which was under the government of the Vichy regime , by Germany and Italy in November 1942, the Italian Navy initially took over military responsibility for the southern French Riviera coast . Only Toulon was under German occupation. There, the office of the first was initially Naval Commander Toulon and from December 1942, the Chief of the German Navy commands Toulon furnished. This command was led by Rear Admiral Werner Scheer , who also headed the Toulon Naval Arsenal. It existed until September 1943.
At the same time, in November 1942, the staff of the Loire-Gironde naval commander under Captain Adalbert Zuckschwerdt was relocated from Saint-Nazaire to Montpellier . He was given the new designation Maritime Commander Languedoc . In June 1943 he was temporarily employed as admiral on the French south coast . After Italy had withdrawn from the alliance with Germany with the armistice of Cassibile , the Navy established the commanding admiral of the French south coast in September 1943 , who was responsible for securing this coast at sea. This post was initially held by Rear Admiral / Vice Admiral Paul Wever until his death in August 1944. His successor was Vice Admiral Ernst Scheurlen , who later became the German Bight Coast Commander . In the course of the German withdrawal from France after the Allied landing in Normandy , the agency was closed in September 1944.
Subordinate departments
The commanding admiral French south coast was subordinated to the two naval command offices Languedoc and French Riviera . The border between the two command posts was adjusted in January 1944, with the Marseille area becoming part of the French Riviera command post. In addition, from June 1944, the 6th security flotilla was under his control .
Naval Commander Languedoc
The Languedoc Maritime Command was established in November 1942. The headquarters were in Montpellier . The commanders of the Languedoc naval defense were:
- November 1942 - April 1944 Captain of the Sea / Rear Admiral Adalbert Zuckschwerdt, from June to September 1943 under the name of Admiral of the French South Coast
- April - September 1944 Rear Admiral Erich Schulte Mönting
From January 1944, the following forces were subordinate to the sea command in the last structure:
- Port Protection Flotilla Languedoc
- Port Commander Port-Vendres
- Port commander Sète
- Harbor master Port-de-Bouc
- Naval artillery department 610 (Sète)
- Naval Artillery Division 615 (Port-Vendres)
- Naval Artillery Division 625 (Port de Bouc) from January 1944
- 26th Marine Motor Department (Montpellier)
- Naval artillery arsenal Sète
Naval Commander French Riviera
The French Riviera Maritime Command was established in September 1943. The headquarters were in La Valette-du-Var near Toulon. As the commander of the French Riviera naval defense:
- September 1943 - April 1944 Sea captain Karl Freiherr von Montigny
- April - September 1944 Rear Admiral Heinrich Ruhfus
The following forces were subordinate to the sea command:
- French Riviera port protection flotilla
- Port Commander Marseille
- Port Commander La Ciotat
- Port Commander Toulon
- Port Captain Saint Tropez
- Port Captain Cannes
- Port Commander Nice
- Naval Artillery Division 611 (Marseille)
- Naval Artillery Division 627 ( Port Hyères ) from February 1944
- Naval Artillery Division 682 (Toulon) August - October 1943 only
- Marine light artillery division 687 (Toulon) until January 1944
- Marine Flak Department 819 (Toulon)
- 3rd Naval Fog Department (Toulon)
- 28th Marine Motor Division (Toulon)
- Naval Artillery Arsenal Toulon
On August 15, 1944, Operation Anvil Dragoon began , the allied landing in Provence east of Toulon. On August 27, 1944, Admiral Ruhfus capitulated to the Allied forces in Toulon.
6. Security flotilla
The 6th Security Flotilla emerged from the South Port Protection Flotilla in December 1942 and was initially under the command of the West Security Flotilla . In June 1944 she moved under the commanding admiral of the French south coast. Plans to expand the flotilla to the 6th Security Division were abandoned due to the development of the situation. The flotilla consisted of a large number of minesweepers and submarines . It was led by an officer in the rank of corvette captain . In August 1944 it was dissolved, but in December 1944 it was reorganized from the 1st submarine hunting flotilla.
Other offices
The following offices of the Kriegsmarine not subordinate to the commanding admiral French south coast were located in his area of command:
- Head of Maritime Transport, Marseille (November 1942 - May 1943)
- Marseilles Navy Service (May 1943 - July 1944)
Both of the successive departments were headed by Rear Admiral Heinz-Eduard Menche , who was also head of the Bordeaux Navy until May 1943 . The naval service was subordinate to the commander of the fuse west, technically to the high command of the navy , naval war command department Qu A VI (shipping department).
literature
- Walter Lohmann , Hans H. Hildebrand: The German Navy 1939-1945 . Compilation in three volumes. OO 1956
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Commanding Admiral French South Coast at Württembergische Landesbibliothek , accessed on January 2, 2019
- ↑ Walter Lohmann, Hans H. Hildebrand: The German Navy 1939-1945 . Compilation in three volumes. OO 1956. Volume II, main chapter XIV, chapter 6, p. 4 f.
- ↑ a b Walter Lohmann, Hans H. Hildebrand: The German Navy 1939-1945 . Compilation in three volumes. OO 1956. Volume II, main chapter XIV, chapter 6, p. 2
- ↑ Walter Lohmann, Hans H. Hildebrand: The German Navy 1939-1945 . Compilation in three volumes. OO 1956. Volume II, main chapter XIV, chapter 6, p. 8
- ↑ Walter Lohmann, Hans H. Hildebrand: The German Navy 1939-1945 . Compilation in three volumes. OO 1956. Volume II, main chapter XIV, chapter 6, p. 9 f.
- ↑ Operation Anvil-Dragoon at chemins de memoire , accessed on January 3, 2019
- ↑ 6th Security Flotilla at Württembergische Landesbibliothek , accessed on January 2, 2019
- ↑ Walter Lohmann, Hans H. Hildebrand: The German Navy 1939-1945 . Compilation in three volumes. OO 1956. Volume II, main chapter XIV, chapter 6, p. 5