Commander of the Naval Forces of the Baltic Sea
The commander of the naval forces of the Baltic Sea (BSO) was an area commander in the German Navy . The seat of the commander and the office of the same name was Kiel . The BSO was under the command of the fleet and was at the same time under the name COMNAVGERBALT NATO sea commander for the German naval forces in the Baltic Sea .
history
After the Bundeswehr was set up in 1955, its operational management was delegated to NATO. The newly established units were integrated into the existing NATO command structure. The naval units in the North and Baltic Seas were divided between the command areas of Central Europe and Northern Europe. Two German commanders were used as part of the NATO command structure for their leadership. For this purpose, the commandos Commanders of the Naval Forces of the Baltic Sea and Commanders of the Naval Forces of the North Sea (BSN) were set up from 1956/57 .
This solution was unsatisfactory for the German Navy insofar as its forces were divided between two areas, the next joint superior of which was the NATO Commander-in-Chief for Europe, SACEUR . In 1961 it was possible to adapt the NATO command structure in northern Europe to German requirements. The core of the change was the establishment of the NATO Command Baltic Sea Accesses in January 1962. While the tasks of the Commander of the Naval Forces of the Baltic Sea were taken over by the Fleet Command and its office was dissolved, the BSN remained as NATO and national Commander under the Fleet Command until 1993.
organization
National and NATO subordination
During the establishment of the German Navy, its units were first integrated into the existing NATO command structure . As NATO commander for the Baltic Sea area, the new German COMNAVGERBALT was assigned to the NATO Northern Europe command area and subordinated to the Northern Europe naval commander COMNAVNORTH. The German naval units in the North Sea were under the command of NATO Central Europe . From 1957, the use of NATO naval forces in the North and Baltic Sea area was to be coordinated between the areas by a North / Center Planning Group .
In order to take account of the changed situation due to the development of German armed forces, the NATO Allied Command Baltic Approaches (ACBA) was set up in 1962 , to which all German naval forces were assigned. The tasks of the BSO were transferred to the Flag Officer Germany , who was the commander of the fleet in a national function and was in turn subordinate to the NATO Sea Commander Baltic Sea Accesses ( COMNAVBALTAP ).
In terms of troops, the BSO was subordinate to the commander of the fleet. Except for his staff, he himself was not a superior on duty, but only led the forces assigned to the operation.
guide
The commander of the naval forces of the Baltic Sea carried the rank of flotilla admiral (FAdm).
List of commanders
| No. | Surname | Beginning of the term of office | Term expires | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | FAdm Karl E. Smidt | 4/1961 | 3/1962 | |
| 1 | FAdm Heinrich Gerlach | 1956 | 3/1961 |
literature
- Konrad Ehrensberger : 100 Years of Organization of the German Navy 1890–1990. Imperial Navy - Reichsmarine - Kriegsmarine - Federal Navy. Bonn 1993.
- Peter Monte, The role of the Navy of the Federal Republic of Germany in defense planning for Central and Northern Europe from the 1950s to the turn of 1989/90; in: * Werner Rahn (Ed.): German Marines in Transition. Munich 2005, ISBN 3-486-57674-7 , p. 565 ff.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Peter Monte. The role of the Navy of the Federal Republic of Germany in defense planning for Central and Northern Europe from the 1950s to the turn of 1989/90 . In: * Werner Rahn (Ed.): German Marines in Transition. Munich 2005, ISBN 3-486-57674-7 , p. 565 ff.