The Marinestation der Ostsee (Baltic Sea Naval Station) was a command of both the Imperial German Navy, and the Reichsmarine which served as a shore command for German naval units operating primarily in the Baltic Sea. The station was headquartered at Kiel and was a counterpart command to the Marinestation der Nordsee.
History
editThe original founding of the Baltic Sea Naval Station predates the existence of the modern German state. The station was first established 1854 in Danzig and was relocated to Kiel in March 1865. During these early years, the station was operated by the Prussian Navy.[1]
At the start of the Franco-Prussian War in July 1870, the command consisted of relatively minor forces: the flagship of Konteradmiral (Rear Admiral) Eduard Heldt was the aviso SMS Preussischer Adler, based in Kiel. Also in Kiel, he had the artillery training ship SMS Renown and the gunboats SMS Cyclop, SMS Camäleon, SMS Habicht, and SMS Scorpion. Based in Stralsund were the gunboats Blitz and Fuchs, and at Danzig was the screw corvette Nymphe.[2]
The station was a major command during World War I and continued to exist, under the administration of the Weimar Republic, through the 1920s. After the Nazi Party took power in Germany, and established the Nazi state, the Reichsmarine continued to administer the Baltic station until the founding of the Kriegsmarine in 1935. At that time, the station command was renamed as the Kommandierender Admiral der Marinestation der Ostsee. This title remained until 1943 when the organizational name was changed to that of Marineoberkommando Ostsee.
Commanders
editPrussian Navy
- Konteradmiral Eduard Heldt: 1870
Imperial Navy
- Admiral Ludwig von Schröder:[3] 1910-1912
Reichsmarine
- Vizeadmiral Otto Schultze: 1933-1935
Kriegsmarine
| No. | Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Time in office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Admiral Conrad Albrecht (1880–1969) | July 1935 | November 1938 | 3 years, 4 months | |
| 2 | Admiral Rolf Carls (1885–1945) | November 1938 | January 1940 | 1 year, 2 months | |
| 3 | Admiral Günther Guse (1886–1953) | January 1940 | March 1943 | 3 years, 2 months | |
| 4 | Admiral Hubert Schmundt (1888–1984) | March 1943 | March 1944 | 1 year | |
| 5 | Generaladmiral Oskar Kummetz (1891–1980) | March 1944 | May 1945 | 1 year, 2 months |
References
edit- ^ Petter, W., Die überseeische Stützpunktpolitik der preußisch-deutschen Kriegsmarine, 1859–1883. Freiburg i.Br. (1975)
- ^ Hildebrand, Hans H.; Röhr, Albert & Steinmetz, Hans-Otto (1993). Die Deutschen Kriegsschiffe (Band 7) [The German Warships (Volume 7)] (in German). Ratingen: Mundus Verlag. p. 22. ISBN 978-3782202671.
- ^ Waldeyer-Hartz, H. Ein Mann: Das Leben des Admirals Ludwig v. Schröder. Vieweg+Teubner Verlag (1934), pg. 214