by Gareth Collins

From 1941 German transporters were employed in the supply of North Africa and from the second half of 1941 German sea forces took part in the fighting itself. In the spring of 1942 they played an active role in the attacks on Tobruk and advance into Egypt. Because of this dramatic increase in German involvement in the fighting in North Africa a new office was formed on 23 May 1942, the 'Führungsstand Nordafrika des Deutschen Marinekommandos Italien'. This office was subordinate to the Deutsches Marinekommando Italien for naval operations and employed Uboote, Schnellboote and Räumboote. It also controlled the coastal supply of Rommel's forces with landing craft and transporters. In October 1942 the general operational control of North Africa was returned to Rome and controlled by the stellv. Chef des Stabes die Seetransportsteuerung. It employed the 6. Räumbootsflottillen and the 2. Landungsflottille. When this happened the Chef der Seetransportstellen was appointed the Chef des Deutschen Marinekommandos Nordafrika and their tasks merged. The Marinekommando was also the Marineverbindungsoffizier beim Panzerarmeeoberkommando Afrika. The staff quarters of the Marinekommandos sat in Mersa Matruh, then Tobruk & finally Benghazi. With the fall of Tripoli and the loss of Italian North Africa in February 1943 the command was dissolved.

Chef

Kapitän zur See Frank Aschmann (m.W.d.G.b.) (00 Jul 1942-00 Oct 1942)
Kapitän zur See z.V. Dr.jur. Paul Meixner (00 Oct 1942-28 Feb 1943)

Stab
1. Admiralstabsoffizier
Kapitänleutnant Wilhelm Meentzen (m.W.d.G.b.) (00 Jul 1942-00 Oct 1942)
Ing.-K. (Leiter des Marine Nachschubstabes Tobruk)
Kapitänleutnant (Ing.) Friedrich-Karl Schwarz (00 Jul 1942-00 Oct 1942)

Notable members

Dr.jur. Paul Meixner (recipient of the German Cross in both Gold and Silver)

Sources used

Research by Gareth Collins
Erich Gröner - Die Schiffe der deutschen Kriegsmarine und ihr Verbleib 1939-1945, J.F. Lehmanns Verlag, München (1976)
Hans H. Hildebrand - Die organisatorische Entwicklung der Marine nebst Stellenbesetzung 1848 bis 1945, Biblio-Verlag, Osnabrück(2000)
Hans H. Hildebrand & Ernest Henriot – Deutschlands Admirale 1849-1945, Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück (1989)
Hans H. Hildebrand, Albert Röhr & Hans-Otto Steinmetz – Die Deutschen Kriegsschiffe, Koehlers Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Hamburg (1980)
Walter Lohmann & Hans H. Hildebrand – Die Deutsche Kriegsmarine, Verlag Hans-Henning Podzun, Bad Nauheim (1956)

Reference material on this unit

- None known at this time -