by Gareth Collins

Formed in Brest in the French Region of Brittany in December 1940 from Seekommandant Brest when the whole command area of Brittany/West France was re-organised. It was subordinate to the Marinebefehlshaber Westfrankreich, then Kommandierender Admiral Atlantikküste & finally Marineoberkommando West. It had an area of command from Cape Frehél to Carnac. During the temporary dissolution of the Seekommandant Loire-Gironde, between November 1942 and January 1943, the area of the Loire was added to the command. After the Allied invasion the command area of the Seekommandant was greatly reduced and it was split. In Lorient the Werftkommandant was made Seekommandant Lorient to command German troops left in the area. Brest fell in September 1944.

Seekommandant

Konteradmiral Gustav Kieseritzky (03 Dec 1940-15 Jun 1942)
Konteradmiral Ernst Schirlitz (16 Jun 1942-28 Feb 1943)
Kapitän zur See Rolf Gumprich (01 Mar 1943-04 Jan 1944)
Konteradmiral Otto Kähler (05 Jan 1944-18 Sep 1944)

Stabsoffizier beim Stabe

Fregattenkapitän Waldemar Haumann (00 Mar 1941-00 Apr 1943)
Fregattenkapitän Fritz Schwoerer (00 Apr 1943-00 Sep 1943)
Fregattenkapitän Ernst Haensel (00 Sep 1943-18 Sep 1944)

Subordinate Commands & Units

Hafenkommandant Brest
Hafenkommandant Lorient
Inselkommandant Belle Ile
Inselkommandant Ile de Groix
Marineartilleriezeugamt Brest
Marineartilleriezeugamt Lorient
Marineartilleriearsenal Brest
Marineartilleriearsenal Lorient
Hafenschutzflottille Bretagne
1. Marineartillerieregiment
Marineartillerieabteilung 262
Marineartillerieabteilung 264
leichte Marineartillerieabteilung 681
III. Marineflakbrigade
IV. Marineflakbrigade
Marineflakregiment 20
Marineflakregiment 24
14. Marinekraftfahrabteilung
3. Funkmeßabteilung
Marinepeilabteilung Bretagne

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 -