by Gareth Collins

Formed in La Baule in the French Region of Loire-Atlantique in July 1941 and subordinate to the Marinebefehlshaber Westfrankreich. It was formed from the Seekommandant Loire-Gironde after a command area re-organisation seen the Gironde Estuary ceded to the newly formed Seekommandant Gascogne. The area of control ranged from Carnac in Brittany in the north to the Seudre River in the south. In November 1942 Vichy France was occupied by German Forces. When this happened a new Seekommandanten was needed quickly to take control of the coast of the south of France. The Seekommandant Loire and his Stabe was hastily moved to the south of France to command that area. When that happened the command area between Carnac and the Seudre was temporarily taken over by the Seekommandant Bretagne (in the north) and Seekommandant Gascogne (in the south) until a new Stabe was formed.

Seekommandant

Kapitän zur See z.V. Adalbert Zuckschwerdt (00 Jul 1941-21 Nov 1942)

Stabsoffizier beim Stabe (A I)
Kapitänleutnant M.A. der Reserve z.V. Leopold Kurtz (00 Jul 1941-00 Mar 1942)
Korvettenkapitän Richard Chizzola (00 Mar 1942-21 Nov 1942)

Subordinate Commands & Units

Hafenkommandant La Pallice-La Rochelle
Hafenkommandant Nantes
Hafenkommandant St. Nazaire
Inselkommandant Ile Noirmoutier
Inselkommandant Ile d'Oleron
Inselkommandant Ile de Ré
Inselkommandant Ile de Yeu
Hafenschutzflottille Gironde
Hafenschutzflottille La Pallice
Marineartillerieabteilung 280
Marineartillerieabteilung 282
leichte Marineartillerieabteilung 684
leichte Marineartillerieabteilung 685
leichte Marineartillerieabteilung 686
leichte Marineartillerieabteilung 687
22. Marineflakregiment
Marineflakabteilung 812
24. Marinekraftfahrabteilung
1. Marinenachrichtenabteilung (mot.)
Marineausrüstungsstelle Rochefort
Marineartilleriezeugamt St. Nazaire
Marineartilleriezeugamt Rochefort

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 -