by Gareth Collins

Formed in February 1944 from the staff of Seekommandant Ostkrim and subordinate to the Kommandierender Admiral Schwarzes Meer. The command post was at Odessa in February/March 1944, then Eforia near Constanta in April/August 1944 and at the front line in Serbia September/October 1944. After the retreat from Bessarabia the command was known as 'Der deutsche Seekommandant Rumänien'. To avoid upsetting the political sensibilities of Romania and Bulgaria, the name was only openly used when absolutely necessary. The area of command until April 1944 ranged from south of the mouth of the Bug River to the Bulgarian-Turkish border on the Black Sea coast. From April 1944 the area of command in the north now started at the German-Russian Front Line. At the end of August 1944 the whole of Romania and Bulgaria was evacuated after those two countries exited the war. Processing and Collection Staffs were set up in Belgrade and Varshetz. The Seekommandant was transferred over a section of the front in the south of Serbia and fell south of Niš on 10 October 1944 where it was dissolved.

Seekommandant

Kapitän zur See Friedrich Grattenauer (00 Feb 1944-00 Oct 1944)

Stabsoffizier beim Stabe (A I)
Korvettenkapitän der Reserve Hans-Otto Soiné (00 Feb 1944-00 Sep 1944)
Korvettenkapitän (AMD) der Reserve Hans Thiel (00 Sep 1944-00 Oct 1944)

Subordinate Commands & Units

Hafenkommandant Galatz
Hafenkommandant Konstanza
Hafenkommandant Odessa
Hafenkommandant Sulina
Sonderkommando Varna
1. Küstenschutzflottille
2. Küstenschutzflottille
Marineartillerieabteilung 613
33. Marinebordflakabteilung
19. Marinekraftfahrabteilung
Marineartilleriearsenal Konstanza
1. Marineauffangabteilung
2. Marineauffangabteilung
1. Regiment (Transport)
2. Regiment (Transport)
Auffangstelle Belgrad
Auffangstelle Werschetz

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 -