by Gareth Collins

Formed in July 1940 in Wesermünde, the Troßschiffverband (TSV) controlled all naval-owned supply & auxiliary ships, as well as tankers. During the course of the war all weather observation ships were added to the command. At the beginning of 1941 the operations of TSV were passed to the guidance of the Nachschubabteilung Skl/Qu A III and its HQ was moved to La Baule. Here its command split into 3 groups, one in the North, one in the West & one in the Mediterranean. It was then administratively subordinate the Kommandierender Admiral Frankreich, then Marinegruppenkommando West. The employment of the ships of TSV in the Atlantic was placed under the direct control of the Operationsabteilung/Skl. In the summer of 1943 the Allied blockade made it impossible to operate from La Baule and from 31 Jul 1943 a new Chef des Troßschiffverbandes was set up at Wesermünde & became subordinate to Flottenkommando. It was employed with supplying northern Norway.

Chef

Fregattenkapitän Alfred Stiller (00 Jul 1940-00 Jul 1943)
Fregattenkapitän Heinrich Koch (00 Jul 1943-00 May 1945)
(Sdf) Kapitänleutnant Paul Haller (00 May 1945-00 May 1945)

Stab

Verbands-Ingenieur
(Sdf) Kapitänleutnant (Ing.) der Reserve Albert Schlatter (00 Feb 1941-00 Sep 1943)
(Sdf) Kapitänleutnant (Ing.) der Reserve Friedrich Meyer (00 Sep 1943-00 May 1945)

Verbands-Arzt
(Sdf) Marineoberstabsarzt der Reserve Dr.med. Josef Freiherr Geyr von Schweppenburg (00 Sep 1942-00 May 1945)

Verbands-Verwaltungsoffizier
Fregattenkapitän (V) Karl Thormählen (00 Aug 1941-00 Mar 1943)
Fregattenkapitän (V) Konrad Köpke (00 Mar 1943-00 May 1945)

Stabsabteilung des TSV
Kapitänleutnant der Reserve z.V. Albert Thissen (00 Aug 1940-00 May 1943)

Schiffe

Marineeigene Troßschiffe
Hilfstroßschiffe
Begleittanker
Versorgungsschiffe

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 -