Original German WWII Kriegsmarine U-Boat Map of North Sea, Denmark, Westküste Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a wonderful condition heavy paper map used by German U-Boat captains during WW2!

This fantastic map is marked Kriegsmarine across the top. It is a single side map constructed of heavy paper and is marked:

 

The map is in very good condition with clear printing and no tears or defects,  it measures approximately 23″ x 30.5″. It is dated 1941 with an issue ink stamp of 1942.

Naval Region North Sea
The North Sea naval region was the first to be established and was originally known as Der Kommandierende Admiral der Marinestation der Nordsee. The command was formed from a preexisting unit of the Reichsmarine, known as the Marinestation der Nordsee. In the spring of 1943, the title was renamed as the Marineoberkommando der Nordsee. Major subordinate districts were the Deutsches Marinekommando Italien (this command eventually became Naval Region South) and the Admiral in den Niederlanden which oversaw all German naval matters in the occupied Netherlands.

The following officers held the title of regional commander during the years of Naval region North Sea’s existence.

Admiral Otto Schultze: Jul 1935 – Oct 1937
Admiral Hermann Boehm: Oct 1937 – Oct 1938
Admiral Alfred Saalwächter: Oct 1938 – Aug 1939
Admiral Otto Schultze: Aug – Nov 1939
Vice admiral Hermann Densch: Nov 1939 – Mar 1943
Admiral Erich Förste: Mar 1943 – May 1945

Major port cities under the control of Naval Region North Sea were Wilhelmshaven, Hamburg, and Bremen. The regional command was also the authority for all naval observatories in the area. A central administrative office, known as the Heimatverwaltung West coordinated all shore activities while the Heimatverwaltung Ausland oversaw region personnel deployed to other areas of the Kriegsmarine. The Troßschiffverband Nord was the department responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of all troop ships on call for deployment into the North Sea.

Denmark and Norway
When German occupied Denmark in April 1940, the Kriegsmarine established a naval command for the entire country known as the Marinebefehlshaber Dänemark. The command was first held by Admiral Raul Mewis and maintained two subordinate naval districts known as the Abschnitt Nordjütland and the Abschnitt Südjütland und dänische Inseln. In March 1943 the name of the command was changed to the Kommandierender Admiral Dänemark, frequently shortened to simply “Admiral Dänemark”. The command was then assumed by Vice Admiral Hans-Heinrich Wurmbach, who held the post until the end of World War II. In April 1944, after Germany had placed all of Denmark under military occupation the previous fall, the command name was again changed to Kommandierender Admiral Skagerak.

The German occupation of Norway, with its direct access to the North Sea, required the Kriegsmarine to form a major naval command to deal with the vastness of the Norwegian coastline, along with its many ports and harbors. The originally Norwegian naval command was known as the Kommandierender Admiral Norwegen and the post was held by Hermann Böhm between 1940 and 1943. By the end of 1940, the Norwegian naval area had been elevated to the status of a naval region (the region name would formally change in February 1943), with the following subordinate Norwegian naval regions established.

Admiral norwegische Nordküste (Northern Norway)
Admiral norwegische Westküste (Central Norway)
Admiral norwegische Südküste (Southern Norway)
Admiral norwegische Polarküste (Polar Norway)

The Norwegian naval region and areas would continue in full operation until the end of World War II and consisted of the largest number of Kriegsmarine forces which remained intact upon Germany’s surrender in May 1945.