# British Naval Forces Germany

British Naval Forces Germany was a command (military formation) of the Royal Navy that was active from 1944 to 1961 under three titles.
It was administered originally by the British Naval Commander-in-Chief, Germany from 1944 to 1946. In 1946 the commander's title changed to Vice-Admiral Commanding, British Naval Forces, Germany from 1946 to 1947, before being renamed to Flag Officer, British Naval Forces Germany until 1961.

## History

In 1944, the Allied Naval Commander-in-Chief, Expeditionary Force, was also given the title of British Naval Commander-in-Chief, Germany. In addition, he became also Head of the Naval Division of the Control Commission for Germany, not always in attendance in Berlin, he was represented by a Deputy Head who attended the BERGOS (Chiefs of Staff) meetings.
His headquarters were initially at Hamburg and then transferred later at Minden. His title was altered in 1946 to Vice Admiral Commanding, British Naval Forces, Germany. In 1947 the post holders title was changed to Flag Officer Commanding, British Naval Forces, Germany. Apart from his additional role as Chief British Naval Representative in the Allied Control Commission (Germany), he was responsible for all naval matters in Western Germany, Denmark, Holland and Norway.
As British Naval Commander-in-Chief, Germany, he was supported by a number of flag officers some of whose titles changed, due to an expanding of their particular command areas and duties. Rear-Admiral Harold Tom Baillie-Grohman began his appointment in 1944 as Flag Officer-in-Charge, Kiel but then became Flag Officer, Schleswig-Holstein. Baillie-Grohman's main task was eliminating remnants of the Kriegsmarine. Flag Officer, Wilhelmshaven became Flag Officer, Western Germany.
In May 1951 the admiral's title was changed again to Flag Officer, Germany. In 1955 the Secretary of State for Defence described the admiral's duties as "The Flag Officer, Germany, in his North Atlantic Treaty Organisation capacity as the Commander, Allied Naval Forces, Northern Area, Central Europe, is responsible to the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, for naval planning matters in the British Zone and for the operational control of the Royal Naval forces in Germany. He is the naval member of the Commanders-in-Chief Committee (Germany) which is responsible to the Chiefs of Staff Committee in this country. The entry into force of the Paris Treaties will not affect the foregoing duties of the post until at least the future German navy is capable of performing the tasks required of naval forces in Germany."
In 1961 the post was disestablished.
The command had its headquarters in four successive locations:
| Unit | Location | Dates |
| HMS Royal Henry | Hamburg State, Germany | 1944–1945 |
| HMS Royal Albert | Hamburg State, Germany/West Germany | 1946–1950 |
| HMS Royal Prince | Minden, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany | 1950–1956 |
| HMS Royal Charlotte | Minden, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany | 1957–1961 |

## Flag Officers
### British Naval Commander-in-Chief, Germany

Post holders included:
| | Rank | Name | Term |
| British Naval Commander-in-Chief, Germany ||||||
| 1 | Admiral | Sir Bertram Ramsay | 27 April 1944 – May 1945 |
| 2 | Admiral | Sir Harold M. Burrough | May 1945 – March 1946 |

#### Flag Officer, Holland

| | Rank | Flag | Name | Term | Notes/Ref |
| Flag Officer, Holland ||||||
| 1 | Rear-Admiral | | Gerald C. Dickens | 1944–1945 | ret. Adm recommissioned as Radm. |

#### Flag Officer-in-Charge, Kiel

| | Rank | Flag | Name | Term | Notes/Ref |
| Flag Officer-in-Charge, Kiel ||||||
| 1 | Rear-Admiral | | Harold Tom Baillie-Grohman | 1944–1945 | title changed to FOS-H |

#### Flag Officer, Norway

| | Rank | Flag | Name | Term | Notes/Ref |
| Flag Officer, Norway ||||||
| 1 | Rear-Admiral | | James Stewart McClaren Ritchie | 1944–1945 | |

#### Flag Officer, Schleswig-Holstein

| | Rank | Flag | Name | Term | Notes/Ref |
| Flag Officer, Schleswig-Holstein ||||||
| 1 | Rear-Admiral | | Harold Tom Baillie-Grohman | 1945–1946 | |

#### Flag Officer, Western Germany

| | Rank | Flag | Name | Term | Notes/Ref |
| Flag Officer, Western Germany ||||||
| 1 | Rear-Admiral | | G. C. Muirhead-Gould | 1945–1946 | |

#### Flag Officer, Wilhelmshaven

| | Rank | Flag | Name | Term | Notes/Ref |
| Flag Officer, Wilhelmshaven ||||||
| 1 | Rear-Admiral | | G. C. Muirhead-Gould | 1944–1945 | title changed to FOWG |

##### Commodore-in-Charge, Hamburg

| | Rank | Flag | Name | Term | Notes/Ref |
| Commodore-in-Charge, Hamburg ||||||
| 1 | Commodore | | Hugh England | 1944–1945 | |

### Vice-Admiral Commanding, British Naval Forces, Germany

| | Rank | Flag | Name | Term | Notes/Ref |
| Vice-Admiral Commanding, British Naval Forces, Germany ||||||
| 1 | Vice-Admiral | | Sir Harold T.C. Walker | March 1946-June 1947 | |

### Flag Officer Commanding, British Naval Forces, Germany

| | Rank | Name | Term |
| Flag Officer Commanding, British Naval Forces, Germany ||||||
| 1 | Rear-Admiral | Stephen H. T. Arliss | June 1947 – August 1949 |
| 2 | Rear-Admiral | Archibald Day | August 1949 – April 1950 |
| 3 | Rear-Admiral | Lachlan D. Mackintosh | April–November 1950 |
| 4 | Rear-Admiral | George W. G. Simpson | November 1950 – -May 1951 |

### Flag Officer, Germany

| | Rank | Name | Term |
| Flag Officer, Germany ||||||
| 1 | Rear-Admiral | George W. G. Simpson | May–November 1951 |
| 2 | Rear-Admiral | Robert St. V. Sherbrooke | November 1951 – November 1953 |
| 3 | Rear-Admiral | Robert S. Warne | November 1953 – March 1955 |
| 4 | Rear-Admiral | Keith McN. Campbell-Walter | March 1955 – May 1958 |
| 5 | Rear-Admiral | Michael S. Townsend | May 1958 – 1961 |

## Units and shore establishments

Shore establishments and units in Germany at various times from 1945 included:
| Location | Unit | In command | Dates | Notes/Ref |
| Berlin | HQ HMS Royal Prince | Flag Officer, Berlin | March–August 1945 | shore establishment |
| Hamburg | HQ HMS Royal Alfred | Flag Officer-in-Charge, Hamburg | 1944 | shore establishment |
| Kiel/Travemünde | HQ HMS Royal Alfred | Flag Officer-in-Charge, Kiel | 1945–1946 | shore establishment |
| Ploen | HQ HMS Royal Alfred | Flag Officer, Schleswig Holstein | 1945–1946 | shore establishment |
| Wilhelmshaven | HQ HMS Royal Katherine | Flag Officer, Wilhelmshaven | 1944–1945 | shore establishment |
| Wilhelmshaven | HQ HMS Royal Katherine | Flag Officer, Western Germany | 1945–1946 | shore establishment |
| Kiel/Travemünde | HQ HMS Royal Alfred | Senior Naval Officer Schleswig Holstein | 1945–1946 | shore establishment |
| Bad Oeynhausen | HQ British Army on the Rhine | Royal Navy Representative C-in-C Committee, Germany | 1958 | |
| Berlin | HQ HMS Princess Irene | Senior Naval Officer, Royal Navy Headquarters, Germany | | shore establishment |
| Brunsbüttel | HMS Princess Louise | | 1945–1946 | shore establishment |
| Cuxhaven | Minesweeping Unit | Control Commission Germany | 1948–1951 | |
| Cuxhaven | Elbe Squadron | Commanding Officer, Elbe Squadron | | |
| Cuxhaven | HMS Augusta | | 1945–1946 | administrative unit ms |
| Cuxhaven | HQ HMS Royal Albert | Naval Officer-in-Charge, Cuxhaven | 1945–1948 | accounting base |
| Eckernförde | HQ HMS Princess Caroline | | 1945–1946 | shore establishment |
| Flensburg | HQ HMS Royal Alexandra | Naval Officer-in-Charge, Flensburg | 1945–1946 | shore establishment |
| Flensburg | HQ HMS Royal Alexandra | Senior Naval Officer-in-Charge, Flensburg | 1946–1947 | shore establishment |
| Kiel | British Baltic Fishery Protection Service | | 1949–1955 | covert intelligence unit |
| Kiel | HQ Land Commissioner, Schleswig-Holstein | Naval Liaison Officer to LC, Schleswig-Holstein | | |
| Kiel | HMS Royal Charlotte | Senior Officer Intelligence Kiel | 1945 | intelligence unit |
| Kiel | HMS Royal Harold | Naval Officer-in-Charge, Kiel | 1945–1948 | shore establishment |
| Krefeld | Rhine Flotilla | Commanding Officer, Rhine Flotilla | 1950 | |
| Krefeld | Rhine Squadron | Commanding Officer, Rhine Squadron | 1954 | |
| Lübeck | HQ Royal Caroline | Naval Officer in Charge, Lubeck | 1945–1946 | shore establishment |
| Lübeck | 1 Commando Brigade | Commander 1st Commando Brigade | May–July 1945 | Royal Marines |
| Sylt | HMS Royal Adelaide | Naval Officer-in-Charge, Sylt | May–October 1945 | shore establishment |
| Tonning | HMS Royal Adelaide | | 1945–1946 | shore establishment |
| Travemünde | HMS Royal Caroline | | | shore establishment |
| Wilhelmshaven | HQ HMS Royal Rupert | Naval Officer in Charge, Wilhelmshaven | 1945–1950 | shore establishment |