page_title: Organization of the Kriegsmarine
section_title: Navy Regional Commands
hierarchical_section_title: Organization of the Kriegsmarine / Navy Regional Commands
caption_attribution_description: Shore organization of the German Navy during the Second World War
context_page_description: The organization of the Kriegsmarine refers to the operational and administrative structure of the German Navy from 1935 to 1945. Many of the organizational tenets of the Kriegsmarine were inherited from its predecessor the Reichsmarine. As World War II unfolded, the Kriegsmarine expanded to cover additional regions and responsibilities, most significant of which was the occupation of France and the Battle of the Atlantic.
context_section_description: Naval regional commands were the senior most shore authority for the Kriegsmarine during the Second World War.  There were four naval regions established from 1938 to 1942 (North Sea, Baltic Sea, South, and Norway).  Regional commanders oversaw a large staff consisting of naval inspectors, administrative offices, permanently assigned naval shore units, and also served as the senior commander for any naval prisoner-of-war camps as well as the reporting senior for the naval arsenals.  A deputy position, known as the "2.Admiral", served as head of regional administration and as the senior officer for all transient personnel.
caption: Kriegsmarine naval shore organization
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