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''Fliegerführer Atlantik'' (German: "Flyer Command Atlantic") was a World War II ''Luftwaffe'' naval command dedicated to maritime patrol. At the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, the ''Luftwaffe'' was an effective air force and contributed substantially to the success of the German army. Between the wars the German military had not developed naval aviation. There existed a shortage of naval aircraft with the necessary capabilities required to reconnoiter the seas in cooperation with Nazi Germany's ''Kriegsmarine'' or engage merchant vessels belonging to the Western Allies. By 1940, the ''Wehrmacht'' occupied much of Western Europe and Scandinavia. The ''Kriegsmarine'' and its commander-in-chief Erich Raeder saw this as an opportunity to destroy the sea communications of the United Kingdom, Germany's last significant opponent in Europe. Eventually, after much dispute, the German naval staff received an air support command named ''Fliegerführer Atlantik'' for the task of interdiction and reconnaissance. In February 1941, the ''Oberkommando der Luftwaffe'' (OKL) was ordered by Adolf Hitler to form a naval air command to support the ''Kriegsmarine's'' U-boat operations in the Battle of the Atlantic.〔National Archives 2000, p. 105.〕 Though reluctant, the commander-in-chief of the ''Luftwaffe'', Hermann Göring, agreed to the formation of the specialised naval command which would remain under the operational control of the ''Luftwaffe''. It was subordinated to ''Luftflotte'' 3, commanded by Hugo Sperrle.〔 The command had jurisdiction over all ''Luftwaffe'' operations in the Atlantic and supported German surface raiders and submarines attacking Western Allied shipping in the Atlantic Ocean, English Channel and Irish Sea. The organisation's first commanding officer was Martin Harlinghausen. The command flew in action and achieved considerable success in 1941. British shipping losses rose. Prime Minister Winston Churchill referred to ''Fliegerführer Atlantik'' and its main weapon of war, the Focke-Wulf Fw 200 ''Condor'', as the "scourge of the Atlantic". Nevertheless, at the close of that year British and Allied countermeasures tamed the threat from long-range German aircraft. As the battles in the Atlantic intensified in 1942 and 1943 the command made continuous demands for aircraft and crews. Now engaged heavily in other theatres, the ''Luftwaffe'' could not afford the resources for Atlantic operations. By 1944 ''Fliegerführer Atlantik'' acted as a protective shield providing air superiority support to the U-boats in the Bay of Biscay against its contemporary, RAF Coastal Command. By August 1944 ''Fliegerführer Atlantik'' and the U-boats had ceased to be effective. German naval aircraft engaged the D-Day landings which opened up the Western Front in Normandy once more. The command was disbanded in September 1944 when the German front in France collapsed. ==Naval air doctrine== The Imperial German Navy () had conducted successful aerial operations in the North Sea in World War I. The German Naval Air Corps () was successful in gaining air superiority and effective in anti-shipping operations. Despite battling bravely in the war the service, unlike the German Army, lacked a major victory. The Army's success in contrast could be traced back to the Napoleonic Wars and there was a tradition in learning from past experiences. When the ''Reichsmarine'' was instituted by the Weimar Government (1919–1933), German naval officers were conscious of their wartime record and their status as the junior service. All of this contributed to the reluctance to undertake an examination of naval air operations. By 1921 the ''Reichsmarine'' possessed only 15 pilots.〔Corum 1997, pp. 78–80.〕 Inter-service rivalry also hampered the development of German naval air doctrine. The Navy was unwilling to cooperate too closely with the army in aerial manouveres. The former ''Luftstreitkräfte'' (Air Service) officers, now employed in the army, knew that the naval staff had been the main opponents of the creation of an independent air arm. The navy resented the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' in turn for its control of production and development of aircraft during the war. The German naval staff also resented the army's unwillingness to support naval logistics and the development of naval aviation requirements. Commander-in-chief of the ''Reichsmarine'' Admiral Hans Zenker was also wary of the Reichstag's attitude toward the navy and the very need for a fleet of any kind was in question. Zenker was certain that if cooperation with the army was too close, the navy maybe placed under army command.〔 The ''Reichsmarine'' supported a small naval air program. Designing firms Heinkel and Dornier Flugzeugwerke were contracted to produce seaplanes and naval aircraft. Ernst Heinkel's Heinkel He 1 and Claude Dornier's Dornier Wal were among the most effective seaplanes of the 1920s. One advantage for the navy was the allowance of a large anti-aircraft force. The navy could use aircraft for towing and exercises which enabled it to conduct a more open program of aircraft development in contrast to the army. Zenker felt it unnecessary to join the army in clandestine development programs in Russia. In the early 1920s the navy spent one-sixth of what the army spent on aviation.〔 The Treaty of Versailles banned most aspects of aerial development in Germany. For all of its diligence the treaty did not prohibit naval exercises with aircraft. The loophole allowed for the development of aircraft in the naval sphere of influence. The Paris Treaty of 1926 restated the terms of the treaty in Versailles but relented over the issue of air defence. Germany would be permitted to develop air defence systems to guard against aerial aggression. Although this did not translate into a green light to develop naval aircraft by 1927 the Germans were initiating secret training and design programs at Warnemuende under the guise of ''Radio Experimental Command''. An Coastal Air Section was created but masqueraded as a private enterprise. It was dissolved on 1 September 1929 in favour of using private firms. The ''Reichsmarine'' hired aircraft for fleet exercises from ''Luftdienst G.m.b.H'' which charged the navy 453 RM per hour for a contracted allowance of 3,000 flying hours per year. By 31 January 1931 naval cadets were joining the navy and the first regulations on cooperation between naval and air units had been published. The beginnings of a naval air arm had been created.〔Ashby 2005, pp. 24–25.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Fliegerführer Atlantik」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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