Kriegsmarine Naval Aviation
Until 1939, all airborne maritime units came under the control of the OKL-Führer der SeeLuftstreitekrafte, which worked in close co-operation with the Kriegsmarine but was controlled directly by the Luftwaffe High Command. In 1939, the OKL-Führer der SeeLuftstreitekrafte was disbanded and replaced by the General der Luftwaffe beim Oberkommando der Kriegsmarine (Ob.d.M). This office was abolished in 1944 and responsibility for the remaining coastal and maritime units were placed under the control of General der Aufklärungsflieger. Earlier in the war with the expansion of German-occupied territory, coastal and maritime units were subordinated to the respective Fliegerkorps or Fliegerführer for operational purposes. Of all the Luftwaffe controlled coastal and maritime units, the unit most closely integrated with the Kriegsmarine was Bordfliegergruppe 196 (BFGr 196). Bordfliegergruppe 196 was formed in 1937 and went on to control a total of 6 staffeln. These 6 staffeln provided the aircraft used on various Kriegsmarine naval ships, such as the Bismarck and Tirpitz, and on the various German Cruisers, as well as many others. These aircraft took part in various reconnaissance, courier, patrol, and air support missions, although their task was mainly to serve in the recon role for the ship they served on. There are many documented cases of these reconnaissance oriented aircraft actually engaging in air-to-air combat and combat air sweeps, so they did indeed see action in many different roles. The pilots of this on-board aircraft were controlled, trained, and provided by the Luftwaffe, while the Kriegsmarine provided liaison support for the pilots, their training, and the ships they were stationed on. Onboard aircraft were mainly the floatplane type. They were stored above deck, usually within the center region of the ship on a small catapult used to launch the aircraft into the air. Upon completion of an onboard plane mission, it would land in the water near the side of the ship, after which an onboard crane would lift the aircraft out of the water and store it back in its launching place above deck. The Luftwaffe also controlled the aircraft planned for use on the German Kriegsmarine aircraft carriers under construction during WWII, all of which never reached completion and never saw active service. Further outside the realm of the Kriegsmarine, but close enough to maritime operations to warrant discussion here were the various Luftwaffe controlled units that took part in anti-shipping attacks, coastal and sea reconnaissance, air-sea rescue, coastal patrol, and sea-minesweeping operations. The following is a listing of many of the Luftwaffe units that took part in all types of Sea related operations.
The Luftwaffe had many types of maritime aircraft within its arsenal. The following aircraft could be found operating from Kriegsmarine ships or in coastal and maritime-related operations. Ship-based aircraft: Heinkel He60C Other maritime aircraft: Heinkel He115
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