German Minesweeping Administration GM/SA
German Minesweeping Administration GM/SA
During the 2nd World War about 600 000 sea mines had been laid by the belligerents parties in the waterways of Western, Northern and Eastern Europe. Merchant shipping and fishery were consequently almost brought to a standstill.
As it was obviously necessary to take here remedial action, the Mine Clearance Board had been set up in May 1945, an international organisation to coordinate minesweeping, with its headquarters in London.
The command of which consisted of specialists from France, Great Britain, Russia and the United States. All coastal states of Europe affected were member of the organisation.
The European waterways had been divided in four areas and these again in sub areas. Germany had been allocated two extensive parts in the North Sea and in the Western Baltic Sea.
Another authority had been founded - The international Routing and Reporting Authority - for publication of the sweeped water areas and the obligatory ways.
Germany had already been obliged to minesweeping during the armistice negotiations. The allied military commanders had given order to not dismiss the minesweeping personnel from the Kriegsmarine.
Immediately after the end of war German Minesweeping Units had been brought into action at the instignation of local British and US navy commanders.
On 21st July 1945 the British naval commander in chief of Germany, Vice Admiral Sir Harold Martin Burrough, undersigned the Instruction to German Minesweeping Administration.
The British Commodore H.T.England, Commodore German Minesweeping Administration, (Commodore GM/SA) was in charge of the German Minesweeping Administration. A staff of British naval officers of all subject areas was at his disposal.
Rear-admiral Fritz Kraus was delegated chief (administrator) of the German Mine Sweeping Administration Management (DMRL).
The German Minesweeping Administration Management started work in Glückstadt but moved to Hamburg in autumn 1945 already.
The Minesweeping groups, set up by local British and American (enclave Bremen) naval commanders, had been combined to minesweeping divisions and were managed centrally from Hamburg.
On May 15th 1946, 6 German minesweeping divisions were put under the control of Commodore GM/SA
- 1st Division Schleswig Holstein
- 2nd Division Western Germany Cuxhaven
- 3rd Division Denmark
- 4th Division Norway
- 5th Division the Netherlands
- 6th Division American enclave Bremen
| Officers and civil servants | petty officers and ratings | |
| 1st Division | 300 | 4000 |
| 2nd Division | 360 | 4600 |
| 3rd Division | 120 | 1900 |
| 4th Division | 210 | 2800 |
| 5th Division | 50 | 600 |
| 6th Division | 60 | 1000 |
| Total | 1100 | 14900 |
The service in the GM/SA was not voluntary, the crews were disarmed German military personnel. The discipliniary code of punishment of the Kriegsmarine remained in force. Officers of the German mine sweeping administration could impose disciplinary punishments, according to their rank. All punishments, however, were subject to a verification by the British or allied commander in charge of the section.
First they continued to wear the old Kriegsmarine unifoms without national socialist emblem.
From May 25th 1946 on they got a new dark blue uniform like the British "Battle Dress" for all ranks. They had to wear on both upper arms and on peaked and ship caps the embroidered GM/SA insignia. New ranks with new insignias for rank and branch had been introduced for officers, petty officers and ratings.
During the first post war months the German minesweeping vessels were marked by the flag "Nanni" and the international number pennant Eight. The military government instructed that all German ships had to carry the flag "International Caesar" as double pennant from 1st July 1945 on.
When minesweeping started first a fleet of 840 ships and boats was available. However, it decreased constantly. Water crafts which could not be repaired anymore were taken out of service. Former fishing boats and cutters were returned to their owners. About 100 minesweepers which had been allocated to the Sovjet Union on the Potsdam Conference, had been given away. In the beginning of the year 1947 about 294 vessels were still fit for action, 184 of them in the minesweeping service.
84 Minesearching boats (M-Boote) typ 35, typ 40, typ 43
63 Minesweeper boats (R-Boote) partial with Voith-Schneider propulsion systems
62 War fishing cutters (KFK) 6 Mine barrage breaker (Sperrbrecher)
5 Auxiliary Minesweeper (former fishery trawlers)
110 Auxiliary ships
Which vessels and minesweepers were employed, depended on the kind of mines to be sweeped, anchor rope and ground mines with different detonator devices. From the Kriegsmarine stock there was available:
Scherdrachengerät (SDG)
Kabelfernräumgerät (KFRG)
Hohlstabfernräumgerät (HFG)
Schleppspulgerät (SSG)
Akustische Fernräumgeräte Sperrbrecher
Until the end of the year 1947 5628 square sea miles had been sweeped in the North Sea and 450 square sea miles in the Western Baltic Sea. 2721 mines and 693 mine barrage installations (Sperrschutzmittel) had been made safe by the German minesweepers.
Five minesweepers and five auxiliary ships sank in action.
53 crew members died in minesweeping accidents. 31 men lost their lifes because of a detonation on the amunition sinking ship Bernleff. 97 men died when the steamer Lichtmark had sunk on the lower Elbe River, which should transport a working team from Hamburg to Cuxhaven
63 men lost theirs lifes because of different kinds of accidents, 64 by illness, 11 by suicid.
28 civilians, crew members of chartered ships and employees of shipyards and arsenals lost their lifes by accidents and illness.
After the war 348 men of the German Minesweeping Administration lost their lifes in the service of everybody.
minesweeper memorial
Cuxhaven |
The British first intended to continue minesweeping at least until 1950. In 1947, however, the Sovjets started to accuse the Western Allied of disguised rearmement by means of the GM/SA. Due of this, the British Government gave in and ordered to break up the German minesweeping services in spring 1948 - against American objections.
Although the anchor-rope mines had completely been sweeped, the ships were obliged to take obliagtory waterways, as the ground mines were not yet sweeped entirely.
At the end of the year 1947 they began to disband the units. The vessels were given to the Western Allied (GB and USA) as prize of war, which were partly given to the Norwegian, Danish and French Navy.
At the same time the personnel was dismissed and in January 1948 the GM/SA was officially disbanded in Cuxhaven.