Hypothetical Question about German Naval Raids in early WW2

[Rob_bresnen]

If I was to devise 'What If?' a scenario based around a coast raid by the Germans onto a naval base or harbour in Britain around 1941, what would the German force look like? Would it be Heer or SS or Navy? did the navy have any form of 'Commandos' used for raiding? or would it fall to Storm Troopers etc? Was their any historical raids elsewhere in Europe that I could study to get ideas?

[Poiter50]

Submarine or E-boat crews? One of the TFL Specials has a Home Guard vs U-boat landing party scenario that gives th ambience needed. Foundry and Brigade do suitable crews.

[Arlequín]

If you Google 'Shingle Street' you will find various bits on a supposed German commando raid on the Isle of Wight... peoples' mileages vary on whether or not it was.

I know little about the Germans but I gather the 'Brandenburgers' were their special forces: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandenburgers

That being said there is no reason why the Navy couldn't land sailors, or the Army provide men for such an operation. Later in the War the Waffen SS maybe, but earlier not so much. Obviously the Luftwaffe's paratroops are the obvious choice a la 'The Eagle Has Landed'.  

[von der Tann]

Well ... during the invasion of Norway Wehrmacht units (Gebirgsjäger) were being transported by cruisers and destroyers and disembarked at Narvik and such places.
The aforementioned "Sonderverband Brandenburg" (initially belonging to the Abwehr and doing quite a lot of commando raids) had a subsection called "Küstenjäger" who were equipped with "Sturmbooten" (assault boats ... glorified dingies). I think the Küstenjäger saw extensive action in the Aegean.

As for the SS ... I haven't heard of them doing commando style raids. They were more of a sledgehammer (with the Panzer- and Panzergrenadierdivisionen) than a scalpel. But I may be wrong there.

So all in all I think you can't go wrong with the "Sonderverband Brandenburg" for small raids or "normal" Wehrmacht for something like a Dieppe Raid sized ... err .. well raid. And since it is a "what if" scenario ... throw in some SS paratroopers ... just for the fun of it.

[Huascar]

The Kriegsmarine did possess a small 'marine' force. From axis history forum:

The Marine-Stoßtrupp-Kompanie was formed in March 1938. It initially consisted of two infantry platoons, one engineer platoon and one weapons platoon with a total strength about 250 men. It was regarded as an elite formation.  On 23 March 1939 Marineartillerieabteilung III from Swinemunde provided a landing force to occupy the port area of Memel when it was taken from Lithuania. The 1st Minesweeper Flotilla transported the unit (consisting of 225 men) from Memel to Danzig on about 25 August 1939.  They were transferred secretly to the waiting German WWI era Battleship Schleswig-Holstein and attacked the Westerplatte on 1 September 1939. This was the first battle in the invasion of Poland. It involved an attack on the port and a surprise attack on a defended and partly fortified army depot.  In 1940 the unit was expanded to six companies as Marine-Stoßtrupp-Abteilung. The formation participated in the attack on Norway, and the occupation of Normandy.  It was readied for the assault on the Channel Islands 30 June 1940 but since they were taken without fighting it was stood down. A section was airlanded on one of the islands though. It was later renamed Marine-Artillerie-Abteilung 531.  The unit later fought near St. Petersburg at the Oranienbaum pocket 1941-1944, at NARVA in 1944, in Operation "Tanne Ost" in 1944, the defence of the Island of Oesel 1944, and finally in 1945 in Gotenhafen and the peninsula of Hela
 
You can find a good discussion, with several pics, on German naval infantry at http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=290951

[dice shaker]

Hello,

 the german term for this troopers is "Landungspionier" (single) / "Landungspioniere" (group). Strengh about 15000 soldiers, part of the army (Heer).
They do a raid against Leros, 1943, set 1200 soldiers & equipment at the beach, the island fall after 5 days fighting. The german navy try 3 times a landing, get some fire too, then quit their landing. Only the pionier boats run through the fire.

Yours, Sebastian

 

[carlos marighela]

Brandenbugers. After about 1942(?) the Küstenjäger battalion of the Brandenburg division.

Otto Skorezny's band of misfits?

[carlos marighela]

Oops didn't read the 'early' bit. Brandenburgers or just regular Heer.

[rumacara]

Like Leros island (against LRDG units) there where other small scale actions on the mediterranean.
I´m doing the oposite. LRDG/SAS/SBS raiding along the mediterranean.

[Captain Darling]

I'd go with Kriegsmarine marines (as above) but also throw in some "Brandeburgers" using armed civilians (or armed nuns) to represent them, they'd be airdropped in prior to the raid to act as 'pathfinders' for the naval raiders identifying their targets for them while carrying out acts of sabotage  ....