Who would have commanded the German Naval Airforce if it had existed?

I know there have been a couple threads about Germany focusing more on Naval aircraft, and their need for an airforce, and after reading through them at length I decided this might be better as a whole new thread.

Assuming that Hitler steps in, and finally settles the question between Reader and Georing about the naval airforce in early 1938. Lets say he sides with Reader. . . Who then would have been chosen to command the new "Luftwaffe Marine?"

At first I thought of General der Flieger Hans Siburg. I read about him a little in the Luftwaffe War Diaries, and found this site on him.

General der Flieger Hans Siburg

Upon further reading of the same book it briefly mentioned a staff meeting with a General der Flieger Joachim Coeler. When I looked him up on the internet I found this site.

General der Flieger Joachim Coeler

This site listed Coeler as Leader of the Naval-Air-Force (FdLuft) (01 Apr 1939-29 Jun 1939).
I looked up FdLuft, thinking maybe I'd find some information about the organizational structure. I have yet to find much, but I did find one more name. A Generalleutnant Hermann Bruch, who was appearently Leader of the Naval Air Force East (30 Jun 1939-25 Apr 1940) and then Leader of the Sea Air Force (25 Apr 1940-20 Apr 1941).

Generalleutnant Hermann Bruch

So restating my Question, Assuming a independent Naval Air Arm is created, (possibly called the Luftwaffe Marine, or maybe Fliegermarine) Who would have been chosen to command it?

BTW any information anyone has on real-life kreigsmarine air-arm units would be cool!

 

Who do you think would have? Do you think that the best Naval Combat Commander in the world could have changed the outcome of the war?

 

More important that that, would this Oberbefehlshaber der Fliegermarine be KM or LW? What logistical ladder would he follow to maintain access to the aircraft and supplies suppliers (sorry!) ?

The maritime patrol (Fw200s etc) units were under firm LW control throughout and cooperation with KM wasn't stellar, so these being shipboard planes how would they fare?

Most likely at some time Goering would have comandeered them to go carrying supplies to Stalingrad as well

 

I asked the question assuming that the "Luftwaffe Marine" or whatever it would be called, would have been under control of the Kreigsmarine specifically. This assumes that aircraft production, and design would be done by the KM.
So You'd be looking for a navy man, or former navy man, who was also very knowledgeable in aircraft operations as well.
Im thinking I'd go with Joachim Coeler, as being most qualified, but thats based on information I found on only three people, there could be someone out there I don't know about who would be better.
Coeler had been a navy man, who transferred into Luftwaffe Service, just like the others, however he did it sooner, meaning he had more experience with air operations. In 1939 when war broke out, Coeler was in command of (what was left) of the Naval air arm in the west, and Hermann Bruch was in command of the East.

 

Again, Whats the point, where are you going with this?

 

Whats the point? i think is is a valid question to be asked.

chthatsme

If an independent branch of a Luftwaffe style Naval Air Arm just like the Kriegsmarine and Heer then i suspect would be called Oberkommando der Luftmarine and looking at the personel involved then i would pick General der Flieger Joachim Coeler, but he would have to be promoted to at the very least Generaloberst or Generalfeldmarchal and of course a new rank of General der Luftmarinetruppen would be created.

Also the benefit of it being created by 1938 means that by the outbreak of war the Germans would have practiced the art of attacking ships by air and that air deployed torpedoes would have had all their faults eliminated, this could have massive impacts on such outcomes of Operation Dynamo, imagine the outcome had the Luftmarine was very deadly at sinking ships , which would have impacted on the RN in it's attempt to rescue the BEF and 1st French Army, also the attempt of the RN to invade Norway may have resulted in a devestating loss of ships for the RN. These two events may have allowed a probable invasion of Britain.

Operation Seelowe may have actually worked out as the Luftmarine could have effectively intercept any interdicting ships and either render them incapable of reaching the invasion fleet or sink them outright, but as long as the RAF can be kept away, this would be vital, but if achieved then anything is possible.

v.R

An exceptional question, thanks