Marineflieger

The Marinefliegerkommando is the naval air arm of the German Navy.
History.
During the First World War, naval aviators were part of the "Kaiserliche Marine". Between the wars, naval aviation, the "Seeflieger", was absorbed by Hermann Göring's "Luftwaffe" in 1935. It almost came into existence when the aircraft carrier "Graf Zeppelin" was laid down in 1936, but lack of suitable aircraft, coupled with the reluctance of the "Luftwaffe" to support the "Kriegsmarine" in the carrier's construction, culminated in its eventual cancellation in 1943, and all anti-ship operations were transferred to the "Luftwaffe" shortly afterwards. 
After the Second World War, it was not until West Germany's entry into NATO in the 1950s and the establishment of the "Bundesmarine", that a naval aviation force ("Marineflieger") was formed.
The British were largely instrumental in creation of the Marineflieger, supplying training and aircraft. A number of Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm (FAA) officers operated as part of the German Navy in the process. The first aircraft included Hawker Sea Hawks, which were used by "Marinefliegergeschwader" 1 and 2, and Fairey Gannets. Until the new bases were ready, pilots were trained with the FAA in the UK.
Aircraft.
The "Marinefliegerkommando" had 2,500 personnel on active duty in 2020. As of 2019, it operates 54 aircraft.
The "Marinefliegerkommando" previously operated the following aircraft:
See also.
"Luftschiffer"