Vorpostenboot, also referred to as VP-Boats, flakships or outpost boats, were German patrol boats which served during both World Wars. They were used around coastal areas and in coastal operations, and were tasked with – among other things – coastal patrol, ship escort, and naval combat.
Lookout in the crow's nest of a VP-boat
World War I Vorpostenboot Nürnberg in 1914
Wreck of the WWI Vorpostenboot Moltke [de] off Spiekeroog, pictured in 1925.
Several Vorpostenboote in formation in 1939
RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was founded in 1936, when the RAF was restructured into Fighter, Bomber and Coastal commands and played an important role during the Second World War. Maritime Aviation had been neglected in the inter-war period, due to disagreements between the Royal Navy (RN) and RAF over the ownership, roles and investment in maritime air power.
RAF Coastal Command badge
Philip Joubert de la Ferté, Coastal Command's second AOC-in-C. de la Ferté continually complained about the neglect of Coastal Command
RAF Coastal Command crew holding a final conference before taking off in their Boeing B-17, from Lajes Field on Terceira Island in the Azores, 1943
A De Havilland Mosquito of the RAF Banff Strike Wing attacking a convoy evacuating German troops from Kattegat on 5 April 1945. A flak ship and a trawler were sunk
![Wreck of the WWI Vorpostenboot Moltke [de] off Spiekeroog, pictured in 1925.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/12/Wrack_Moltke_1925_Spiekeroog.jpg/640px-Wrack_Moltke_1925_Spiekeroog.jpg)
