Kriegsmarine Admiral

Konteradmiral (Ing.) Karl Kaufmann, the Commander of the Naval-School Wesermünde (24 November 1939-26 August 1942), during an inspection.

Commander of Battleships (16 June 1941-02 June 1942), Vizeadmiral Otto Ciliax addresses the crew of the "Scharnhorst" after Operation Cerberus, 12 February 1942. Visible second from the right is Kapitän zur See Kurt-Caesar Hoffmann, Commandant of the "Scharnhorst".

First photo: Admiral Rolf Carls and Char. Konteradmiral Hasso von Bredow boarding the transport ship "Der Deutsche", possibly July 1940. Second photo: Commanding Admiral of the Naval-Station of the Baltic Sea (01 November 1938-20 September 1940), Admiral Rolf Carls (in the middle) welcomes the returning Narvik fighters on board the transport ship "Der Deutsche", possibly July 1940. On the right is Char. Konteradmiral Hasso von Bredow, Coastal-Commander of the Pomeranian Coast (26 June 1940-02 March 1943). Next to him (far right) is Fregattenkapitän Fritz Berger. For his service in the Battle of Narvik, Berger was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 4 August 1940.

Vizeadmiral Johannes Bachmann (left) during an inspection on the island of Helgoland, 1942. Between 14 February 1941 and 22 June 1942 he served as the Coastal-Commander of the Deutsche Bucht (German Bay).

The Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine Großadmiral Erich Raeder (in the middle) arrives in Greece, date unknown. Visible on the right is Admiral Karlgeorg Schuster, Commander-in-Chief of Naval-Group-Command South (30 June 1941-20 March 1943). Wearing the full white uniform on the left (facing the camera) is Vizeadmiral z.V. Siegfried Maßmann, Chief of the Senior-Shipyard-Staff Aegean (20 November 1941-15 February 1944).

Thank you Dave. I see how you might think there are three overlapping medals at the end. But I actually think the second to last medal could be the Ungarische Weltkriegs-Erinnerungsmedaille and barely visible is the coat of arms of Hungary that appears in the middle of the obverse. It appears the middle of the medal is thicker than the outer part. Just my observation.

I actually managed to buy this photo of Hintzmann with the medal bar. It was taken on 13 August 1939 in Dresden. Does this close-up perhaps help you confirm the guesses you made earlier? I don't have the best scanner, and this is the best resolution I can get for now. #1: Eisernes Kreuz (1914) 2. Klasse #2: Ritterkreuz des Königlich Preußischen Hausordens von Hohenzollern mit Schwertern #3: Großherzoglich Mecklenburg-Schwerinsches Militärverdienstkreuz 2. Klasse #4: ??? (your guess was Herzoglich Braunschweigisches Kriegsverdienstkreuz 2. Klasse; another option could be the Großherzoglich Oldenburgisches Friedrich August-Kreuz 2. Klasse) #5: ??? (your guess was Hamburgisches Hanseatenkreuz, can you perhaps confirm it?) #6: Ehrenkreuz des Weltkrieges 1914/1918 mit Schwertern für Frontkämpfer #7: Königlich Preußischer Roter Adler-Orden 4. Klasse mit der Krone #8: Wehrmacht Dienstauszeichnung 1. Klasse #9: Wehrmacht Dienstauszeichnung 3. Klasse #10: ??? (perhaps Königlich Ungarische Weltkriegs-Erinnerungsmedaille mit Schwertern?) #11: ??? (perhaps Königlich Bulgarische Kriegserinnerungsmedaille 1915/1918 mit Schwertern?) Since you said the Österreichische Kriegs-Erinnerungs-Medaille would have been mounted before the WHDA, it's not an option for the last two medals. And I think, when looking at the ribbons of the last two medals, it can't be the Sudetenland or Anschluss Medals either?

Konteradmiral z.V. Herbert Goehle (in the middle, wearing glasses) in Lorient, France. He was the Senior-Shipyard-Director of the Kriegsmarine-Shipyard La Pallice (01 December 1941-22 November 1943).

The Commander of Military-District-Command Vienna (10 January 1940-31 May 1944), Konteradmiral Oswald Paul (left) during a visit of a Minesweeper crew (seen in the background of the photo) to Vienna, year unknown.

The Naval-Commander in the Netherlands (19 June 1940-30 June 1942), Konteradmiral Helmuth Kienast, decorates the Korvettenkapitän on the left with the War Merit Cross 1st Class with Swords. Helmuth Kienast had a brother, Harald, who was also a Konteradmiral in the Kriegsmarine.

Generaladmiral Alfred Saalwächter, Commander-in-Chief of the Naval-Group-Command West (23 August 1939-20 September 1942), in Le Havre, France.

Generaladmiral Wilhelm Marschall on board the Auxiliary Cruiser "Stier".

Konteradmiral (Ing.) Alfred Schirmer left (saluting) and Kapitän zur See (Ing.) Max Peters next to him during an inspection at the Marinekaserne in Glückstadt. Peters would later be promoted to the rank of Konteradmiral (Ing.) and Schirmer to Vizeadmiral (Ing.).

Commanding Admiral of the Atlantic-Coast (01 March 1943-09 May 1945), Vizeadmiral Ernst Schirlitz (left), on board a Harbor protection boat (Hafenschutzboot) somewhere on the Atlantic coast, 6 July 1944.

Konteradmiral Eberhard Wolfram in the middle. He was the Commander of Security of the North Sea (06 April 1940-03 April 1943). On 25 May 1941 he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and on 01 April 1942 he was promoted to Vizeadmiral. On the right is his son Kapitänleutnant Ralf-Reimar Wolfram.

Admiralarzt Dr. med. Eberhard Ahrens with his wife Klara in Malente "Bergenhöh", December 1944. Ahrens served as the Chief-Medic of the Naval-Hospital in Malente (01 November 1943-02 November 1944). He retired on 31 December 1944. The rank of Admiralarzt was equivalent to the rank of Konteradmiral. He committed suicide on 29 June 1945.

AG Weser shipyard in Bremen, 7 March 1942. Visible on the far left in the background is Kapitän zur See (Ing.) Ernst Dorn, Kommandeur der Kriegsschiffbaulehrabteilung für Unterseeboote Nord (6. Kriegsschiffbaulehrabteilung). On the left, shaking hands with an officer is Konteradmiral z.V. Heinrich Kehrhahn, Chief of the Kriegsmarine-Service-Office Bremen (24 May 1940-31 January 1944).

Kriegsmarine officers on deck of the "Scharnhorst", 1942. In the middle with the brown leather coat is Konteradmiral Bruno Machens, Standing Representative of the Admiral-Quartermaster, Naval Warfare Command, OKM (08 June 1942-19 April 1943).

Konteradmiral Erich Alfred Breuning (in the middle), Commander of Security West (01 June 1943-25 September 1944) inspects the sailors of the Kriegsmarine, 1943/44. Headquartered in Paris from February 1941, Commander of Security West (Befehlshaber der Sicherung West (B.S.W.) commanded all off shore areas of Holland, Belgium and France. However in October 1941 the area was extended north of the Schelde Estuary to the area under the command of the Commander of Security North (B.S.N.). The Office of the Befehlshaber der Sicherung West was dissolved on 30 September 1944.

This is a very interesting press photo that came with a detailed description: "The German Prize Court (Prisenhof) in Hamburg meets. With the greatest sympathy from Germany and abroad, on 14 December 1939 the first public session of the Prize Court opened in the large jury court room of the Hamburg criminal justice building. The negotiation deals with the boarding of several foreign ships. In the middle on the presidential chair: The President of the Prisenhof Hamburg, Higher Regional Court President (Oberlandesgerichtspräsident) Senator Dr. [Curt] Rothenberger, who is also a German member of the Permanent International Court of Arbitration in Haag. To the left of him as assessor (the assistant to a judge or magistrate), Prize Judge (Prisenrichter) Konteradmiral [Siegfried] Claassen. To the right of the President as an assessor, the District Judge (Oberlandesgerichtsrat) Dr. Segelken and also as an assessor, the Prize Judge Legationsrat Dr. Lohmann." Konteradmiral Siegfried Claassen was a Judge at the Prize Court in Hamburg from 03 September 1939 until 15 December 1942. He retired on 31 January 1943.

Kriegsmarine, SA and NSDAP officials observe a sporting event of the Reichsbund for physical exercises in Lübeck, year unknown. In the middle is Emil Bannemann, NSDAP politician and senator in Lübeck. On the right is Admiral Otto Hormel, from 30 November 1937 until 05 May 1943 the Senior Shipyard Director of the Kriegsmarine Shipyard in Kiel.

Kriegsmarine parade in Danzig, 10 October 1939. Standing on the podium saluting is Konteradmiral (later Admiral) Hubert Schmundt, at the time Commander of Naval Forces in the Danziger Bucht (19 September 1939-12 October 1939). Seen in the bottom right corner are, from left to right: - Char. Vizeadmiral Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière, Plenipotentiary of the Navy for Danzig and the Coastal-Region of the former Polish Corridor (10 September 1939-14 March 1940). - Char. Generalleutnant Heinrich Strack, Commander of Danzig (01 September 1939-12 October 1943). - SS-Brigadeführer Wilhelm Huth, President of the Government of the administrative district of Danzig and Deputy Reich Governor in Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia (1939-1945). Both Arnauld de la Perière and Strack were recipients of the Pour le Mérite, one of the highest orders of merit in the Kingdom of Prussia. Arnauld de la Perière was a famous U-boat commander during WW1 and with 195 ships and 455,869 gross register tons (GRT) sunk, he is the most successful submarine ace ever.

Thank you. Plenty more to come. Gathering of Kriegsmarine officers in Tilzow on the island of Rügen, 1944. Officer pointed by the red arrow is Konteradmiral (W) Richard Jewinski. The "(W)" stands for "Waffenoffizier" (Weapons officer). Only 3 officers held that rank in the Kriegsmarine, the other two being Hans Hamelau and Friedrich Matthes. When these photos were taken, Jewinski was Arsenal-Commandant of the Barrier-Weapons-Arsenal Swinemünde (01 October 1943-05 May 1945).

Großadmiral Erich Raeder (left) visiting the Naval School in Mürwik, 1942. In the middle is Vizeadmiral Walter Georg Lohmann, Commander of the Naval-School Mürwik (13 October 1939-30 September 1942).

Generaladmiral Oskar Kummetz during an inspection of the "Prinz Eugen". Also visible with the same leather coat is Vizeadmiral August Thiele.