Kriegsmarine Admiral

Admiralstabsintendant Fritz Burmeister was awarded both versions of the EK2 and also the EK1. He can be seen wearing the ribbons of both EK2's in this photo.

Großadmiral Erich Raeder, Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine (01 June 1935-30 January 1943), inspecting the 8. Minensuchflottille in Saint-Nazaire, France, August 1942.

1 minute ago, JohanH said:

He got the 3rd class with swords

 

 

Thank you very much!

Well, since you don't have the access to the award dates, you can use the date from the document I posted (January 1919).

3 minutes ago, JohanH said:

Was he Oberleutnant zur See on S.M.S. "Rheinland"?

Yes, that's him.

3 minutes ago, JohanH said:

And I don't know if I should give away to much information that is in the upcoming book on finnish awards to germans...

Surely a few officers I need help with won't spoil the whole book?

Please tell me which class he was awarded. And if it was with Swords or not?

Hello Johan,

Can you find any information about the Finnish Order of the Cross of Liberty for Friedrich Wilhelm Kurze?

According to his Personalakte (see the photo below), he was awarded the Finnish Order of the Cross of Liberty and the Finnish Commemorative Medal of the „War of Liberation“ in January 1919.

I would be interested in the exact class of the Cross of Liberty and the exact award date, if you have it.

Thanks!

Studio portrait of Konteradmiral Heinrich Ancker, taken when he was the Arsenal-Commandant of the Kriegsmarine-Arsenal Kiel (26 September 1936-29 November 1937).
He was the only Kriegsmarine admiral to be awarded the American Silver Lifesaving Medal. The ribbon of this medal is visible in the last place on his ribbon bar. He was awarded the American Silver Lifesaving Medal on 14 April 1908, for a deed he performed while serving on board the Training-Ship „Stein“ (01 April 1906-31 March 1907). An article in the San Francisco Call (Volume 112, Number 114) from 22 September 1912 gives the interesting story of how Ancker came to be awarded this medal: „Five years ago [in 1907] Lieutenant [his actual rank at the time was Seekadett] Heinrich Ancker of the Imperial Germany Navy dived overboard, fully dressed, from a German Training Ship at anchor off New Orleans, Louisiana, and rescued a sailor who had missed his footing in climbing along the bowsprit. The struggle for life was a desperate one, for the water was cold and the current strong. But finally the Lieutenant [Seekadett] succeeded in towing the sailor back to the ship. He received the United States Life Saving Medal and also a German Medal of Honor [the medal in question was the Prussian Lifesaving Medal which Ancker received on 4 May 1907] for this brave deed“.

Gathering of German and Italian naval officers in Salamina on the island of Salamis in Greece on 7 December 1942. The occasion was the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross awarding ceremony of Kapitän zur See Rolf Johannesson, the Commandant of the Destroyer „ZG 3 Hermes“ (08 February 1942-02 April 1943).
1: Vizeadmiral Erich Förste, Admiral Aegean (27 September 1941-31 January 1943)
2: Vizeadmiral z.V. Siegfried Maßmann, Chief of the Senior-Shipyard-Staff Aegean (20 November 1941-15 February 1944)
3: Konteradmiral (Ing.) Ernst Halwe, Director of Naval Equipment and Repair Operations on Salamis (14 November 1942-16 May 1943)
4: Contrammiraglio Gaetano Catalano Gonzaga, Commander of the Northern Aegean High Naval Command, at the same time Chief Liaison between the Regia Marina and the Kriegsmarine in the Aegean Sea (2 December 1942-26 July 1943)

Is it him on the left in this photo?

Kriegsmarine officers in Saloniki, Greece, 25 April 1942. From left to right (in the front row):
- Vizeadmiral Erich Förste, Admiral Aegean (27 September 1941-31 January 1943)
- Fregattenkapitän z.V. Paul von Falkenried, Commander of the Naval Defences of Saloniki (29 April 1941-16 June 1943)
- Vizeadmiral z.V. Siegfried Maßmann, Chief of the Senior-Shipyard-Staff Aegean (20 November 1941-15 February 1944)

Vizeadmiral Erich Förste, Admiral Aegean (27 September 1941-31 January 1943), photographed in Greece (most likely in Athens), 1941/1942.

1 hour ago, Deutschritter said:

Good day, Kriegsmarine Admiral, do you happen to have a picture of Admiral Louis Karl Emil von Blanc (1832-1903)?

 

Thank you! 

Andreas

Yes, I have two.

Inauguration of the Naval Memorial in Laboe near Kiel, 30 May 1936.

1: Charakterisierter Konteradmiral a.D. Ernst-Oldwig von Natzmer (1868-1942)
2: Admiral a.D. Ehrhard Schmidt (1863-1946)
3: Admiral a.D. Paul Behncke (1866-1937)
4: Charakterisierter Konteradmiral a.D. Dr.phil.h.c. Fritz Spiess (1881-1959)
5: Vizeadmiral a.D. Adolf von Trotha (1868-1940)
6: Charakterisierter Konteradmiral a.D. Herbert Goehle (1878-1947)
7: Vizeadmiral a.D. Friedrich Boedicker (1866-1944)
8: Kapitän zur See Ernst Wolf (1886-1964) (future Vizeadmiral in the Kriegsmarine)
9: Vizeadmiral a.D. Walter Engelhardt (1867-1943)
10: Vizeadmiral a.D. Ludwig von Reuter (1869-1943)
11: Konteradmiral a.D. Magnus von Levetzow (1871-1939)
12: Charakterisierter Konteradmiral a.D. Heinrich Retzmann (1872-1959)
13: Konteradmiral Kurt Aßmann (1883-1962) (future Vizeadmiral in the Kriegsmarine)
14: Charakterisierter Vizeadmiral a.D. Hugo Meurer (1869-1960)
15: Korvettenkapitän a.D. Felix Graf von Luckner (1881-1966)

Notice the presence of admirals wearing the old Kaiserliche Marine uniforms and the newly introduced Kriegsmarine uniforms with the Reich eagle (number 3 Admiral a.D. Paul Behncke, number 4 Charakterisierter Konteradmiral a.D. Dr.phil.h.c. Fritz Spiess, number 13 Konteradmiral Kurt Aßmann and number 15 Korvettenkapitän a.D. Felix Graf von Luckner are wearing the new uniforms). All the admirals that were active in the Reichsmarine had the right to wear the new Kriegsmarine uniform even if they retired before 01 June 1935 (when the Reichsmarine was renamed into Kriegsmarine).

I concluded number 14 is Heinrich Retzmann.

Thank you guys!

I found two candidates for number 14:

Konteradmiral Heinrich Retzmann (1st and 2nd photos below) and

Konteradmiral Karl Sievers (3rd photo below).

Please share your opinions.

One more photo:

Portrait of Großadmiral Dr.phil.h.c. Erich Raeder, Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine (01 June 1935-30 January 1943). It was taken sometime in 1939 (between 1 April and before the outbreak of WW2).

17 minutes ago, bolewts58 said:

As he only served in the Freikorps actions against the Spartacists and the (red) People's Naval Division in Germany in 1919 as Battalion-Commander in the Volunteer Regiment Kiel, there is no Freikorps award that he would have been eligible for as Volunteer Regiment Kiel didn't have any sort of unit award and there was no general award created for Freikorps actions within Germany in 1919.

 

So, I agree it is likely the Prussian Verdienstkreuz für Kriegshilfe.

Thank you for the confirmation.

24 minutes ago, elbavaro said:

As he was Prussian I would say it means V(erdienst) Kreuz and it means "Verdienstkreuz Kriegshilfsdienst". It was awarded like the Iron Cross until the mid 1920ies. 

 

 

Thank you. That is a very good guess.

I hadn't thought of this award. I know only one other Kriegsmarine admiral that received it (Werner Steffan).

But, since there are no Freikorps awards that fit with the name written, I think what you suggest could very well be the award in question.

Hello,

Does anyone know the exact class of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta that Vizeadmiral Albrecht Freiherr von Freyberg-Eisenberg-Allmendingen is wearing around the neck?

I was told it could be the Knight of Honour and Devotion. Can the class be confirmed from the photos alone?

Thanks!

Among the awards of Vizeadmiral Walther Franz, there is an award that I can't decipher.

If I read it correctly, it says: "U. Kreuz (14. 09. 1920)" (or possibly "V. Kreuz"). Seeing the award date, I suspect it might be a Freikorps award.

Franz served as a Battalion-Commander in the Volunteer Regiment Kiel (06 March 1919-30 September 1919).

Does anyone have any idea what this migh be?

Thanks!

The Commander in Chief of the Kriegsmarine arrives in Brest, France for an inspection, 5 August 1942.
1: Admiral z.V. Eugen Lindau, Naval-Commander West France (20 February 1941-07 August 1942)
2: Großadmiral Erich Raeder, Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine (01 June 1935-30 January 1943)
3: Konteradmiral Ernst Schirlitz, Commandant of the Sea-Fortifications of Brittany (16 June 1942-28 February 1943)

Number 13 is confirmed as Konteradmiral Johannes Hartog.

Number 2 is Charakterisierter Konteradmiral a.D. Dr.phil.h.c. Fritz Spiess.

Hello, does anyone know which class of the Marineverwundetenabzeichen (Naval Wound Badge) did Looff receive: Black, Silver or Gold?

In the 1922 Reichsmarine Rangliste the Marineverwundetenabzeichen is not listed among his decorations.

It's very hard to determine the class from black and white photos.

I also have this photo (last one below) of supposedly his decorations, and on it you can see the Golden Marineverwundetenabzeichen. But I'm not sure if the decorations in this photo were really Looff's.

Thanks

On 25/08/2023 at 15:07, Kriegsmarine Admiral said:

Admiral Otto Schultze, Commanding Admiral of the Naval-Station of the North Sea (04 July 1935-03 October 1937), giving a speech at the Naval Station of the North Sea in Wilhelmshaven, 1937.
Visible on the left side of the photo are:
1: Generaladmiral Erich Raeder, Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine (01 June 1935-30 January 1943)
2: Konteradmiral Otto von Schrader, Fortress-Commandant of Wilhelmshaven (27 September 1934-30 September 1937)
The identification of the officers stading on the right is still a work in progress. Check below for a close-up of the 17 officers. If you can help with their identification please leave a comment below.

I forgot to add the names of the officers in the close-up:

1: Char. Admiral a.D. Werner Tillessen
2: impossible to ID, but his rank is Admiral
3: unknown Kaiserliche Marine Admiral
4: General der Kavallerie Wilhelm Knochenhauer
5: Generalleutnant Adolf Strauß
6: unknown Vizeadmiral
7: Konteradmiral Willy von Nordeck
8: Konteradmiral Hans-Herbert Stobwasser
9: Konteradmiral Hermann von Fischel
10: Konteradmiral Ernst Wolf
11: Konteradmiral (Ing.) Hans Fechter
12: unknown Konteradmiral
13: unknown Konteradmiral
14: unknown Konteradmiral
15: Werftdirektor für Maschinenbau in Range eines Konteradmirals Otto Klette
16: unknown Marinebeamte im Konteradmiralsrang with a moustache
17: Char. Konteradmiral Georg Reimer