Kriegsmarine Is this Dönitz with his TWM in 1938?

[tan berk]

Hello Gents

Does anyone identify this KzS proudly wearing his Turkish War Medal? The series of this ceremony is found from different sources and on one of the photos back it says Grossadmiral Dönitz. And it is claimed to be taken on the day Prinz Eugen was launched in 22 Aug 1938.

Please do share your views.

Tan

[Robin Lumsden]

Don't know who it is.

But it isn't Doenitz.

[tan berk]

Don't know who it is.

But it isn't Doenitz.

Thank you so much for your opinion Robin. I wonder if I will ever find out!

[hucks216]

No idea who it is I'm afraid but it isn't the first Captain of Prinz Eugen, Helmuth Brinkmann. If the officer was a KdS in 1938 then it is a good chance that he would of been promoted to Admiral at some point providing he survived to make it which might help to narrow it down.

[tan berk]

Hucks, you are rich, he is not Papa Brinkmann, but this photo was taken on the launch day, almost two years before the the commission date in 1940 so Brinkmann would not be around anyways.

This unknown KdS's two row of ribbons makes him a very noticeable officer but still I can not trace him back.

[Odulf]

Assuming that the information about the date is not correct, i.g. it is not the launching but the commissioning of Prinz Eugen (on 1-8-40), it could be KzS (Ing.) Hans Voss (1894-1973).

Voss served o/b SMS Breslau (1917/18). He was promoted KzS (Ing.) on 01-01-40 and K.Adm.(Ing.) on 01-01-44 and as a high ranking engineer he was also involved in the ship building programme (OKM, Seekriegsleitung), his c/o was Vice-Admiral Otto Schniewind [a likely candidate for the first picture].

Also, I think that it is likely that the 3 photos were not taken at the same occation, because the KzS wears a clearly visible EK ribbon in his button hole, which is not visible on the other photos.

Edited July 26, 2014 by Odulf

[tan berk]

Odulf you are right about the name and the EK ribbon, that never captured my attention. Thank you for your precious input now I have a name behind the face and since Hans Voss was on Midilli (Breaslau) it makes great sense to identify him as a recipient of a TWM.

[Kriegsmarine Admiral]

The Vizeadmiral on the right on the 1st photo is August Thiele.

The unknown KzS is NOT Hans Voss, because he didn't receive the Turkish War Medal.

Edited March 30, 2019 by Kriegsmarine Admiral

[Kriegsmarine Admiral]

The unknown KzS is Friedrich Traugott Schmidt, posthumously promoted to Konteradmiral on 01 March 1944.

He was also a recipient of the Türkischer Eiserner Halbmond.

More about him here: http://www.oocities.org/~orion47/WEHRMACHT/KRIEGSMARINE/Konteradmirals/SCHMIDT_FRIEDRICH.html

[Bayern]

Hello, The KzS portrayed is not an Engineer officer, in the first pic is clearly visible the five pointed star over the lace. Engineers wore a cogwheel.