Hans-Georg von Friedeburg: Difference between revisions
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{{short description|German navy officer, U- |
{{short description|German navy officer, U-boat commander, Admiral in the Kriegsmarine (1895–1945)}} |
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{{morefootnotes|date=April 2019}} |
{{morefootnotes|date=April 2019}} |
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{{Infobox |
{{Infobox officeholder |
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| honorific_prefix = |
| honorific_prefix = |
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| name = Hans-Georg von Friedeburg |
| name = Hans-Georg von Friedeburg |
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| honorific_suffix = ''[[General admiral|Generaladmiral]]'' |
| honorific_suffix = ''[[General admiral|Generaladmiral]]'' |
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| image |
| image = Kapitulation-reims.gif |
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| image_size = |
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| alt = |
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| caption = From left to right: Major Wilhelm Oxenius (Colonel General Jodl's Adjutant), Colonel General Alfred Jodl, Chief of OKW Operation Staff (who signed the Instrument of Surrender on behalf of the OKW), General admiral Hans-Georg von Friedeburg, Commander-in-Chief of the German navy (OKM), Major General Kenneth W. D. Strong (standing), G-2, SHAEF. Location: Reims, France, American Headquarters |
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| caption = Friedeburg as [[General admiral|Generaladmiral]] in 1945 |
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| native_name = |
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| native_name_lang = |
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| birth_name = |
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| nickname = |
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| birth_date = {{birth date|1895|07|15|df=y}} |
| birth_date = {{birth date|1895|07|15|df=y}} |
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| birth_place = [[Strasbourg|Straßburg]], [[Alsace-Lorraine]], [[German Empire]] |
| birth_place = [[Strasbourg|Straßburg]], [[Alsace-Lorraine]], [[German Empire]] |
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| death_date = {{Death date and age|1945|05|23|1895|07|15|df=y}} |
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1945|05|23|1895|07|15|df=y}} |
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| death_place = [[Flensburg]], [[Province of Schleswig-Holstein|Schleswig-Holstein]], [[Allied-occupied Germany]] |
| death_place = [[Flensburg]], [[Province of Schleswig-Holstein|Schleswig-Holstein]], [[Allied-occupied Germany]] |
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| placeofburial_coordinates = <!-- {{Coord|LAT|LONG|display=inline,title}} --> |
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| allegiance = {{flag|German Empire}}<br/>{{Flag|Weimar Republic}}<br/>{{flag|Nazi Germany}} |
| allegiance = {{flag|German Empire}}<br/>{{Flag|Weimar Republic}}<br/>{{flag|Nazi Germany}} |
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| branch = ''{{navy|German Empire}}''<br/>''{{navy|Weimar Republic}}''<br/>''{{navy|Nazi Germany}}'' |
| branch = ''{{navy|German Empire}}''<br/>''{{navy|Weimar Republic}}''<br/>''{{navy|Nazi Germany}}'' |
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| serviceyears = 1914–45 |
| serviceyears = 1914–45 |
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| rank = [[File:Kriegsmarine_epaulette_Generaladmiral.svg|40px]] ''[[General admiral|Generaladmiral]]'' |
| rank = [[File:Kriegsmarine_epaulette_Generaladmiral.svg|40px]] ''[[General admiral|Generaladmiral]]'' |
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| servicenumber = <!-- Do not use data from primary sources such as service records --> |
| servicenumber = <!-- Do not use data from primary sources such as service records --> |
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| unit = |
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| commands = {{plainlist| |
| commands = {{plainlist| |
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*[[Oberkommando der Marine|Commander-in-Chief of the ''Kriegsmarine'']] |
*[[Oberkommando der Marine|Commander-in-Chief of the ''Kriegsmarine'']] |
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*{{GS|U-27|1936|2}} |
*{{GS|U-27|1936|2}} |
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}} |
}} |
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| awards = Knight's Cross of the [[War Merit Cross]] |
| awards = Knight's Cross of the [[War Merit Cross]] |
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| spouse = <!-- Add spouse if reliably sourced --> |
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| website = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} --> |
| website = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} --> |
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| module = |
| module = |
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| office = Commander of the [[Oberkommando der Marine|Marine High Command]] |
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| predecessor = [[Karl Dönitz]] |
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| successor = [[Walter Warzecha]] |
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| term_start = 1 May 1945 |
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| term_end = 23 May 1945 |
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On 1 April 1914 he joined the [[Imperial German Navy|Imperial Navy]] as a ''[[Seekadett]]''. After the outbreak of [[World War I]], von Friedeburg, promoted to the rank of ''[[Fähnrich zur See]]'' (Officer Aspirant) served on the dreadnought {{SMS|Kronprinz||2}} and took part in the 1916 [[Battle of Jutland]] against the British [[Royal Navy]]'s [[Grand Fleet]]. Elevated to ''[[Leutnant zur See]]'', he joined the [[U-boat Campaign (World War I)|U-boat]] forces as naval officer on {{SMU|U-114}} from June to November 1918. |
On 1 April 1914 he joined the [[Imperial German Navy|Imperial Navy]] as a ''[[Seekadett]]''. After the outbreak of [[World War I]], von Friedeburg, promoted to the rank of ''[[Fähnrich zur See]]'' (Officer Aspirant) served on the dreadnought {{SMS|Kronprinz||2}} and took part in the 1916 [[Battle of Jutland]] against the British [[Royal Navy]]'s [[Grand Fleet]]. Elevated to ''[[Leutnant zur See]]'', he joined the [[U-boat Campaign (World War I)|U-boat]] forces as naval officer on {{SMU|U-114}} from June to November 1918. |
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A prominent German naval officer of the post-war period, he was appointed Deputy Commander of the German U-boat fleet in September 1941. Overseeing German [[U-boat]] training and deployment of the U-boat bases in France, he later organised U-boat picket lines in the mid-Atlantic to find and attack Allied [[convoy]]s. Promoted to rear admiral in 1942, von Friedeburg assumed command of the German U-boat fleet in February of the following year. He was awarded the ''[[War Merit Cross|Ritterkreuz des Kriegsverdienstkreuzes mit Schwertern]]'' on 17 January 1945. He succeeded Grand Admiral [[Karl Dönitz]] as Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine when Dönitz became Reich President upon Hitler's suicide (and per Hitler's last will), and was promoted to [[ |
A prominent German naval officer of the post-war period, he was appointed Deputy Commander of the German U-boat fleet in September 1941. Overseeing German [[U-boat]] training and deployment of the U-boat bases in France, he later organised U-boat picket lines in the mid-Atlantic to find and attack Allied [[convoy]]s. Promoted to rear admiral in 1942, von Friedeburg assumed command of the German U-boat fleet in February of the following year. He was awarded the ''[[War Merit Cross|Ritterkreuz des Kriegsverdienstkreuzes mit Schwertern]]'' on 17 January 1945. He succeeded Grand Admiral [[Karl Dönitz]] as Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine when Dönitz became Reich President upon Hitler's suicide (and per Hitler's last will), and was promoted to [[General admiral]] on 1 May 1945. |
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[[File:The Allied Campaign in North-west Europe, 6 June 1944 - 7 May 1945 BU5207.jpg|thumb|left|Montgomery (right) and von Friedeburg signing the German surrender at Lüneburg Heath, 4 May 1945]] |
[[File:The Allied Campaign in North-west Europe, 6 June 1944 - 7 May 1945 BU5207.jpg|thumb|left|Montgomery (right) and von Friedeburg signing the German surrender at Lüneburg Heath, 4 May 1945]] |
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In early May 1945, von Friedeburg was ordered by Dönitz to negotiate the surrender to the Western Allied forces. Arriving at Field Marshal [[Bernard Montgomery]]'s headquarters in [[Lüneburg]], [[Nazi Germany|Germany]] he was informed that an unconditional surrender to all Allied forces was necessary and not negotiable. Upon receiving permission from Dönitz, he signed an [[German surrender at Lüneburg Heath|instrument of surrender of all German armed forces in the Netherlands, northwest Germany and Denmark]] on 4 May 1945. On 7 May 1945, he was present at the first signing of the [[German Instrument of Surrender]] by General [[Alfred Jodl]] in [[Reims]]. |
In early May 1945, von Friedeburg was ordered by Dönitz to negotiate the surrender to the Western Allied forces. Arriving at Field Marshal [[Bernard Montgomery]]'s headquarters in [[Lüneburg]], [[Nazi Germany|Germany]] he was informed that an unconditional surrender to all Allied forces was necessary and not negotiable. Upon receiving permission from Dönitz, he signed an [[German surrender at Lüneburg Heath|instrument of surrender of all German armed forces in the Netherlands, northwest Germany and Denmark]] on 4 May 1945. On 7 May 1945, he was present at the first signing of the [[German Instrument of Surrender]] by General [[Alfred Jodl]] in [[Reims]]. |
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[[Category:1895 births]] |
[[Category:1895 births]] |
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[[Category:1945 suicides]] |
[[Category:1945 suicides]] |
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[[Category:1945 deaths]] |
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[[Category:U-boat commanders (Kriegsmarine)]] |
[[Category:U-boat commanders (Kriegsmarine)]] |
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[[Category:German untitled nobility]] |
[[Category:German untitled nobility]] |
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[[Category:Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class]] |
[[Category:Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class]] |
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[[Category:Recipients of the Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross]] |
[[Category:Recipients of the Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross]] |
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[[Category:German military personnel who |
[[Category:German military personnel who died by suicide]] |
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[[Category:Suicides by poison]] |
[[Category:Suicides by poison]] |
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[[Category:Suicides in Germany]] |
[[Category:Suicides in Germany]] |
Latest revision as of 12:56, 13 July 2024
![]() | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (April 2019) |
Hans-Georg von Friedeburg | |
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![]() From left to right: Major Wilhelm Oxenius (Colonel General Jodl's Adjutant), Colonel General Alfred Jodl, Chief of OKW Operation Staff (who signed the Instrument of Surrender on behalf of the OKW), General admiral Hans-Georg von Friedeburg, Commander-in-Chief of the German navy (OKM), Major General Kenneth W. D. Strong (standing), G-2, SHAEF. Location: Reims, France, American Headquarters | |
Commander of the Marine High Command | |
In office 1 May 1945 – 23 May 1945 | |
Preceded by | Karl Dönitz |
Succeeded by | Walter Warzecha |
Personal details | |
Born | Straßburg, Alsace-Lorraine, German Empire | 15 July 1895
Died | 23 May 1945 Flensburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Allied-occupied Germany | (aged 49)
Awards | Knight's Cross of the War Merit Cross |
Military service | |
Allegiance | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Branch/service | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Years of service | 1914–45 |
Rank | ![]() |
Commands | |
Hans-Georg von Friedeburg (15 July 1895 – 23 May 1945) was a German admiral, the deputy commander of the U-boat Forces of Nazi Germany and the second-to-last Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine. He was the only representative of the armed forces to be present at the signing of the German instruments of surrender in Luneburg Heath on 4 May 1945, in Reims on 7 May and in Berlin on 8 May 1945. Von Friedeburg committed suicide shortly afterwards, upon the dissolution of the Flensburg Government.
Early life
[edit]Hans-Georg von Friedeburg was born in Strassburg in the German Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine (Elsass-Lothringen), the son of Prussian officer Karl von Friedeburg (1862–1924).
Military career
[edit]On 1 April 1914 he joined the Imperial Navy as a Seekadett. After the outbreak of World War I, von Friedeburg, promoted to the rank of Fähnrich zur See (Officer Aspirant) served on the dreadnought Kronprinz and took part in the 1916 Battle of Jutland against the British Royal Navy's Grand Fleet. Elevated to Leutnant zur See, he joined the U-boat forces as naval officer on SM U-114 from June to November 1918.
A prominent German naval officer of the post-war period, he was appointed Deputy Commander of the German U-boat fleet in September 1941. Overseeing German U-boat training and deployment of the U-boat bases in France, he later organised U-boat picket lines in the mid-Atlantic to find and attack Allied convoys. Promoted to rear admiral in 1942, von Friedeburg assumed command of the German U-boat fleet in February of the following year. He was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Kriegsverdienstkreuzes mit Schwertern on 17 January 1945. He succeeded Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz as Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine when Dönitz became Reich President upon Hitler's suicide (and per Hitler's last will), and was promoted to General admiral on 1 May 1945.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/The_Allied_Campaign_in_North-west_Europe%2C_6_June_1944_-_7_May_1945_BU5207.jpg/220px-The_Allied_Campaign_in_North-west_Europe%2C_6_June_1944_-_7_May_1945_BU5207.jpg)
In early May 1945, von Friedeburg was ordered by Dönitz to negotiate the surrender to the Western Allied forces. Arriving at Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery's headquarters in Lüneburg, Germany he was informed that an unconditional surrender to all Allied forces was necessary and not negotiable. Upon receiving permission from Dönitz, he signed an instrument of surrender of all German armed forces in the Netherlands, northwest Germany and Denmark on 4 May 1945. On 7 May 1945, he was present at the first signing of the German Instrument of Surrender by General Alfred Jodl in Reims.
Von Friedeburg was in Berlin on 8 May 1945 for the second signing of the German Instrument of Surrender. He signed on behalf of the Kriegsmarine, along with Colonel General Hans-Jürgen Stumpff for the Luftwaffe and Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel for the Heer and OKW. Marshal Georgy Zhukov and Air Chief Marshal Arthur William Tedder signed for the Soviet Union and SHAEF respectively.
Death
[edit]On 23 May 1945, the same day that members of the Flensburg Government were arrested, von Friedeburg became a prisoner of war of the British Army in Plön, and committed suicide by swallowing poison. His body was buried at Adelby Cemetery near Flensburg.[1]
Personal life
[edit]His son Ludwig von Friedeburg (1924–2010) became a sociologist and later a politician, serving from 1969 and 1974 as Minister for Culture in the state of Hesse.
Awards
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/80/Grabmal_Hans-Georg_von_Friedeburg.jpg/220px-Grabmal_Hans-Georg_von_Friedeburg.jpg)
- Iron Cross (1914)
- 2nd Class
- 1st Class
- Knight's Cross Second Class of the Order of the Zähringer Lion with Swords
- Knight of the Order of St. John
- Cross of Honour
- Wehrmacht Long Service Award 4th to 1st Class
- Spanish Cross in Silver with Swords
- Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939)
- 2nd Class
- 1st Class
- War Merit Cross with Swords
- 2nd Class
- 1st Class
- German Cross in Silver on 6 June 1942 as Kapitän zur See and 2nd admiral of the U-boats[2]
- Knight's Cross of the War Merit Cross (17 January 1945)
References
[edit]Citations
[edit]Bibliography
[edit]- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). German U-boat commanders of World War II : a biographical dictionary. Translated by Brooks, Geoffrey. London, Annapolis, Md: Greenhill Books, Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-186-6.
- Borgert, Heinz-Ludwig (1998): Generaladmiral Hans-Georg von Friedeburg. In: Gerd R. Ueberschär (ed.): Hitlers militärische Elite. 68 Lebensläufe. Frankfurt am Main: Primus Verlag, 2011 (second edition). ISBN 978-3-534-23980-1
- Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
External links
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Hans-Georg von Friedeburg in the German National Library catalogue
- Hans-Georg von Friedeburg @ Geocities at the Wayback Machine (archived October 29, 2009)
- 1895 births
- 1945 suicides
- 1945 deaths
- U-boat commanders (Kriegsmarine)
- German untitled nobility
- General admirals of the Kriegsmarine
- Military personnel from Strasbourg
- Military personnel from Alsace-Lorraine
- Condor Legion personnel
- Imperial German Navy personnel of World War I
- Reichsmarine personnel
- Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class
- Recipients of the Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross
- German military personnel who died by suicide
- Suicides by poison
- Suicides in Germany