Database of Kriegsmarine Admirals

[graveland]

Vizeadmiral Gustav Kieseritzky (1893-1943)
*On ABR (oocities), his Kroatischer Kriegsorden der Krone des Königs Zvonimir I. Klasse is listed mit Schwertern und Eichenlaub. That is an error because the Kroatischer Kriegsorden der Krone des Königs Zvonimir could be awarded only mit Schwertern or mit Eichenlaub. Not both! Plus, there is the proof on the photo of Kieseritzky's awards (see last photo below).

Archives of the former Croatian Chancellery of Order:
Kieseritzky, Gustav; Vizeadmiral - Kroatischer Kriegsorden der Krone des Königs Zvonimir 1. Klasse mit Stern und Schwertern.

[luftk]

Vizeadmiral Gustav Kieseritzky (1893-1943)

From period documents it seems that Kieseritzky was awarded the Kroatischer Kriegsorden der Krone des Königs Zvonimir I. Klasse mit Schwertern and not mit Eichenlaub like seen on the last photo. This photo comes from the site Helmut Weitze (auction site) and must be wrong. I found out that this site later posted another photo of Kieseritzky's awards and the Kroatischer Kriegsorden der Krone des Königs Zvonimir mit Stern und Eichenlaub was no longer on it. So perhaps they removed it because it wasn't awarded to him. I will put this updated photo below.

Speculation is not helpful- Weitze could have just sold it separately. I would stick with the period sources and photographs where possible.

[Kriegsmarine Großadmiral]

Vizeadmiral z.V. Walther Kinzel (1880-1964)

-Deutsches Kreuz in Silber am 31.03.1944 als Vizeadmiral z.V. und Chef des Oberwerftstabes Frankreich
-Eisernes Kreuz (1914) II. Klasse (06. 01. 1916)
-Eisernes Kreuz (1914) I. Klasse (19. 12. 1917)
-Großherrlich Osmanischer Medschidié-Orden IV. Klasse (09. 01. 1904)
-Königlich Preußischer Roter Adler-Orden IV. Klasse (24. 06. 1914)
-Chilenischer Verdienstorden III. Klasse (31. 08. 1914)
-Hamburgisches Hanseatenkreuz
-Königlich Bayerischer Militärverdienstorden IV. Klasse mit Krone und Schwertern
-Königlich Preußisches Dienstauszeichnungskreuz
-Ehrenkreuz des Weltkrieges 1914/1918 mit Schwertern für Frontkämpfer
-Kriegsverdienstkreuz (1939) II. Klasse mit Schwertern (01. 09. 1941)
-Kriegsverdienstkreuz (1939) I. Klasse mit Schwertern (30. 01. 1942)

[Cartaphilus]

Vizeadmiral Hellmuth Heye (1895-1970)


-Offizierskreuz des Königlichen Ordens der Krone von Rumänien (Seeoffizier) für Militärische Tugend (15. 01. 1943)

On January 1943 Heye was Konteradmiral. The Officer grade of the Romanian Crown Order (and of almost all military orders) was awarded to captains (Kapitänleutnant on Kriegsmarine). A Konteradmiral never would receive this grade of de decoration. Moreover, a Konteradmiral would not hace received the grade of Commander, but the grade of Grand Officer.

At the end of 1942, Heye was commander of the German Naval Forces on the Black Sea, a very high position, so it's imposible that he would have received a low grade as the Officer Cross of this Romanian order.

[Kriegsmarine Großadmiral]

Vizeadmiral Hellmuth Heye (1895-1970)


-Offizierskreuz des Königlichen Ordens der Krone von Rumänien (Seeoffizier) für Militärische Tugend (15. 01. 1943)

On January 1943 Heye was Konteradmiral. The Officer grade of the Romanian Crown Order (and of almost all military orders) was awarded to captains (Kapitänleutnant on Kriegsmarine). A Konteradmiral never would receive this grade of de decoration. Moreover, a Konteradmiral would not hace received the grade of Commander, but the grade of Grand Officer.

At the end of 1942, Heye was commander of the German Naval Forces on the Black Sea, a very high position, so it's imposible that he would have received a low grade as the Officer Cross of this Romanian order.

All the sources I was able to find say it is the Officer's Cross:
http://www.oocities.org/~orion47/WEHRMA ... LMUTH.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellmuth_Heye
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellmuth_Heye
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/287 ... r.htm?c=aw
The wikipedia articles quote "Dörr, Manfred (1995). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Überwasserstreitkräfte der Kriegsmarine—Band 1: A–K"

You are maybe right. But without proof that Heye recieved the Grand Officer's Cross (like you say) I can't change his list of awards.
Sorry If you find any additional proof, that's not a speculation, I will gladly stand corrected and edit his list of awards.

[Cartaphilus]

If you take the list of German military personnel awarded with the officer cross of the Romanian orders (Crown and Star), all were, at that time, officers, and none was general or admiral. Hermann Graf, Albert Frey, Georg Schönberger, Gustav Knittel, Hans-Günther Stotten...

The decorations of the military orders with different categories were granted according to the rank of the winner. On Romania, Italy, Bulgaria, Finland, Hungary...

Is not strange that Heye received the Commander grade of the Italian Crown Order on 1938 (being Fregattenkapitän), and five years later, being Konteradmiral, the Officer grade of the Romanian Crown Order?

If the source quoted by Wikipedia says that he received the Officer Cross, it's clear that the author missed the word "Grand" (or "Groß") before. And the mistake has been repeteaded by the webs that simply are copying each other. This explanation (Occam's razor) is simpler than the strange case of a Konteradmiral awarded with a decoration that only a Kapitänleutnant would receive.

[VJK]

I can now confirm that Heye received the Grand Officer's Cross on 15 January 1943.

Ordinul Coroana Romaniei cu spade in gradul de Mare Ofiter cu panglica de Virtute Militara: 15 Jan 1943
Source: Monitorul Oficial al României. Partea 1, 111, nr. 090, 16 aprilie 1943

Kind regards,

VJK

[Kriegsmarine Großadmiral]

Great job VJK!
I kindly ask the moderators to correct Heye’s award to Großoffizierskreuz des Königlichen Ordens der Krone von Rumänien (Seeoffizier) mit Schwertern und Band der Militärischen Tugend. viewtopic.php?f=5&t=239341&p=2181535&hi ... e#p2181535
It seems you were right Cartaphilus. I stand corrected.

[VJK]

Some more additions of Romanian awards:

Friedrich-Wilhelm Fleischer
Medalia Virtutea Maritima, Clasa III Navigant: 15 Aug 1942

Kurt Fricke
Ordinul Steaua Romaniei cu spade clasa 1-a cu panglica de Virtutea Militara: 7 Nov 1941

Hans-Heinrich Wurmbach
Medalia Virtutea Maritima, Clasa III Navigant: 15 Aug 1942

Gustav Kieseritzky
Ordinul Steaua Romaniei cu spade in gradul de Mare Ofiter cu panglica de Virtutea Militara: 30 Mar 1944

Kind regards,

VJK

[Kriegsmarine Großadmiral]

Great!
Can you please write the names of these awards in German or English?
Thanks

[VJK]

Hi,

I'll have to leave the English or German translations to someone more proficient in Romanian - the best I could do would be to use the Google translator.

Also, for your future posts, here are some more Admiral rank recipients of Romanian awards:

Leo Kreisch
Ordinul Steaua Romaniei cu spade in gradul de Comandor cu panglica de Virtutea Militara: 14 Mar 1942

Siegfried Massmann
Ordinul Steaua Romaniei cu spade in gradul de Mare Ofiter cu panglica de Virtutea Militara: 14 Mar 1942

Ernst Scheurlen
Ordinul Steaua Romaniei cu spade in gradul de Comandor cu panglica de Virtutea Militara: 15 Jun 1943

Wolff-Ehrenreich von Arnswaldt
Medalia Virtutea Maritima, Clasa III Navigant: 15 Aug 1942

Carl August Claussen
Medalia Virtutea Maritima, Clasa III Nenavigant: 15 Aug 1942

Hans-Joachim Gadow
Ordinul Steaua Romaniei cu spade in gradul de Comandor cu panglica de Virtutea Militara: 14 Mar 1942

Kind regards,

VJK

[Kriegsmarine Großadmiral]

Thank you! I will try and translate them to German as best I can.

[Kriegsmarine Großadmiral]

Moderators please add the following for:

Admiral Friedrich-Wilhelm Fleischer viewtopic.php?f=5&t=239341&p=2179331&hi ... r#p2179331
-Königlich Rumänische Medaille für Maritim Tapferkeit III. Klasse Navigator (Bronze) (15. 08. 1942) (below the Kriegsverdienstkreuz (1939) II. Klasse mit Schwertern)

Admiral Hans-Heinrich Wurmbach viewtopic.php?f=5&t=239341&p=2180468&hi ... h#p2180468
-Königlich Rumänische Medaille für Maritim Tapferkeit III. Klasse Navigator (Bronze) (15. 08. 1942) (below the Spange (1939) zum Eisernen Kreuz II. Klasse)

And please correct for Vizeadmiral Hellmuth Heye as I wrote above.

For Admiral Kurt Fricke the award Ordinul Steaua Romaniei cu spade clasa 1-a cu panglica de Virtutea Militara translates as "Großkreuz (1st Class) des Königlichen Ordens des Sterns von Rumänien mit Schwertern und Band der Militärischen Tugend". This award is already listed for him with the date 07. 10. 1942. So I don't know which date is correct? 07. 10. 1942 or 07. 11. 1941?

[Kriegsmarine Großadmiral]

Vizeadmiral Gustav Kleikamp (1896-1952)

-Deutsches Kreuz in Gold am 14.10.1944 als Vizeadmiral und Kommandierender Admiral in den Niederlanden
-Eisernes Kreuz (1914) II. Klasse
-Eisernes Kreuz (1914) I. Klasse
-Hamburgisches Hanseatenkreuz
-Ehrenkreuz des Weltkrieges 1914/1918 mit Schwertern für Frontkämpfer
-Wehrmacht Dienstauszeichnung IV. bis II. Klasse (02. 10. 1936)
-Wehrmacht Dienstauszeichnung I. Klasse (01. 04. 1938)
-Deutsches Reichssportabzeichen in Gold
-Königlich Spanischer Orden für Verdienste zur See III. Klasse mit weißem Abzeichen
-Medaille zur Erinnerung an die Heimkehr des Memellandes
-Spange (1939) zum Eisernen Kreuz II. Klasse (17. 09. 1939)
-Spange (1939) zum Eisernen Kreuz I. Klasse (02. 10. 1939)
-Flottenkriegsabzeichen

[graveland]

Kleikamp & Hans-Wolfgang Reinhard (4th picture).
Wilhelm von Jenny, Kleikamp, Heinz-Hellmuth von Wühlisch, ???, Rauter and Seyss-Inquart (3rd pic).