Generaladmiral Hans-Georg von Friedeburg

jeremy · Post by **jeremy** » 18 Apr 2004 16:00

Hi,

I need pics and some information about Generaladmiral Hans-Georg von Friedeburg.

regards

Jeremy

FANGIO · Post by **FANGIO** » 18 Apr 2004 16:20

Some pics: first one from Corbis.
Also take a look here:
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=47958

FANGIO · Post by **FANGIO** » 18 Apr 2004 16:42

Forgott to say that the last pic of von Friedeburg is from Axis Biographical Research as so this bio:
http://www.geocities.com/~orion47/WEHRM ... /Gadm.html

GENERALADMIRAL HANS-GEORG VON FRIEDEBURG (RK d. KVK m. Schw.; DKiS)
Born: 15 Jul 1895 in Straßburg, Alsace (Elsaß)
Died: 23 May 1945 in Flensburg-Mürwik (Suicide)
Promotions:
Fähnrich zur See (23 Dec 1914); Leutnant zur See (13 Jul 1916); Oberleutnant zur See (28 Sep 1920); Kapitänleutnant (01 Jul 1925); Korvettenkapitän (01 Apr 1933); Fregattenkapitän (01 Jan 1937); Kapitän zur See (01 Jan 1939); Konteradmiral (01 Sep 1942); Vizeadmiral (01 Feb 1943); Admiral (01 Apr 1943); Generaladmiral (01 May 1945)
Career:
Entered the Navy as a Seekadett and Attended Basic-Training and on Board the Heavy Cruiser ‘Hansa’ (01 Apr 1914-03 Aug 1914)
Detached as an Officer-Serviceman to the Admiral-Staff of the Navy (Coding Service) (04 Aug 1914-18 Dec 1914)
On Board the Liner ‘Kronprinz’ (20 Dec 1914-03 Dec 1917)
Training and Courses at the Submarine-School (04 Dec 1917-19 Jun 1918)
Watch-Officer on the Submarine ‘U 114’ (20 Jun 1918-27 Nov 1918)
Placed to the Disposal of the Inspection of Submarine Affairs (28 Nov 1918-15 Dec 1918)
Placed to the Disposal of the Chief of the Naval-Station of the Baltic Sea and also Watch-Officer on the Light Cruiser ‘Regensburg’ (16 Dec 1918-15 Oct 1919)
Watch-Officer on the Cruiser ‘Königsberg’ (16 Oct 1919-31 May 1920)
Adjutant of the Ship’s-Cadre-Division of the North Sea (01 Jun 1920-06 Sep 1920)
Adjutant of the Cruiser ‘Hamburg’ (07 Sep 1920-13 Feb 1922)
Platoon-Officer with the Coastal-Defence-Battalion II (14 Feb 1922-29 Sep 1922)
Battalion-Adjutant of the Coastal-Defence-Battalion II (30 Sep 1922-23 Jun 1924)
Placed to the Disposal of the Chief of the Naval-Station of the North Sea and Attended Courses (24 Jun 1924-20 Dec 1924)
Watch and Torpedo Officer on the Cruiser ‘Hamburg’ (21 Dec 1924-31 Mar 1925)
Instructor at the Torpedo-School (01 Apr 1925-29 May 1925)
Watch and Torpedo Officer on the Cruiser ‘Hamburg’ (30 May 1925-30 Jun 1927)
Placed to the Disposal of the Chief of the Naval-Station of the North Sea (01 Jul 1927-25 Aug 1927)
Detached to the Naval-School Mürwik (26 Aug 1927-29 Sep 1927)
Subsidiary-Leadership-Training (06 Oct 1927-22 Apr 1929)
Naval-Liaison-Officer to Military-District-Command I (Königsberg) and in the Staff of the 1st Division (23 Apr 1929-15 Jun 1932)
Advisor in the Wehrmacht-Office, Reichs Defence Ministry (16 Jun 1932-31 Jan 1933)
Naval-Adjutant of the Reichs War Minister, Reichs War Ministry (01 Feb 1933-29 Sep 1936)
First Officer on the Cruiser ‘Karlsruhe’ (30 Sep 1936-16 Mar 1938)
Admiral-Staff-Officer in the Staff of the Commander of the Sea-Force at Spain (17 Mar 1938-01 Nov 1938)
Admiral-Staff-Officer with the Staff of the Commander of Security of the North Sea (02 Nov 1938-05 Feb 1939)
Placed to the Disposal of the Leader of Submarines (06 Feb 1939-05 Jun 1939)
Commandant of the Submarine ‘U 27’ (06 Jun 1939-08 Jul 1939)
Staff-Officer with Special Duties with the Leader of Submarines then Acting-Leader of Submarines (09 Jul 1939-24 Sep 1939)
Chief of the Organisation-Department, Staff of the Commander of Submarines (25 Sep 1939-11 Sep 1941)
2nd Admiral of Submarines (12 Sep 1941-31 Jan 1943)
Commanding Admiral of Submarines (01 Feb 1943-30 Apr 1945)
Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine (01 May 1945-23 May 1945)
Leader of the Negotiations-Delegation for Surrender in North Area Opposite the British Delegation headed by Field-Marshal Montgomery (00 May 1945)
Committed Suicide (23 May 1945)
Decorations & Awards:
- Ritterkreuz zum Kriegsverdienstkreuzes mit Schwertern: am 17.01.1945 als Admiral und Komm. Admiral der Unterseeboote
- Deutsches Kreuz in Silber: am 06.06.1942 als Kapitän zur See und 2. Admiral der Unterseeboote
- 1939 EK I –S-
- 1939 EK II –S-
- 1914 EK I
- 1914 EK II
- Ritterkreuz II Klasse des Grossherzoglich-Badischen Orden vom Záhringer Löwen mit Schwertern
- Ehrenritter des Preuss. Johanniter-Orden
- Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer
- Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung I Klasse
- Spanienkreuz in Silber ohne Schwerter
- Kriegsverdienstkreuz II Klasse mit Schwertern
- Kriegsverdientskreuz I Klasse mit Schwertern

USAF1986 · Post by **USAF1986** » 19 Apr 2004 06:05

Here are a few other interesting tidbits about Generaladmiral von Friedeburg from my files.

Best regards,
Shawn

In 1927, von Friedeburg published the book 32000 Seemeilen auf blauem Wasser – Erlebnisse auf der Weltreise des Kreuzers ‘Hamburg’ 1926/1927 (32,000 Nautical Miles of Blue Water – Experiences of the World Tour of the Cruiser Hamburg). The book recounted the last operational voyage of the Hamburg. From 14 February 1926-20 March 1927, the Hamburg, commanded by Kapitän zur See Dr. phil. h.c. Otto Groos, conducted a worldwide training voyage via England, Spain, the West Indies, the Panama Canal, Central- and North America, Hawaii, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, the Suez Canal, and the Mediterranean Sea. Upon its return to Germany, the Hamburg was decommissioned on 30 June 1927 and placed in fleet reserve.

According to the long term plans of the Navy High Command drawn up during peacetime, von Friedeburg was slated to take command of the U-Boat arm on 1 April 1940. Following a temporary assignment in the Far East, Karl Dönitz would then take command of a division of four Admiral Hipper Class heavy cruisers. The outbreak of World War II, however, changed these plans.

In his memoirs Zehn Jahre und zwanzig Tage (Ten Years and Twenty Days), Großadmiral Karl Dönitz paid tribute to his long-time friend and trusted subordinate:

“Friedeburg was a most capable officer, a particularly gifted organizer and a man endowed with an exceptional capacity for work. Throughout his whole naval career he had always been selected for especially good appointments. When he came to me, however, in spite of the fact that he was too senior and too old for the post, he started as a U-Boat captain [U 27] and then joined my staff. Like any other officer coming from surface vessels to the U-boat arm, he required some time to get used to the completely different conditions. When he did so, however, he became a submariner in body and soul. As he himself told me, it was his participation in our war game, carried out during the winter of 1938-39, in which we tried out wolf-pack tactics in the open Atlantic, that had convinced him of the immense importance to Germany of submarines. Until his death in May 1945, the ‘Box Spanner’ of the U-Boat arm, as he called himself, remained a true friend and a loyal subordinate. Friedeburg and his staff made an outstanding contribution to the success achieved by our U-Boats.”

At 20 years and 3 months old, Leutnant zur See Ludwig-Ferdinand von Friedeburg (born 21 May 1924 in Wilhelmshaven-Rüstringen), the Generaladmiral’s son, was the youngest U-Boat commander of World War II. A member of Crew V/1941, he commanded the submarine U 155 (Type IXC) of the 33rd Flotilla (Flensburg) from 15 August 1944-November 1944 on one war patrol lasting 43 days. On 1 May 1945, he took command of the submarine U 4710 (Type XXIII) in the 5th Training Flotilla (Kiel), but scuttled the boat in Gelting Bay on 5 May 1945 (Operation “Regenbogen”).

Panzermahn · Post by **Panzermahn** » 21 Apr 2004 11:05

Interesting postcript,

General Admiral von Friedeburg's wife, Ursula von Friedeburg married Admiral Paul Wennecker (german naval attache in Japan) after her husband committed suicide

Max Williams · Post by **Max Williams** » 21 Apr 2004 11:59

Here are some more photos of von Friedeburg. I have one of him dead, but can't seem to find it at the moment.
The first is taken on 2 May 1945 at the HQ of Lt. Gen. Sir Miles Dempsey in Häcklingen where von Friedeburg was instructed by Dönitz to discuss a surrender. From here the German delegation was taken to Montgomery's Field HQ at Wendisch Evern on Lüneburg Heath.
Max

Max Williams · Post by **Max Williams** » 21 Apr 2004 12:01

The second is taken at Monty's Field HQ on their arrival. Monty asked the famous question "Who are these men and what do they want?"
Max

Max Williams · Post by **Max Williams** » 21 Apr 2004 12:03

von Friedeburg reads a letter offering to surrender.
Max

Max Williams · Post by **Max Williams** » 21 Apr 2004 12:06

There were disussions followed by lunch. After lunch, Monty lays down his points necessary for the German surrender. von Friedeburg is partly hidden on the left. I like the tulips!
Max

Max Williams · Post by **Max Williams** » 21 Apr 2004 12:10

Here is an excellent image of von Friedeburg taking a secondary role at the Reims surrender. Jodl is directed past von Friedeburg by Maj. Gen. Kenneth Strong.
Max

jeremy · Post by **jeremy** » 23 Apr 2004 07:30

Hi Max,

your pics of von Friedeburg are great!!! Do you have another pics about the German surrender in Lüneburg Heath??? I'm looking for all pics about this surrender and the Berlin and Reims surrender because I'm writing a book about the German's surrender on May 1945...

Regards,

Jeremy

Max Williams · Post by **Max Williams** » 23 Apr 2004 09:11

Another photo at Häcklingen. Admiral von Friedeburg is directed to the transport which will carry him to Montgomery's field HQ.
Max

Max Williams · Post by **Max Williams** » 23 Apr 2004 09:14

Here the German delegation return after meeting with Dönitz to put the Allied terms of surrender. Location: Kielerstrasse, just north of Hamburg, in no-man's-land.
Max

Max Williams · Post by **Max Williams** » 23 Apr 2004 09:17

Admiral von Friedeburg arrives at SHAEF accompanied by Oberst Poleck (just visible).
Max

Max Williams · Post by **Max Williams** » 23 Apr 2004 09:20

Inside the surrender room at Reims.
Max