Branch: Kriegsmarine
Born: 23 May 1891 in Schwiebus, near Brandenburg, Germany.
Died: 30 August 1956 in Hamburg, Germany.
Ranks:
Generaladmiral 1 March
1944
Admiral 1 April 1942
Vizeadmiral 1 January
1941
Konteradmiral 1 November
1938
Kommodore
Kapit�n zur See 1 October
1934
Fregattenkapit�n
Korvettenkapit�n 1 January
1928
Kapit�nleutnant 21 January
1920
Oberleutnant zur See
2 May 1915
Leutnant zur See 19 September
1912
Oberfähnrich zur See
F�hnrich zur See 12 April
1910
Decorations:
Iron Cross with clasp
1st class
2nd class
German Cross in Silver 30 January 1943
Knight's Cross of the War Merit Cross with Swords 25 January
1945
Commands:
UC-1
Takes command on 18 March 1917
Ends command on 1 June 1917
UC-71
Takes command on 29 January 1918
Ends command on 13 August 1918
UB-148
Takes command on 19 September 1918
Ends command on 11 November 1918
Admiral
Graf Spee
Takes command on 2 October 1937
Ends command on 1 November 1938
Other: Personnel
Articles:
Walter Warzecha was born on 23 May 1891 in Schwiebus, near
Brandenburg, Germany and was a serving member of the Kriegsmarine
during World War II and managed to attain the rank of Generaladmiral
and went on to command the following UC-1, UC-71, UB-148 and
Admiral
Graf Spee.
On 1 April 1909 Walter Warzecha joined the Kaiserliche Marine
as a Seekadett. Walter Warzecha first post was aboard the
heavy cruiser Victoria Louise were he was promoted to Fähnrich
zur See in April 1910. Between 1911 and 1916 he served on
the pre-dreadnought battleship Nassau, and there was promoted
to the rank of Leutnant zur See in September 1912, and then
to Oberleutnant zur See on 2 May 1915.
In August 1916 till the conclusion of the First World War
he served as the commandant of various U-boats, UC-1, UC-71
and UB-148, and sank 9 ships amounting to 22,612 GRT, and
damaged 10 more for a total of 55,808 GRT.
After the war Walter Warzecha settled down in Wilhelmshaven
and then Kiel, where he began a family and became a father
of 4. Following the remilitarisation of Germany Walter Warzecha
went back to active duty within the Marinestation der Nordsee,
with the rank of Kapitänleutnant from 1920. Promotion
to Korvettenkapitän followed in 1928 and then to Fregattenkapitän
in 1933. In 1934 Walter Warzecha became Chief of Staff of
the Marinestation der Ostsee in the Baltic. Walter Warzecha
served as the commandant of the pocket battleship
Admiral
Graf Spee between October 1937 and October 1938.
On 1 November 1938 Walter Warzecha was promoted to the rank
of Konteradmiral and moved to a staff position in Berlin at
the Chief of the Naval Defence Office (Oberkommando der Marine,
serving as Chef des Marinewehramtes) until August 1942, gaining
promotion to Vizeadmiral on 1 January 1941, and also serving
as Chief of General Navy Headquarters (Chef des Allgemeinen
Marinehauptamtes) between November 1939 and April 1944. On
1 March 1944 Walter Warzecha was promoted to the rank of Generaladmiral
and on 1 May was appointed Chief of the Navy (Chef der Kriegsmarinewehr).
At the conclusion of the Second World War, and the suicide
of the commander-in-chief
Hans-Georg
von Friedeburg on 23 May 1945, Walter Warzecha took over
the responsibilities of the Commander-in-Chief under Allied
control, and managed the Kriegsmarine's breakup until 22 July
1945.
Walter Warzecha was held captive as a POW until 1947, Walter
Warzecha then relocated to Hamburg where he worked for the
Allianz-Versicherungsgesellschaft insurance firm. Walter Warzecha
passed away of a heart attack on 30 August 1956 and is buried
in Hamburg, Germany.
Walter Warzecha was given the command of U-boat UC-1
on 18 March 1917 and remained in command until 1 June
1917, he was then transferred to the U-boat UC-71 on 29 January
1918 until 13 August 1918 he was then transferred again to
the U-boat UB-148 on 19 September 1918 until the 11th of November
1918, a number of years later Walter Warzecha was given command
of the pocket battleship
Admiral
Graf Spee on 2 October 1937 until 1 November 1938.
For a complete list of
sources
