Wilhelm Marschall

Wilhelm Marschall
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1919) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany
Service / branch	Imperial German Navy Reichsmarine Kriegsmarine
Years of service	1906-1945
Rank	Generaladmiral
Commands	SM UC-74 SM UB-105 SMS Hessen heavy cruiser Admiral Scheer
Battles / wars	World War I World War II
Awards	Pour le Mérite German Cross in Gold

Wilhelm Marschall (30 September 1886 – 20 March 1976) was a German admiral during World War II.

Biography

Marschall was born in Augsburg, Kingdom of Bavaria, in 1886. In 1906 he entered the Kaiserliche Marine as a Seekadett. During World War I he served as a Wachoffizier on the SMS Kronprinz. In 1916 he was educated as a U-boat commander and captained both UC-74 and UB-105 by war's end.

While in the Reichsmarine, Marschall served primarily as a Vermessungsoffizier (surveying officer) and in different staff positions. At the end of 1934 he became commander of the pocket battleship Admiral Scheer. As a Konteradmiral in 1936, he joined the Oberkommando der Kriegsmarine and headed the operations division. During the Spanish Civil War Marschall commanded the German naval forces off of the Spanish coast. He was promoted to Admiral and Flottenchef (fleet commander) in 1939

Marschall led the inspection of naval education for two years beginning in summer 1940 during World War II. During this time he often conducted the duties of a commanding admiral. In 1942 he was named commanding admiral of occupied France and replaced Alfred Saalwächter as commander of Marinegruppenkommando West. On 1 February 1943 he was promoted to Generaladmiral, but was replaced as western commander by Theodor Krancke and deactivated later that spring.

During the remainder of the war, Marschall was reactivated twice, once as Sonderbevollmächtigter (special agent) for the Danube, and once as commander of the Marineoberkommando West shortly before war's end. From 1945–47 he was held as a prisoner of war.

Marschall died in Mölln, West Germany, in 1976.

Awards

• Iron Cross 2nd and 1st Class (1914)
• House Order of Hohenzollern, Knight's Cross with Swords
• Pour le Mérite (4 July 1918)
• Bavarian Military Merit Order 4th Class with Swords
• Order of the Iron Crown 3rd Class with War Decoration
• Austrian Military Merit Cross 3rd Class with War Decoration
• U-boat War Badge (1918)
• Nishan-e-Imtiaz in Silver with Sabres
• Liakat Medal in Silver with Sabres
• Gallipoli Star
• Cross of Honor
• Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung 2nd and 1st Class
• Clasp to the Iron Cross 2nd and 1st Class
• German Cross in Gold (23 March 1942)

References

External links

• Axis Biographical Research