Wilhelm Marschall
Wilhelm Marschall | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Allegiance |  German Empire (to 1919) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany |
| Service/ |  Imperial German Navy Reichsmarine Kriegsmarine |
| Years of service | 1906-1945 |
| Rank | Generaladmiral |
| Commands held | 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.
Admiral Marschall was at sea with the German battle fleet during the latter part of the Norwegian Campaign, flying his flag in battleship Gneisenau. On 8 June 1940, Marschall and part of his force (flagship Gneisenau, and her sister-ship Scharnhorst) fell in with British aircraft carrier HMS Glorious and two destroyers (Acasta and Ardent) about 280 miles west of Harstad, Norway. In a two-hour action, Glorious and her accompanying destroyers were all sunk, in exchange for damage to Scharnhorst (struck by one of Acasta's torpedoes). Although the battle was a German victory, Marschall had engaged Glorious despite orders to avoid action. Marschall's differences with the High Command on this subject, and the severe damage to Scharnhorst during the engagement, ensured that Marschall was replaced as Flottenchef by Admiral Günther Lütjens.
In 1942 Marschall 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
- 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)
Reference in the Wehrmachtbericht
| Date | Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording | Direct English translation |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday, 9 June 1940 | Deutsche Seestreitkräfte, darunter die beiden Schlachtschiffe "Gneisenau" und "Scharnhorst", operierten unter Führung des Admirals Marschall zur Entlastung der um Narvik kämpfenden Truppen im Nordmeer. Hierbei wurden am 8. Juni durch eine Kampfgruppe der englische Flugzeugträger "Glorious" (22 500t) und ein feindlicher Zerstörer in Grund geschossen.[1] | German sea forces, among them the two battleships "Gneisenau" and "Scharnhorst", operated in the Norwegian Sea under the leadership of Admiral Marschall for the relief of the fighting troops at Narvik. The task force destroyed the English aircraft carrier "Glorious" (22 500t) and an enemy destroyer on 8th June. |
References
- Citations
- ^ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939-1945 Band 1, p. 194.
- Bibliography
- Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939-1945 Band 1, 1. September 1939 bis 31. Dezember 1941 (in German). München, Germany: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 3-423-05944-3.
- External links
Media related to Wilhelm Marschall at Wikimedia Commons
- 1886 births
- 1976 deaths
- Reichsmarine personnel
- German military personnel of World War I
- Kriegsmarine World War II admirals
- German people of the Spanish Civil War
- People from Augsburg
- People from the Kingdom of Bavaria
- Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class)
- Recipients of the U-boat War Badge
- Recipients of the German Cross
- Recipients of the Iron Cross
- Recipients of the House Order of Hohenzollern
- Recipients of the Military Merit Order (Bavaria)
- Recipients of the Order of the Iron Crown
- Recipients of the Military Merit Cross (Austria-Hungary)
- Recipients of the Imtiyaz Medal
- Recipients of the Liakat Medal
- Recipients of the Gallipoli Star (Ottoman Empire)
- Recipients of the Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung
- U-boat commanders
- Recipients of the Cross of Honor
- Kaiserliche Marine personnel
- Military personnel referenced in the Wehrmachtbericht