Wilhelm Meentzen

Wilhelm Meentzen
Born	(1915-03-19)19 March 1915 Emden
Died	8 May 2001(2001-05-08) (aged 86) Emden
Allegiance	Nazi Germany West Germany
Service/branch	Reichsmarine Kriegsmarine German Navy
Years of service	1934–45 1956–74
Rank	Kapitänleutnant (Kriegsmarine) Vizeadmiral (Bundesmarine)
Unit	Gorch Fock Karlsruhe Nürnberg
Commands held	Torpedoboot T-24 Zerstörer 3 (D172)
Battles/wars	Spanish Civil War World War II Battle of the Atlantic North African Campaign Battle of Ushant (1944)
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Gerd A. Wilhelm Meentzen (19 March 1915 – 8 May 2001) was a captain with the Kriegsmarine during World War II and later a Vizeadmiral with the Bundesmarine. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Meentzen joined the military service of the Bundesmarine and as Fregattenkapitän commanded the destroyer Zerstörer 3 (D172), formerly USS Wadsworth (DD-516), from October 1959 until January 1961.

Awards and decorations

• Spanish Cross in Bronze with Swords (6 June 1939)
• Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (23 December 1939) & 1st Class (21 November 1940)
• Destroyer War Badge (14 December 1940)
• Fast Attack Craft War Badge (25 February 1942)
• War Merit Cross with Swords 2nd Class (20 April 1943)
• Finish Order of the Cross of Liberty 4th Class (10 July 1941)
• Wound Badge (1939) in Black (15 November 1944)
• German Cross in Gold on 5 May 1944 as Kapitänleutnant on Torpedoboot T-24/4. Torpedoboots-Flottille
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 30 October 1944 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of Torpedoboot T-24
• Ärmelband Afrika (20 April 1943)
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht (18 April 1941)
• Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (25 May 1973)

References

• Dörr, Manfred (1996). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Überwasserstreitkräfte der Kriegsmarine—Band 2: L–Z (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2497-6. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• 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 978-3-423-05944-2. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)