Admiral Donitz
| Karl Dönitz | |
|---|---|
1943 portrait
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| President of Germany | |
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In office 30 April 1945 – 23 May 1945 |
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| Chancellor | |
| Preceded by | Adolf Hitler |
| Succeeded by |
Theodor Heuss (1949 as President of the Federal Republic ) |
| Oberbefehlshaber der Marine | |
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In office 30 January 1943 – 1 May 1945 |
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| Deputy | Eberhard Godt |
| Preceded by | Erich Raeder |
| Succeeded by | Hans-Georg von Friedeburg |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
16 September 1891 Grünau, Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire |
| Died |
24 December 1980 (aged 89) Aumühle, Schleswig-Holstein, West Germany |
| Nationality | German |
| Political party | National Socialist German Workers' Party (honorary member, 1944–45) |
| Spouse(s) | Ingeborg Weber |
| Children | 3 |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Nickname(s) | Der Löwe (The Lion) |
| Allegiance |
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| Service/branch | |
| Years of service |
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| Rank | Großadmiral |
| Commands |
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| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | |
| ^1 Formally titled "Leading Minister" or "Chief Minister" (Leitender Minister). | |
Karl Dönitz (sometimes spelt Doenitz) (German: [ˈkaɐ̯l ˈdøːnɪts]; 16 September 1891 – 24 December 1980) was a German admiral who played a major role in the naval history of World War II. Dönitz briefly succeeded Adolf Hitler as the head of state of Germany.
He began his career in the Imperial German Navy before World War I. In 1918, while he was in command of UB-68, the submarine was sunk by British forces and Dönitz was taken prisoner. While in a prisoner of war camp, he formulated what he later called Rudeltaktik ("pack tactic", commonly called "wolfpack"). At the start of World War II, he was the senior submarine officer in the Kriegsmarine. In January 1943, Dönitz achieved the rank of Großadmiral (grand admiral) and replaced Grand Admiral Erich Raeder as Commander-in-Chief of the Navy.
On 30 April 1945, after the death of Adolf Hitler and in accordance with Hitler's last will and testament, Dönitz was named Hitler's successor as head of state, with the title of President of Germany and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. On 7 May 1945, he ordered Alfred Jodl, Chief of Operations Staff of the OKW, to sign the German instruments of surrender in Reims, France. Dönitz remained as head of the Flensburg Government, as it became known, until it was dissolved by the Allied powers on 23 May. At the Nuremberg trials, he was convicted of war crimes and sentenced to ten years' imprisonment; after his release, he lived quietly in a village near Hamburg until his death in 1980.
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