Hans Langsdorff

Hans Wilhelm Langsdorff
Hans Langsdorff in the summer of 1939
Born	(1894-03-20)20 March 1894 Bergen, Rügen, Germany
Died	20 December 1939(1939-12-20) (aged 45) Buenos Aires, Argentina
Buried at	La Chacarita Cemetery, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Allegiance	German Empire  Weimar Republic  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Kaiserliche Marine  Reichsmarine  Kriegsmarine
Years of service	1912-1939
Rank	Kapitän zur See (captain at sea)
Commands held	Admiral Graf Spee
Battles/wars	First World War Battle of Jutland Spanish Civil War Second World War Battle of the River Plate
Awards	Iron Cross First Class Iron Cross Second Class Hanseatic Cross
Spouse(s)	Ruth Hager (m.1924)

First World War

Spanish Civil War
Second World War

Hans Wilhelm Langsdorff (20 March 1894 – 20 December 1939) was a German naval officer, most famous for his command of the Panzerschiff (pocket battleship) Admiral Graf Spee during the Battle of the River Plate. He held the rank of Kapitän zur See (naval captain).

Langsdorff was born on 20 March 1894 in Bergen on the island of Rügen. He was the eldest son in a family with legal and religious traditions rather than a naval tradition. In 1898, the family moved to Düsseldorf, where they were neighbours of the family of Graf (Count) Maximilian von Spee, who was to become a German naval hero (while losing his life) at the Battle of the Falkland Islands in 1914. Influenced by his honoured neighbours, Langsdorff entered the Kiel Naval Academy against his parents' wishes in 1912. During the First World War, the then-Lieutenant Langsdorff received the Iron Cross 2nd Class at the Battle of Jutland in 1916, and subsequently worked on minesweepers for the rest of the war. He received the Iron Cross 1st Class sometime during the remainder of the war, but the exact date is unknown.

In 1923, while posted to the navy office in Dresden, Langsdorff met Ruth Hager. The two were married in March 1924, with their son Johann being born on 14 December. In October 1925, Langsdorff was posted to the Defence Ministry in Berlin to coordinate relations between the navy and the army. In 1927, he was posted to the command of a torpedo boat flotilla, and in April 1930 he was promoted to Lieutenant Commander. In 1931, he was recalled to Berlin, as his administrative abilities had become well-known and appreciated. Following the rise to power of the Nazis, Langsdorff requested duty at sea in 1934, but was instead appointed to the Interior Ministry.