Otto Kähler (3 March 1894 – 2 November 1967) was a German admiral during World War II. He commanded the German auxiliary cruiser Thor, a merchant raider, on two combat patrols and sank or captured 12 ships, for a combined tonnage of 96,547 gross register tons (GRT) of Allied shipping. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. Kähler relinquished command of Thor on 20 July 1941 to Günther Gumprich.
Otto Kähler | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 3 March 1894 |
| Died | 2 November 1967 (aged 73) |
| Allegiance | |
| Service | |
| Rank | Konteradmiral |
| Commands | |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves |
He was appointed the commander of the naval forces in Brittany in September 1944. He was captured by US forces soon thereafter. Repatriated February 1947, he died in Kiel on 2 November 1967.[1]
Awards
edit- Iron Cross (1914) 2nd Class (1 October 1915)[2]
- U-boat War Badge (1918)[2]
- Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class & 1st Class[2]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
- Knight's Cross on 22 December 1940 as Kapitän zur See and commander of auxiliary cruiser Thor (HSK 4)[3]
- 583rd Oak Leaves on 15 September 1944 as Konteradmiral and sea-commander of the fortress Brest[4]
References
editCitations
- ^ Neitzel 2013.
- ^ a b c Dörr 1995, p. 298.
- ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 248.
- ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 88.
Bibliography
- Dörr, Manfred (1995). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Überwasserstreitkräfte der Kriegsmarine—Band 1: A–K [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Surface Forces of the Navy—Volume 1: A–K] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2453-2.
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
- Neitzel, Sönke, ed. (19 July 2013). Tapping Hitler's Generals: Transcripts of Secret Conversations 1942–45. Barnsley: Frontline Books. ISBN 978-1-84832-715-3.
