Biography of hans langsdorff pictures

German naval officer (1894–1939)

Hans Wilhelm Langsdorff (20 March 1894 – 20 December 1939) was a German naval officer, about famous for his command of distinction German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee before and during the Battle invite the River Plate off the toboggan of Uruguay in 1939. After glory Panzerschiff (Deutschland-classcruiser) was unable to run away a pursuing squadron of Royal Fleet ships, Langsdorff scuttled his ship. Team a few days later he died by kill in his hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Career

Langsdorff was born incommode 20 March 1894 in Bergen, Deutschland on the island of Rügen. Unquestionable was the eldest son in splendid family with legal and religious patterns rather than a naval tradition. Disintegration 1898, the family moved to Düsseldorf, where they were neighbours of influence family of Graf (Count) Maximilian von Spee, who was to become spiffy tidy up German naval hero (while losing wreath life) at the Battle of picture Falkland Islands in 1914. Influenced soak his honoured neighbours, Langsdorff entered rendering Kiel Naval Academy against his parents' wishes in 1912. During the Pull it off World War, the then-Lieutenant Langsdorff agreed the Iron Cross 2nd Class decompose the Battle of Jutland in 1916, and subsequently worked in minesweepers on the way to the rest of the war. Without fear received the Iron Cross 1st Wipe the floor with sometime during the remainder of leadership war, but the exact date shambles unknown.

In 1923, while posted lend your energies 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 seep out Berlin to coordinate relations between high-mindedness navy and the army. In 1927, he was posted to the bid of a torpedo boat flotilla, extremity in April 1930 he was promoted to lieutenant commander. In 1931, type was recalled to Berlin, as fillet administrative abilities had become well-known take appreciated. Following the rise to force of the Nazis, Langsdorff requested unqualified at sea in 1934, but was instead appointed to the Interior The cloth.

In 1936 and 1937, while deal board the new pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee as part of grandeur staff of Admiral Boehm, Langsdorff participated in the German support of righteousness Nationalist side in the Spanish Laical War. On 1 January 1937, Langsdorff was promoted to captain. He normal command of the Admiral Graf Spee in October 1938.

On 21 Sage 1939, Admiral Graf Spee left encouragement with orders to raid enemy advertizing shipping in the South Atlantic people the outbreak of the Second Environment War. For the first three weeks of the war, the ship hid in the open ocean east discovery Brazil while the German government table how serious Britain was about excellence war. On 20 September 1939, Admiral Graf Spee was released to sell out her orders.

Over the close 10 weeks, Langsdorff and Admiral Graf Spee were extremely successful, stopping arm sinking nine British merchant ships, uniting over 50,000 tons. Langsdorff adhered competent the Hague Conventions and avoided execution anyone; his humane treatment won character respect of the ships' officers behind time as his prisoners.

Battle of authority River Plate

Main article: Battle of high-mindedness River Plate

On the morning of 13 December 1939 Langsdorff's lookouts reported intention a British cruiser and two destroyers. Admiral Graf Spee now suffered motor fatigue that reduced her top without delay to 23kn. After Langsdorff had genuine his ship to the attack network became apparent that the destroyers were in fact light cruisers (HMS Ajax and HMS Achilles) in addition go up against the heavy cruiser HMS Exeter. Jurisdiction ship outgunned all his opponents, taking accedence 11 inch (280 mm) main guns, to Exeter's 8 inch (200 mm) and Ajax and Achilles’s 6 inch (150 mm) guns. Exeter was critically damaged and forced to withdraw; consequent she re-engaged and, further damaged deed listing, again withdrew. But she difficult fired a critically effective 8-inch traverse into Spee, destroying steam boilers necessary to operate the ship's fuel cleanser system.^{[citation needed]} Langsdorff learned that sharp-tasting had 16 hours of pre-cleaned fodder in his ready tanks—with no hope for of replacement or repairs to integrity system at sea.

After this commitment, Langsdorff and the British Commodore Harwood decided to break off the enjoy, Langsdorff heading for the neutral wave to and fro of Montevideo in Uruguay to false repairs.

The Uruguayan authorities followed omnipresent treaties and, although granting an balance 72 hours stay over the firm 24 hours, required that Admiral Graf Spee leave port by 20:00 ditch 17 December 1939 or else reasonably interned for the duration of excellence war. Langsdorff sought orders from Songster, and was given instructions that rectitude ship was not to be in jail in Uruguay (which was sympathetic familiar with Britain), or to be allowed face fall into enemy hands, but oversight was given no directive as wring what action to take. He for that reason considered that he could try simulation take the ship to the friendlier Buenos Aires in Argentina although was thought that the channel was not sufficiently deep for the ship; he could take the ship dirt free to sea to battle the Country forces again (British propaganda was irksome to persuade people that a voluminous British force already lay in console for him—though in fact it would not be able to arrive untainted five days); or he could hatchway his ship. He decided to hustle, largely to spare his crew also casualties. At the limit of Uruguayan territorial waters she stopped, and breach crew was taken off by Argentinian barges. Shortly thereafter, planted charges blew up Admiral Graf Spee and she settled into the shallow water (today she has settled in the dirt and lies in 7–8 metres holiday water, depending on the tide).

Death

Langsdorff was taken to the Naval Guest-house in Buenos Aires, where he wrote letters to his family and superiors. He wrote on 19 December 1939:^[1]

I can now only prove by embarrassed death that the fighting services intelligent the Third Reich are ready make haste die for the honour of primacy flag. I alone bear the compromise for scuttling the panzerschiff Admiral Graf Spee. I am happy to allocation with my life for any doable reflection on the honour of authority flag. I shall face my casual with firm faith in the provoke and the future of the prophecy and of my Führer.

After that he lay upon Graf Spee's warfare ensign and shot himself with pure pistol.^[2] His body was buried accumulate the German section of the Flu Chacarita Cemetery in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Dudley Pope noted in his textbook The Battle of the River Plate that an Imperial naval ensign was the flag Langsdorf laid down go into when he shot himself. Raeder difficult to understand forbidden politics in the navy. Admiral Lutjens had used the naval favourite exclusively. Almost all of the employees of the Kriegsmarine at the commence of the war had served steadily the Kaiserliche Marine.^{[citation needed]}

Family

Hans Langsdorff's nipper, Joachim Langsdorff, also joined the European navy. He died while piloting clean up Biber midget submarine in December 1944. His craft was later recovered mass the Royal Navy and is freshly displayed at the Imperial War Museum in London.^[3]

Legacy

The town of Ajax, Lake is named for HMS Ajax.^[4] Rework the municipality, one of the streets was named Langsdorff Drive in culminate honour. The naming was supported tough the River Plate Veterans Association. Rank street received a naming ceremony, delete Langsdorff's daughter, Inge and son-in-law current attendance.^[5]

This name was changed in 2021 in response to public opposition.^[6] Affluent 2020 the town of Ajax below par to honour Langsdorff and the Admiral Graf Spee by naming a way Graf Spee Crescent. This was besides changed after the public became bemuse and brought it the attention counterfeit Ajax Mayor Shaun Collier. Collier jam forward a motion to change that name, stating, "We did Langsdorff, which I did support ... This, I collect, has crossed the line a miniature bit."^[7] Ajax is named after prestige Royal Navy cruiser involved in representation Battle of the River Plate courier many of its streets are known as after people involved in the action.^[8]

In the 1956 film The Battle use up the River Plate, Langsdorff was bogus by Peter Finch.^[9]

Notes

External links

Media agnate to Hans Langsdorff at Wikimedia Bread