Erich Raeder

Erich Johann Albert Raeder
24 April 1876 (1876-04-24) – 6 November 1960 (1960-11-07) (aged 84)
Großadmiral Erich Raeder
Place of birth	Wandsbek
Place of death	Kiel
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Kaiserliche Marine Reichsmarine Kriegsmarine
Years of service	1894 – 1943
Rank	Großadmiral
Battles/wars	World War I Battle of Dogger Bank Battle of Jutland World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Erich Johann Albert Raeder (24 April 1876 – 6 November 1960) was a naval leader in Germany before and during World War II. Raeder attained the highest possible naval rank—that of Großadmiral (Grand Admiral)—in 1939, becoming the first person to hold that rank since Alfred von Tirpitz. Raeder led the Kriegsmarine (German Navy) for the first half of World War II, but resigned in 1943 and was replaced by Karl Dönitz. He was sentenced to life in prison at the Nuremberg Trials, but was later released.

Biography

Early years

Raeder was born into a middle-class family in Wandsbek in the Prussian province of Schleswig-Holstein in the German Empire. His father was a headmaster. He joined the Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy) in 1894 and rapidly rose in rank, becoming Chief of Staff for Franz von Hipper in 1912. He served in this position during World War I as well as in combat posts, taking part in the Battle of Dogger Bank in 1915 and the Battle of Jutland in 1916. After the war Raeder continued to rise steadily in the navy hierarchy, becoming a Konteradmiral (Rear Admiral) in 1922 and a Vizeadmiral (Vice Admiral) in 1925. In October 1928 Raeder was promoted to Admiral and made Commander-in-Chief of the Reichsmarine, the Weimar Republic Navy (Oberbefehlshaber der Reichsmarine).

Rebuilding the German Navy

Although he generally disliked the Nazi Party, he strongly supported Adolf Hitler's attempt to rebuild the Kriegsmarine, while apparently disagreeing equally strongly on most other matters. On 20 April 1936, just a few days before Raeder's sixtieth birthday, Hitler promoted him to Generaladmiral (General Admiral). In his quest to rebuild the German Navy, Raeder faced constant challenges from Hermann Göring's ongoing quest to build up the Luftwaffe.

World War II

Erich Raeder offers a Nazi salute in 1939 (Berlin)

He was promoted to Grand Admiral (Großadmiral) in 1939--the first to hold that rank since Alfred von Tirpitz. Later that year, he suggested Operation Weserübung, the invasions of Denmark and Norway in order to secure sheltered docks out of reach of the Royal Air Force, as well as provide direct exits into the North Sea. Britain and France had already prepared for their own occupation of the Narvik area (troops and materiel had been loaded on ships), but they were forestalled by the German actions. These operations were eventually successfully carried out, although with relatively heavy losses.

Raeder was not a strong supporter of Operation Sealion, the planned German invasion of the United Kingdom. He felt that the war at sea could be conducted far more successfully via an indirect strategic approach, by increasing the numbers of U-boats and small surface vessels in service. This, in addition to a strategic focus on the Mediterranean theater including a strong German presence in North Africa, plus an invasion of Malta and the Middle East. He believed that capturing Gibraltar, the Canary Islands and the Suez Canal would knock the United Kingdom out of the war. For instance, Raeder once told Hitler that a major offensive against Egypt and the Suez gave Germany a chance to strike a blow that "would be more deadly to the British Empire than the capture of London!"

He argued strongly against Operation Sealion because of his doubts about a decisive German air superiority over the English Channel and the lack of regional German naval superiority. Air superiority was a prerequisite to successfully preventing destruction of the German invasion fleet by the Royal Navy.

The invasion was postponed indefinitely due to the Luftwaffe's failure to obtain air superiority during the Battle of Britain, and the significantly greater power of the Royal Navy over the German Naval forces. Instead the German war machine was diverted to Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, which he vigorously opposed. He thought Hitler was so fixated on wiping out the Soviet regime that he didn't realize that a larger, global strategy could have easily tipped the balance in Germany's favor.

Resignation and retirement

A series of failed operations after that point, particularly the Battle of the Barents Sea, combined with the outstanding success of the U-boat fleet under the command of Karl Dönitz, led to his eventual demotion to the rank of Admiral Inspector of the Kriegsmarine in January 1943. Raeder offered his resignation as an apology and formally resigned from Kriegsmarine in May 1943. Karl Dönitz succeeded him in the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Navy on 30 January 1943.

Raeder was suspected of involvement in the 20 July plot, but immediately cleared himself by going to Rastenburg to personally assure Hitler of his loyalty.

After the war

Raeder with his wife at his 1955 release from Spandau.

After the war Raeder was sentenced to life imprisonment at the Nuremberg Trials, for waging a war of aggression, a charge arising from his planning of the German invasion of Norway. This sentence was later reduced and, due to ill health, he was released on 26 September 1955 at 11:35 am. After his release he settled down at the Uhlandstrasse in Lippstadt, Westphalia. He later wrote an autobiography, Mein Leben, in 1957. Erich Raeder died in Kiel, on 6 November 1960.

Sources

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Erich Raeder

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Erich Raeder

• The Reichsmarine 1919-1935 by Jason Pipes
• Kriegsmarine The Navy 1935-1945 by Jason Pipes
• Admiral Erich Raeder: True to his Profession by Michael Harris
• Biography of Großadmiral Raeder by Michael Miller