Adalbert von Blanc

Adalbert von Blanc
Born (1907-07-11)11 July 1907
Wilhelmshaven
Died 7 November 1976(1976-11-07) (aged 69)
Flensburg-Mürwik
Allegiance  Weimar Republic (to 1933)
 Nazi Germany (to 1945)
 West Germany
Service/branch  Reichsmarine
 Kriegsmarine
 German Navy
Years of service 1926–45, 1956–64
Rank Fregattenkapitän (Kriegsmarine)
Flottillenadmiral (Bundesmarine)
Unit SSS Niobe
light cruiser Emden
German auxiliary cruiser Orion
Commands held 9. Sicherungsdivision
Battles/wars

World War II

  • Operation Walpurgisnacht
Awards Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Adalbert Pierre Louis Karl Erich Johann von Blanc (11 July 1907 – 7 November 1976) was a Fregattenkapitän with the Kriegsmarine during World War II and later a Flottillenadmiral in the Bundesmarine. During World War II he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and served as 1st Officer on the German auxiliary cruiser Orion.

His father, Korvettenkapitän Louis von Blanc, was first officer on SMS Cöln and was killed in action on 28 August 1914 during the Battle of Heligoland Bight.

Blanc joined the British controlled German Mine Sweeping Administration on 15 August 1945. Blanc held command of the 1. Minenräum-Division (1st mine sweeping division) in Kiel. When the administration was disbanded on 31 December 1947, Blanc transferred to the follow organization called Minenräumverband Cuxhaven and became its chief.

The student Georg von Hatzfeld from Heidelberg together with his fellow student René Ledesdorff had occupied the isle of Helgoland on 18 December 1950. The two were joined by Prince Hubertus zu Loewenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg on 29 December 1950. The number of occupants had grown to 13 when Blanc was ordered by the British authorities to send two boats for the evacuation of Helgoland. Blanc refused to obey the order, even when he came under severe pressure and suspended from his command post. A legal proceeding against Blanc was initiated on 3 January 1951. The British court ruled that the order was not among his contractual obligations and he was re-instituted in his position as chief of the Minenräumverband Cuxhaven.[1]

Awards

Footnotes

  1. ↑ There is no reference of the Oak Leaves were awarded to Adalbert von Blanc in the German Federal Archives. His personal file contains a letter from Admiral August Thiele indicating that von Blanc had been recommended for the Oak Leaves by Thiele. In a file of the German Minenräumdienst dated just after the capitulation is an entry "Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves" without indicating a date of the award. The sequential number "866" and date was assigned by the Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (AKCR). Von Blanc was member of the AKCR.[7]

References

Citations

  1. ↑ Dörr 1995, p. 50.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Dörr 1995, p. 51.
  3. 1 2 Thomas 1997, p. 48.
  4. ↑ Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 44.
  5. ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 134.
  6. ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 103.
  7. ↑ Scherzer 2007, p. 121.

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. 
  • Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8. 
  • Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2. 
  • Thomas, Franz (1997). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1: A–K [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 1: A–K] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2299-6. 
  • Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 3, 1. Januar 1944 bis 9. Mai 1945 [The Wehrmacht Reports 1939–1945 Volume 3, 1 January 1944 to 9 May 1945] (in German). München, Germany: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 978-3-423-05944-2. 

External links

Military offices
Preceded by
Korvettenkapitän Hugo Heydel		 Commander of the 2nd Minesweeper Flotilla
September 1943 – March 1944 		Succeeded by
Fregattenkapitän Wilhelm Ambrosius
Preceded by
Konteradmiral Kurt Böhmer		 Chief of the 9. Sicherungsdivision
October 1944 – May 1945 		Succeeded by
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