Theodor Krancke

Theodor Krancke

Admiral Theodor Krancke (left), General Walther Buhle, Field Marschall Erwin Rommel
Born (1893-03-30)30 March 1893
Magdeburg
Died 18 June 1973(1973-06-18) (aged 80)
Wentorf bei Hamburg
Allegiance  German Empire (to 1919)
 Weimar Republic (to 1933)
 Nazi Germany
Service/branch  Kaiserliche Marine
 Reichsmarine
 Kriegsmarine
Years of service 1912–45
Rank Admiral
Commands held Cruiser Admiral Scheer
Battles/wars

World War I

World War II
Awards Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Theodor Krancke (30 March 1893 – 18 June 1973) was an admiral with the Kriegsmarine during World War II and a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Under the command of Krancke, during the five-month-long raiding cruise, the pocket battleship Admiral Scheer sank 13 merchant ships, one armed merchant cruiser HMS Jervis Bay, and captured three merchant ships representing 115,195 gross register tons (GRT) of Allied and neutral shipping.

During the Allied Invasion of Normandy Admiral Krancke, as Commander-in-Chief of Navy Group Command West headquartered in Paris, controlled all German naval vessels in France, as well as the various land-based naval units and the naval coastal artillery and anti-aircraft batteries along the French Atlantic coast.

Awards

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Dörr 1995, p. 358.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Thomas 1997, p. 403.
  3. 1 2 Scherzer 2007, p. 470.

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. 
  • 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. 
Military offices
Preceded by
Generaladmiral Wilhelm Marschall		 Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine Group Command West
20 April 1943 – 20 October 1944 		Succeeded by
Kriegsmarine High Command West
Preceded by
Kriegsmarine Group Command West		 Commander-in-Chief of Kriegsmarine High Command West
20 October 1944 – 18 April 1945 		Succeeded by
none
Preceded by
Admiral Otto Ciliax		 Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine High Command Norway
26 April 1945 – 26 August 1945 		Succeeded by
none
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