| Rolf Carls | |
|---|---|
| File:File:Rolf Carls.jpg | |
| Born | 29 May 1885 |
| Died | 24 April 1945 (aged 59) |
| Place of birth | Rostock |
| Place of death | Bad Oldesloe |
| Allegiance |
 German Empire (to 1919) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany |
| Service/branch |
 Kaiserliche Marine Reichsmarine Kriegsmarine |
| Years of service | 1903–1943 |
| Rank | Generaladmiral |
| Unit |
SMS Stein SMS Mars SMS Fürst Bismarck SMS Breslau |
| Commands held |
SM U-124 SMS Hessen |
| Battles/wars |
World War I World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Rolf Hans Wilhelm Karl Carls (29 May 1885 – 24 April 1945) was a Generaladmiral of the Kriegsmarine during World War II and a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership and is one of the highest military leadership awards.
Rolf Carls was killed in an air raid on Bad Oldesloe on 24 April 1945.[Notes 1] Carls together with 29 other people were killed in the cellar of the Vocational school in the Königstraße.
Awards[]
- Iron Cross (1914)
- 2nd Class
- 1st Class (19 May 1915)[3]
- Imtiyaz Medal in Silver with Sabres (Ottoman Empire)
- Ottoman War Medal (Turkish: Harp Madalyası), better known as the "Gallipoli Star", or the "Iron Crescent" (12 August 1915)[3]
- Silesian Eagle 2nd and 1st Class (27 January 1920)[3]
- Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 (24 December 1934)[3]
- Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords (6 June 1939)[4]
- Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class
- German Cross in Gold on 28 February 1943 as Generaladmiral in the Marinegruppenkommando Nord[5]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 14 June 1940 as Admiral and Marinegruppenbefehlshaber Ost[6][Notes 2]
- Finnish Order of the Cross of Liberty 1st Class with Star and Swords (27 April 1942)[4]
- Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose of Finland
- Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of Italy
- Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary, First Class
- Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 10 April 1940
Reference in the Wehrmachtbericht[]
| Date | Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording | Direct English translation |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday, 10 April 1940 | Die militärischen Maßnahmen zum Schutz der Neutralität von Dänemark und Norwegen wurden am 9. April von starken Einheiten des Heeres, der Kriegsmarine und die Luftwaffe unter dem Oberbefehl des Generals der Infanterie von Falkenhorst, von Seestreitkräften unter dem Befehl des Generaladmirals Saalwächter und des Admirals Carls und von zahlreichen Verbänden der Luftwaffe unter Führung des Generalleutnants Geißler in engster Zusammenarbeit durchgeführt.[7] | The military measures for the protection of the neutrality of Denmark were carried out on 9 April from strong units in close cooperation of the Heer, the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe under the high command of General of the Infantry von Falkenhorst, of naval forces under the command of Generaladmiral Saalwächter and Admiral Rolf Carls and from numerous Luftwaffe units under the leadership of Generalleutnant Geißler (sic). |
Notes[]
References[]
- Citations
- ↑ "60 Jahre nach dem Feuersturm auf Hamburg: Kreisarchiv Stormarn erhält einmaligen Fotofund" (in German). Kreis Stormarn. http://www.kreis-stormarn.de/aktuelles/pressemeldungen/show_entry.html?id=122. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Scherzer 2007, p. 257.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Dörr 1995, p. 119.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Dörr 1995, p. 120.
- ↑ Patzwall and Scherzer 2001, p. 72.
- ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 152.
- ↑ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 1, p. 101-102
- Bibliography
- Dörr, Manfred (1995) (in German). 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]. Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2453-2.
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) (in German). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 – Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtsteile [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]. Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
- Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001) (in German). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2]. Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
- Range, Clemens (1974). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Kriegsmarine [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Navy]. Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 978-3-87943-355-1.
- Scherzer, Veit (2007) (in German). 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]. Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
- (in German) Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 1, 1. September 1939 bis 31. Dezember 1941 [The Wehrmacht Reports 1939–1945 Volume 1, 1 September 1939 to 31 December 1941]. München, Germany: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 978-3-423-05944-2.
External links[]
- Rolf Carls in the German National Library catalogue
- Rolf Carls @ Deutsche Marinesoldaten
- Rolf Carls @ Geocities
- Rolf Carls @ Ritterkreuzträger 1939 - 1945
- Rolf Carls @ uboat.net
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The original article can be found at Rolf Carls and the edit history here.