| Kurt Fricke | |
|---|---|
 Kurt Fricke |
|
| Born | 8 November 1889 Berlin |
| Died | 2 May 1945 (aged 55) Berlin |
| Allegiance |  German Empire (to 1919) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany |
| Service/branch |  Kaiserliche Marine Reichsmarine Kriegsmarine |
| Years of service | 1910-1945 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Unit | SMS Hertha SMS Moltke |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Kurt Fricke (8 November 1889 – 2 May 1945) was an Admiral with the Kriegsmarine during World War II and a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.
Biography [edit]
Fricke entered the Kaiserliche Marine as a cadet on 1 April 1910. He served on SMS Hertha during his cadetship and graduated from Marineschule Mürwik. After graduating he was posted to the battlecruiser SMS Moltke. On 27 September 1913 Fricke was promoted to lieutenant. During World War I, Fricke served at the battle of Dogger Bank. Fricke was promoted to captain lieutenant in 1916 and transferred to torpedo boats. He served on G-103 and G-101. On 7 March 1918 he became an aide-de-camp to the commander of the torpedo boats, in which position he ended the war.
After the war he served in the administration of the German navy as adjudant to the commander in chief of the navy. From 1922 to 1924 he served on the I Flotille, in which he commanded destroyer T 139 and T 148. In September 1924 Fricke became a company officer in a coastal defence unit. Fricke was promoted to corvette captain in 1928. He served three years as a marine adjudant to the Reichswehrminister.
In 1929 Fricke was made commander of half a squadron of torpedo boats. On 16 September 1931 he became commander of the I. Torpedobootsflottille. In 1933 he became Führer der Torpedoboote (leader of torpedo boats). On 1 April 1934 Fricke was promoted to frigate captain. Fricke then was posted as chief of staff to the inspectorate of destroyer and minewarfare in the rank of Captain at Sea (1935). From October 1936 to September 1937 he served at the Wehrmacht-Akademie. After this academic posting, Fricke served on the Oberkommando der Marine as Chief of the Operations department of the Seekriegsleitung. On 30 April 1939 Fricke became liaison officer to the Oberbefehlshaber der Luftwaffe.
After the start of the Second World War, Fricke was promoted to rear admiral on 1 November 1939 and vice-admiral on 1 June 1941. From 13 June 1941 to 20 February 1943 Fricke was Chief of Staff of the Seekriegsleitung. Promoted to admiral on 1 April 1942, Fricke was named commander of the Marinegruppenkommandos Süd (21 March 1943 – 11 December 1944). In December 1944 Fricke was placed in the Führerreserve. Fricke was killed on 2 May 1945 during the Battle of Berlin.
Awards [edit]
- Iron Cross (1914)
- Großherzoglich Oldenburgisches Friedrich August-Kreuz
- Hanseatic Cross, Hamburg (14 June 1916)[2]
- Knight's Cross of the House Order of Hohenzollern with Swords (5 March 1918)[2]
- Ritterkreuz I. Klasse des Königlichen Schwedischen Schwerter-Ordens (12 July 1930)[2]
- Honour Cross for Combatants 1914/1918 (1934)[2]
- Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 01.10.1938 (22 May 1939)
- Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung 1st through 4th Class (2 October 1936)[2]
- Königlicher Spanische Marineverdienstkreuz III. Klasse in Weiss (21 August 1939)
- Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939)
- Medaille zur Erinnerung an die Heimkehr des Memellandes (26 October 1939)
- Königlicher Jugoslawischer Kronen-Orden mit Stern II. Klasse (9 November 1939)
- Königlicher Bulgarischre Militär-Verdienstorden mit der Kriegsdekoration I. Klasse (1942)
- Finnischer Freiheitskreuz I. Klasse mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern (25 March 1942)
- Order of Michael the Brave 3rd Class (1 September 1942)
- Kroatisches Großkreuz des Ordens der Krone des Königs Zvonimir mit Schwertern (26 September 1942)
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 1 October 1942 as Admiral and chief-of-staff in the Seekriegsleitung in the Oberkommando der Marine[3][4]
- Großkreuz I. Klasse des Kgl. Rumänischen Sterns mit Schwertern und Band der militärischen Tugend (7 October 1942)
References [edit]
- This article incorporates information from the German Wikipedia.
- Citations
- Bibliography
- Dörr, Manfred (1995). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Überwasserstreitkräfte der Kriegsmarine—Band 1:A–K (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio Verlag. ISBN 3-7648-2453-0.
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945. Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
- Range, Clemens (1974). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Kriegsmarine. Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 3-87943-355-0.
- Scherzer, Veit (2007). 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 (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Admiral Otto Schniewind |
Chief of Staff of the Seekriegsleitung 13 June 1941 – 20 February 1943 |
Succeeded by Admiral Wilhelm Meisel |
|
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