Konrad Zander

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Konrad Zander (born March 9, 1883 in Kolberg , † February 3, 1947 in Leschnewo in Russia) was a German rear admiral in the Imperial Navy . Due to his experience with naval aviators , he switched to the Air Force in 1935 and achieved the rank of General of the Aviators during the Second World War .

Career

Imperial Navy and First World War

Zander joined the Imperial Navy on April 10, 1901 as a midshipman . He completed the basic training and then the basic training until March 31, 1902 on the covered corvette SMS Stosch used as a training ship . On April 22, 1902, he was appointed ensign at sea . He then came to the naval school in Flensburg - Mürwik for further training and, from April 1, 1902, completed special courses in artillery, infantry and torpedo. After that, Zander was initially on duty on the liner SMS Kaiser Karl der Große from October 1, 1903 and was promoted to lieutenant on September 29, 1904 . He was then assigned to the 1st Torpedo Battalion as a company officer and served several times a week as an officer on watch on various large torpedo boats . On July 19, 1906, he was promoted to first lieutenant at sea . From October 1, 1906, Zander was first officer on the station yacht SMS Carmen and on October 1, 1908, he switched to the liner SMS Deutschland as an officer on watch . From September 15, 1910, Zander was again on duty as a company officer, this time with the 1st Torpedo Division and during this assignment also commanded two large torpedo boats (SMS S 131 from September 29, 1910 to January 3, 1911 and SMS S 128 from January 4, 1911 to August 6, 1913). During this period of service he was promoted to lieutenant captain on April 25, 1912 . From October 1, 1913 to June 30, 1914, Zander completed the first part of his training at the Naval Academy and was then put to use by the I. Naval Inspection .

In the meantime, the First World War had broken out and Zander took over the large torpedo boat SMS V 181 and later SMS V 183 of the 15th torpedo half-flotilla as commander . On November 20, 1915, he then switched to SMS V 47 of the Flanders torpedo boat flotilla . It was in this position at the latest that Zander learned how naval forces cooperate with seaplanes at the Flanders Marine Corps . In September 1917, Zander was appointed commander of the 2nd Destroyer Half Flotilla Flanders . In this position he also experienced the end of the war.

Imperial Navy

After the end of the war, Zander remained in the Navy and was briefly in command of the 1st Escort Half-Flotilla (December 1918 to March 1919), then the 1st Minesweeping Half-Flotilla (March and April 1919) and finally the 1st Minesweeping Half-Flotilla in the North Sea (April to July 1919). Then he was put to the use of the chief of the naval station of the North Sea and on March 8, 1920 promoted to corvette captain. From September 3, 1920, Zander was then used as a senior officer and from September 16 as a staff officer in the staff of the Naval School Mürwik . Subsequently, Zander was employed as head of the I. Torpedo Boat Flotilla in Swinoujscie from March 28, 1923 and on April 1, 1926, he was promoted to frigate captain . On September 27, 1926, Zander became Chief of Staff of the Torpedo and Mining Inspection (TMI) and was promoted to captain on October 1, 1928 during this period of service . He was then employed from September 20, 1929 as head of the air defense department of the naval command and from October 1, 1932 as inspector of torpedoes and mines in the Reichsmarine , at the same time he was promoted to rear admiral. In this position, which Zander held until March 31, 1934, he also took over the management of the inspection of the educational system of the Navy (BI) several times.

Change to the Air Force

With the rearmament , which began clandestinely in 1933 and then openly from 1935, naval forces were again deployed. Since he had gained experience with naval aviation associations from previous positions, Zander was transferred to the Sea Flight Research Institute (SEVERA) with effect from April 1, 1934 , a cover organization for the development of aircraft types required by the Navy and for the training of pilots who, together with the Lufthansa was operated. Zander acted as the head of the SEVERA location in Kiel-Holtenau , also known as the Luftamt . Under pressure from Hermann Göring (“Everything that flies is mine!”) It was foreseeable that the naval aviators would not become an independent part of the navy. Zander was therefore taken over into the Luftwaffe, founded on March 1, 1935, and was given the rank of major general on the same day . On April 1, 1935 he became the commanding general and commander of Luftkreiskommando VI (sea), which belonged to Luftflotte 2 and was promoted to lieutenant general at the same time . He was promoted to General der Flieger on October 1, 1936. From February 1, 1938, Zander was Commanding General of the Luftwaffe (See) before he retired on February 28, 1939. However, one day later it was made available to the Air Force.

Second World War

On March 28, 1941, Zander was reactivated and deployed as General der Flieger for special use (e.g. V.) at the command of Luftflotte 4 . After that he was from October 15, 1942 as Chief of Staff of the Air Force at the Fliegerführer Krim . Zander went on 31 March 1943 in pension, but came anyway on May 2, 1945 in Soviet captivity during which he died in the camp Leschnewo (in Ivanovo) on 3 February 1947th

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ At the beginning of the 20th century "torpedo divisions" were formed from which the crews of the torpedo boats were recruited. Because the expression "Torpedodivision" led to confusion with "Torpedo boots division", the latter have since been referred to as "Torpedobootshalbflotillen". See: Eberhard von Mantey : That was the old Navy. Berlin: Frundsberg 1935. p. 107.
  2. ↑ Franz Kurowski: Sea War from the Air - The German Sea Air Force in World War II. Publishing house ES Mittler & Sohn. Herford. 1979. ISBN 3-8132-0106-6 . Page 19.
  3. ↑ Franz Kurowski: Sea War from the Air - The German Sea Air Force in World War II. Publishing house ES Mittler & Sohn. Herford. 1979. ISBN 3-8132-0106-6 . Page 282.
personal data
SURNAME Zander, Konrad
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German rear admiral and general of the aviators
DATE OF BIRTH March 9, 1883
PLACE OF BIRTH Kolberg
DATE OF DEATH February 3, 1947
Place of death Leschnewo , Russia