Józef Unrug
Józef Unrug , born as Joseph Michael Hubert von Unruh (born October 7, 1884 in Brandenburg an der Havel , † February 28, 1973 in Lailly-en-Val near Beaugency , France ) was a senior Polish naval officer of German origin and between 1925 and 1939 Chief of the Polish Navy .
Life
Joseph Michael Hubert von Unruh (since 1919, as Józef Unrug) came from a Prussian officer family that had emerged from a branch of the German-Silesian noble family Unruh, which was Polonized in the 17th century . His father was Major General Thaddäus Gustav von Unruh (1834–1907). After attending a grammar school in Dresden , Unrug attended a cadet institute and on April 6, 1904, joined the Imperial Navy as a midshipman . As a first lieutenant at sea (since March 22, 1910) he was employed on board the large liner SMS Friedrich der Große , where he remained after the outbreak of the First World War . After a submarine training, he was transferred to the submarine weapon and he subsequently commanded SM UB 25 , SM UC 11 and SM UC 28 .
At the end of the war, Unrug left the Imperial Navy and joined the newly founded Polish Army , which soon commanded him to the Navy. First he served in the Navy's hydrological department and later was given command of a submarine flotilla. Unrug made a quick career and was soon promoted to Rear Admiral. Despite having problems with the Polish language, Unrug was appointed chief of the Polish Navy in 1925. He was the second highest naval officer in Poland and directly headed the navy. His headquarters as fleet chief was in Gdynia , then in Hel .
Shortly before the beginning of the Second World War , he ordered the initially controversial Beijing Plan . Before the fighting began, he had the three most powerful Polish surface units brought to Great Britain. At the same time he had the Danzig Bay mined and monitored by submarines. (→ Plan Worek ) Since the Wehrmacht did not attempt to land at sea, the mines failed and proved to be a failure. The remaining Polish surface units were initially able to successfully assert themselves against the Navy , but were completely destroyed within three days by the far superior air force , which is an indication that Unrug's order to rescue the large surface units was the strategically correct decision. However, under Unrug's command, the naval units were still able to hold some land bases. Only after the fall of Warsaw (September 28) and the Modlin Fortress (September 29) did Unrug give up the defensive struggle and on October 1, 1939 ordered the surrender of the positions on Hela . He was brought to Swinoujscie by sea captain Kurt Utke , whom he knew from the Imperial Navy, on the liner Silesia and, like over 900,000 other Polish soldiers, was taken prisoner of war. Unrug spent the rest of the war in various German prisoner-of-war camps. The German military tried to persuade the high-ranking old comrade from Germany and bearer of the Iron Cross to change sides several times, which would certainly have been a great propaganda success. High party officials and former brothers in arms from the First World War visited him several times. Unrug not only refused to cooperate, but demonstratively even refused to use the German language, even though it was the language he knew best. He insisted on the presence of an interpreter when negotiating with German officers. He said that he had "forgotten" the German language in September 1939.
After being liberated by US soldiers, Unrug went to Great Britain and served in the Polish Navy. After the Polish Navy disbanded in the West in 1947, Unrug stayed in Great Britain and later lived in France.
Józef Unrug died on February 28, 1973 at the age of 88 in a home for Polish veterans in Lailly en Val near Beaugency in France.
In 1976 a memorial plaque for Józef Unrug was unveiled in Oksywie near Gdynia and his ashes were transferred to Poland.
Career
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Imperial Navy
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Polish Navy
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Awards
- Virtuti Militari in Gold (highest military honor in Poland)
- Polonia Restituta (Order of Rebirth)
- Krzyż Zasługi z Mieczami in gold (Cross of Merit with Swords)
- Cross of Merit of the Republic of Poland in gold
- Iron Cross (1914) 2nd and 1st class
- Grand Officer of the French Legion of Honor
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ lexikon-deutschegenerale.de: Deutsche Generale until 1920
- ↑ Information from: Bodo Herzog: Deutsche U-Boats 1906–1966 . Karl Müller Verlag, Erlangen, 1999, ISBN 3-86070-036-7
- ^ Friedrich Ruge: In the coastal apron , JF Lehmann Verlag, Munich, 1974
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Unrug, Jozef |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Unrug, Józef Michał Hubert; Unruh, Joseph von; Unrug, Jozef |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German submarine commander in World War I, Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Navy at the beginning of World War II |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 7, 1884 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Brandenburg on the Havel |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 28, 1973 |
| Place of death | Lailly-en-Val near Beaugency , France |