Richard Eckermann

Richard Eckermann

Henry Paul Christian Richard Eckermann (* 1862 in Ratzeburg ; † 13. January 1916 in Kiel ) was a German naval officer , most recently Vice Admiral in the First World War .

Life

Eckermann was the fourth child of the secret Judicial Councilor Karl Heinrich Rudolf Eckermann (1824–1904) and his wife Marie, b. Prehn (1840–1873) was born in Ratzeburg. In 1864 his parents moved to Flensburg and in 1867 to Kiel. From 1869 to 1881 he attended the Kiel School of Academics, where he graduated from high school in 1881. Growing up in the naval city of Kiel, he decided to become a naval officer and joined the Navy as a cadet on April 12, 1881.

He received his first military training on the ships SMS Niobe , SMS Mars and SMS Friedrich der Große as well as at the naval school in Kiel. After his appointment as a sea ​​cadet , he was assigned to the SMS Leipzig , with which he made a two-year trip around the world, which led to East Asia . Returning from this voyage, he was promoted to lieutenant at sea in November 1884 and assigned to the officers' course at the naval school.

This was followed by a series of shorter commands on ships of the school squadron, with which Eckermann et al. a. Made trips to the West Indies and the Mediterranean as well as the North Atlantic . He then made a year and a half trip on the SMS Ariadne to North and South America and the West Indies. This was followed by a longer command in the naval detachment and the artillery examination commission in Berlin . During this time he was temporarily in command of the torpedo boat V 6 , with which he went via the Elbe , Havel and Spree to Berlin and Potsdam and was there "at the disposal" of the emperor. In this position he had u. a. to fire a torpedo in front of the imperial family on the Havel lakes, and he received his first order, the Order of the Crown, IV Class, personally presented by the Crown Prince.

The Berlin command was followed by a series of shorter commands on ships of the school squadron, in the sailor division and in the torpedo department in Wilhelmshaven , as chief officer on the SMS Bremse who provided fishery protection in the North Sea , and as commander on various torpedo boats in the school and military Divisions.

In April 1894 Eckermann was promoted to lieutenant captain and took the steamer Munich to South America to serve as a navigational officer on the SMS Arcona and then on the SMS Marie . He spent a total of 1½ years on both ships and visited South America and East Asia.

After returning home, Eckermann became a company commander in the III. Marine artillery department in Lehe near Bremerhaven . In 1897 he married Marie Luise Stadtlander, daughter of the Royal Prussian Vice Consul, ship owner and shipbroker Johann Stadtlander and his wife Rebecca.

In the following years he received commands in the Reichsmarineamt in Berlin and as 1st officer on the SMS Aegir . From March 1902 to June 1903 he was in command of the SMS Panther . The first trip with this ship led up the Rhine to Düsseldorf for the world exhibition. Then it went to the West Indies and South America, where the ship sank the Haitian gunboat Crête-à-Pierrot , which had hijacked a German steamer, participated in the blockade of Venezuela and carried out a lengthy artillery battle with the Venezuelan Fort St. Carlos.

From 1903 to 1906 Eckermann was again assigned to the Reichsmarineamt in Berlin. From 1906 to 1907 he was in command of SMS Brandenburg , from 1907 to 1908 in command of SMS Braunschweig and from 1908 to 1910 in command of SMS Schwaben . In the autumn of 1910 he was appointed chief shipyard director of the Kaiserliche Werft Wilhelmshaven , a position he held until March 1914. From March to August 1914 he was inspector of torpedoes in Kiel. Shortly after the beginning of the First World War, from August 12, 1914 to August 31, 1914, Eckermann was chief of the VI. Squadron. On October 13, 1914, he became Vice Admiral . From September 12, 1914 to February 3, 1915 he was Chief of Staff of the High Seas Fleet. He lost this post as did his superior Friedrich von Ingenohl due to repeated failures of the Imperial Navy against the British Grand Fleet . From February 16 to June 19, 1915 he was chief of the 1st Squadron.

Due to a serious illness, Eckermann was made available on July 10, 1915. He died in Kiel on January 13, 1916, one day after receiving the Iron Cross, First Class.

Eckermann was an unconditional supporter of the offensive, and the restraint exercised by the German fleet at the time weighed heavily on him. He worked tirelessly to bring about a change here. The first offensive undertakings of the fleet, the bombardment of the English coast, were due to his initiative. He was a special confidante of the Grand Admiral von Tirpitz and as early as 1914 an advocate of unrestricted submarine warfare.

Eckermann was married and had two children.

Promotions

• April 12, 1881 Entry into service as a cadet
• May 16, 1882 Naval Cadet
• November 21, 1884 Second Lieutenant at sea. Among other things, watch officer on SMS Brummer and SMS Leipzig .
• June 20, 1887 Lieutenant at sea . Various assignments as watch officer, courses in torpedo, mine detection and demolition service.

First command of the school torpedo boat S 23 .

• April 13, 1894 Lieutenant Commander. Navigation officer on SMS Marie , SMS Arcona .
• September 23, 1899 Detached from the Navy's Admiralty Staff.
• March 21, 1901 Corvette Captain , 1902–1903 Commander SMS Panther .
• January 27, 1905 frigate captain
• 7th July 1906 sea ​​captain . Commander SMS Brandenburg , SMS Braunschweig and SMS Schwaben .
• September 30, 1910 - February 24, 1914 Chief Shipyard Director of the Kaiserliche Werft Wilhelmshaven.
• January 27, 1911 Rear Admiral . Inspector of torpedoes in Kiel and chief of the training squadron until April 29, 1914.
• After the beginning of the First World War from August 12, 1914 - August 31, 1914 squadron commander of the VI. Squadron.
• Vice Admiral October 13, 1914
• September 12, 1914 - February 3, 1915 Chief of Staff of the High Seas Fleet.
• February 16, 1915 - June 19, 1915 Squadron commander of the 1st Squadron.

Remarks

1. ↑ Werner Rahn: The influence of radio reconnaissance. 2011, p. 22.

literature

• Military personnel form for Vice Admiral Richard Eckermann (1862-1916)
• R. Eckermann's diaries in the family estate
• Hans H. Hildebrand and Ernest Henriot: Germany's Admirals 1849-1945. The military careers of naval, engineering, medical, weapons and administrative officers with admiral rank. Volume 3, Biblio-Verlag Osnabrück, 1988
• Werner Rahn : The influence of radio reconnaissance. In: Winfried Heinemann (Ed.): Leadership and means of leadership ( Potsdam writings on military history. 14). Military History Research Office , Potsdam 2011, ISBN 978-3-941571-14-3 , OCLC 812193913 .

Web links

• The Imperial German Marine Officer Corps 1914/18
• Commanders of the High Seas Fleet Battle Squadrons 1914–1918
• IMPERIAL GERMAN NAVY 1897–1918
• I Scouting Group