Walther Franz

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Walther Franz (born August 7, 1880 in Mülheim an der Ruhr , † January 19, 1956 in Schöningen ) was a German naval officer , most recently vice admiral in World War II .

Life

Franz joined the Imperial Navy as a cadet on April 7, 1897 and completed his basic training on the cruiser frigate SMS Charlotte . For further training he came on the cruiser frigate SMS Sophie, which was also used as a training ship, and then continued training in Mürwik until October 1, 1900 (see Sonwik ). Franz was then on board the tank corvette SMS Baden for a year, was promoted to lieutenant on September 23, 1900 and assigned to the East Asia Squadron. He was used as an officer on watch first on the small cruiser SMS Bussard , then on SMS Thetis . Here he became a first lieutenant at sea on July 15, 1902 . From June 20 to August 10, 1903, Franz was on his way home from East Asia and after his return was used as a company officer of the II Shipyard Division until September 30, 1903. He then came to the II. Sailor Artillery Department and was a company officer, adjutant and company commander until August 24, 1906 . For a short time a command was issued until September 30, 1906 to inspect the coastal artillery and the mines, before he was employed as a watch officer on the liner SMS Braunschweig for a year and there on April 27, 1907 became a lieutenant commander . Franz spent two more years on the liner SMS Mecklenburg . Franz came again as a company commander to the Second Sailor Artillery Department and on board the Braunschweig . This time as an artillery officer. He was then deployed in the same function on the large liner SMS Kaiser . He disembarked on August 25, 1913 and was transferred to the staff of the commander of the reconnaissance ships as 2nd Admiral Staff Officer. Here he became a corvette captain on March 22, 1914, and Franz stayed there after the outbreak of the First World War . From February 7, 1916, he was a 2nd admiral staff officer in the command of the high seas. Shortly before the end of the war, he was deployed as a commander on the small cruiser SMS Königsberg .

After he had given up command on March 5, 1919, he acted as battalion commander in the Kiel Volunteer Regiment . Franz then worked from October 1, 1919 as artillery and navigation director at the Reichswerft (from March 14, 1920 naval shipyard) Wilhelmshaven and in the meantime was promoted to frigate captain on March 8, 1920 and to sea captain on October 1, 1921 . At the same time, Franz appeared as a liaison officer for the Naval Peace Commission. From May 19, 1923 to October 3, 1928 he had the post of senior shipyard director at the naval shipyard and was promoted to Rear Admiral on April 1, 1927 in this capacity . On October 11th he was appointed Commander of the Naval Forces of the North Sea and 2nd Admiral of the Liner Division and shortly afterwards on December 1st, 1928 he was promoted to Vice Admiral. From January 1, 1930, Franz acted as commander of the ships of the line. He was relieved of his post on February 27 and retired from the Navy on March 31, 1930.

On May 24, 1939, Franz was made available to the Navy . Franz was deployed from September 3 to September 28, 1941 as Reich Commissioner at the Prisenhof Wilhelmshaven and at the disposal of the commanding admiral of the North Sea naval station . Then he was until May 17, 1944 chief of the naval printed matter administration in the high command of the navy . Franz was finally retired on May 31, 1944.

Awards

literature

  • Hans H. Hildebrand and Ernest Henriot: Germany's Admirals 1849-1945. Volume 1: A – G (Ackermann to Gygas). Biblio, Osnabrück 1988, ISBN 3-7648-2480-8 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k Ranking list of the German Reichsmarine , Ed .: Reichswehrministerium , Mittler & Sohn , Berlin 1929, p. 39.
personal data
SURNAME Franz, Walther
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German naval officer, most recently vice admiral in World War II
DATE OF BIRTH August 7, 1880
PLACE OF BIRTH Mülheim an der Ruhr
DATE OF DEATH January 19, 1956
Place of death Schöningen