Walther Oehler

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Walther Oehler (born January 3, 1888 in Berlin-Lichterfelde ; † July 6, 1968 in Munich ) was a German naval officer , most recently Rear Admiral of the Navy in World War II .

Career

Imperial Navy and First World War

Oehler joined the Imperial Navy on April 1, 1908 as a midshipman . He completed the basic training and then the basic training by March 31, 1909 on the large cruiser SMS Freya used as a training ship . On April 10, 1909, he was appointed ensign at sea . He then came to the naval school in Flensburg - Mürwik for further training and, from April 1, 1909, completed special courses in artillery, infantry and torpedo. From September 29, 1910, Oehler was on duty on the large liner SMS Rheinland and was promoted to lieutenant on September 27, 1911 .

On October 1, 1913, Oehler traveled to Tsingtau and took over the post of guard and artillery officer on the gunboat SMS Iltis from November 14th . In this position he experienced the outbreak of the First World War . When SMS Iltis was formally decommissioned in Tsingtau on August 7th, Oehler was given a command as commander and company officer of fortress battery 14 Moltke of the German defense troops during the siege of Tsingtau . On September 19, 1914 he was promoted to lieutenant at sea . After the surrender of the German troops to the Imperial Japanese Army on November 7, 1914, Oehler was taken prisoner by Japan . He was initially imprisoned in Tokyo- Asakusa camp and transferred to Narashino camp on September 7, 1915 . He was dismissed in December 1919 and promoted to lieutenant captain on January 30, 1920 ; the patent for his rank was dated April 28, 1918.

On August 28, 1920, Oehler left the German Navy and joined the police service of the Dutch colony of the Dutch East Indies . In 1922 he was deployed as a second class police superintendent in Jakarta .

Reichsmarine and Kriegsmarine

On October 1, 1932, Oehler was hired as a civilian employee of the naval artillery inspection in the Reichsmarine . From October 1, 1933, he served as a course leader at the Coastal Artillery School (KAS) in Wilhelmshaven and was promoted to frigate captain ( L-officer ) exactly one year later . On April 1, 1938, he was promoted to sea captain ( E-Officer ) and from October 21 of the same year he was employed as a naval advisor to the replacement department in Königsberg . Oehler retained this position until the outbreak of World War II and shortly thereafter, on September 7, 1939, he became the commander of the 5th Marine Artillery Replacement Battalion. This was followed by a few brief commands as the commander of various marine anti-aircraft sections on the North Sea coast , before Oehler took over the Marine Flak Regiment II in Wilhelmshaven on May 26, 1940 . On May 1, 1942, the unit was renamed Marine Flak Brigade II . Oehler remained in command and was appointed Rear Admiral on October 1, 1942. From December 14, 1943 to April 20, 1944, Oehler was in command of the Bergen Sea Defense . On April 21, Oehler was seriously wounded and remained in the hospital until August 29, 1944 . Then he was put to use by the Commander of the Naval High Command in the Baltic Sea . On January 31, 1945 he retired from the naval service. Oehler spent his retirement in Munich, where he died in 1968.

Awards

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Oehler, Walther
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German rear admiral
DATE OF BIRTH January 3, 1888
PLACE OF BIRTH Berlin-Lichterfelde
DATE OF DEATH July 6, 1968
Place of death Munich