Dönitz, Admiral Karl (1891–1980)

Abstract

Abstract Karl Dönitz was born in Berlin on September 16, 1891. He enlisted in the imperial German navy in 1910 as a sea cadet and became a midshipman the following year. In 1914 he was commissioned as a second lieutenant and was aboard the cruiser Breslau when she made her dash for Turkey with the battle cruiser Goeben. He requested a transfer to the U‐boat forces in 1916. His active submarine service occurred in the Mediterranean serving under the U‐boat ace Walter Forstmann. In February 1918, Dönitz received his first U‐boat command, UC‐25. After that his career took a turn for the worse while commanding another submarine. His boat was sunk and he was taken prisoner by the British. However, he had gained an appreciation for the dangerous potential of the submarine in naval warfare. Asked to remain in the German navy after the war, Dönitz claimed he did so only when assured that the navy once again would include U‐boats.