Ulrich Kessler

Last updated • 4 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Ulrich Otto Eduard Kessler
Yank, The Army Weekly, Cover showing German Lt. Gen. Ulrich Kessler.jpg
Yank, the Army Weekly, Cover showing German Lt. Gen. Ulrich Kessler following capture in 1945.
Born3 November 1894
Danzig-Langfuhr, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Died27 March 1983(1983-03-27) (aged 88)
Bad Urach, West Germany
AllegianceFlag of the German Empire.svg  German Empire
Flag of Germany (3-2 aspect ratio).svg  Weimar Republic (to 1933)
Flag of Germany (1935-1945).svg  Nazi Germany
Service / branchWar Ensign of Germany 1903-1918.svg  Imperial German Navy
War Ensign of Germany (1921-1933).svg  Reichsmarine
War ensign of Germany (1938-1945).svg  Luftwaffe
Years of service1914–45
Rank General der Flieger
Commands Kampfgeschwader 1
Fliegerführer Atlantik
Battles / wars World War I

World War II

Awards Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Ulrich Otto Eduard Kessler (3 November 1894 – 27 March 1983) was a German general (General der Flieger) in the Luftwaffe during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, awarded by Nazi Germany to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Contents

Biography

Born in Danzig in 1894, he joined the Imperial German Navy in 1914 when World War I broke out and worked as a radio operator, serving both at sea and at a land-based radio station in Neumünster. He was aboard SMS Friedrich Carl when it sank in the Baltic Sea and was also wounded in January 1916 aboard SMS Lübeck. Kessler started seaplane training in the summer of 1916 and finished at the end of the year. He became naval aviator for the rest of the war after completing pilot training and later served as a seaplane squadron commander. After the war, he was a member of the Freikorps and later joined the Reichsmarine in 1923. Kessler returned to ship duty and served as a torpedo boat commander before completing a world cruise aboard the cruiser SMS Hamburg between 1925 and 1927. Kessler became the head of the Navy Air Service upon his return to Germany and attended the German Naval Academy at Mürwik. [1] He served as German Naval Attaché to the disarmament conference in Geneva, where he claimed to have befriended US Secretary of State Henry L. Stimson. [2]

In 1933 Kessler was reassigned to the German Air Ministry, and he resigned his commission as a Kapitanleutnant (Lieutenant) in the navy to become a Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel) in the new Luftwaffe (German Air Force). He held several staff positions in the 1930s before being considered by Hermann Göring, the commander of the Air Force, to become the air attaché in the United Kingdom. Because Kessler did not believe that Germany could easily win a war against the British, he got into a dispute with Göring, who removed him from consideration for the assignment in England. Instead, he became the commander of Kampfgeschwader 1 during the invasion of Poland, and later was the chief of staff for Luftflotte 1 and X Fliegerkorps. In 1944 Kessler was recalled to Berlin for training to be an air attaché. Kessler had been connected to the Stauffenberg assassination plot against Hitler, and feared that he could be investigated by the Gestapo. He was well acquainted with the Japanese naval attaché to Germany, Rear Admiral Hideo Kojima, who decided to help Kessler by requesting that Göring appoint him to replace the Luftwaffe attaché in Japan. [1]

In September 1944, the head of the Luftwaffe, Hermann Göring, assigned Kessler to be the Luftwaffe attaché at the German embassy in Japan. Kessler requested a larger liaison staff to be sent with him to create an expanded office of the Air Attaché in Japan, but this was not granted and he received only part of the staff he asked for. [3]

U-234 surrendering. U234 KptLt Fehler USS Sutton.jpg
U-234 surrendering.

Ulrich Kessler was captured on 15 May 1945 on board U-234, by a boarding party from the destroyer USS Sutton, when the German submarine surrendered on 14 May 1945 following Germany's unconditional surrender. He was returning to active duty as Chief of the Luftwaffe-Liaison-Staff Tokyo and Air-Attache at the German Embassy in Tokyo. On the voyage, according to Fehler, relations between Kessler and a convinced Nazi passenger, naval judge Kay Nieschling, became very strained. [4]

Awards and decorations

Citations

  1. 1 2 Joseph Scalia, Germany's Last Mission to Japan: The Failed Voyage of U-234, Naval Institute Press
  2. A.V. Sellwood The Warring Seas, Universal-Tandem Publishing 1972, p. 181.
  3. Joseph Scalia, Germany's Last Mission to Japan: The Failed Voyage of U-234, Naval Institute Press, pp. 7–8.
  4. A.V. Sellwood The Warring Seas, Universal-Tandem Publishing 1972, pp. 147-72.
  5. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 279.

Bibliography

Military offices
Preceded by
None
Commander of Kampfgeschwader 1
1 May 1939 – 17 December 1939
Succeeded by
Oberst Ernst Exss
Preceded by
Generalmajor Wilhelm Speidel
Chief of Staff of Luftflotte 1
19 December 1939 – 25 April 1940
Succeeded by
Oberst Heinz-Hellmuth von Wühlisch
Preceded by
Oberstleutnant Martin Harlinghausen
Chief of Staff of X. Fliegerkorps
25 April 1940 – 21 May 1940
Succeeded by
Generalleutnant Günther Korten
Preceded by
Generalmajor Wolfgang von Wild
Commander of Fliegerführer Atlantik
5 January 1942 – 1 April 1944
Succeeded by
None
Preceded by
Generalmajor Wolfgang von Gronau
German Air Attaché to Japan
Chief of Luftwaffe Liaison Staff Tokyo

January – May 1945
Succeeded by
None

Related Research Articles

Heinz Golinski was a German fighter pilot in the Luftwaffe during World War II and a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hans-Karl Stepp</span>

Hans-Karl Stepp was a German ground attack pilot and wing commander during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, a grade of the highest award in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfred Saalwächter</span> General Admiral of German Navy

Alfred Saalwächter was a high-ranking German U-boat commander during World War I and General Admiral during World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">August Thiele</span> German admiral (1893–1981)

August Thiele was an admiral during World War II and commander of the heavy cruiser Lützow. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilhelm Meisel</span>

Wilhelm Meisel was an Admiral of the Kriegsmarine of Nazi Germany during World War II and a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfred Bülowius</span> Nazi general (1892–1968)

Alfred Bülowius was a German general during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany.

Hermann Lukas Plocher was a German general during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves of Nazi Germany.

Friedrich Sixt was a German general during World War II who commanded several divisions. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves of Nazi Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hanns-Horst von Necker</span> Nazi major general (1903–1979)

Hanns-Horst von Necker was a highly decorated Generalmajor in the Luftwaffe during World War II who commanded the Fallschirm-Panzer Division 1 Hermann Göring. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Necker surrendered to British forces in 1945 and was interned until 1947.

Johannes Fink was a German general during World War II. He became a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany.

Hans-Joachim Heyer was a Luftwaffe ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Hans-Joachim Heyer was shot down near Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union on 9 November 1942. He was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross on 25 November 1942. During his career he was credited with 53 aerial victories, all of them on the Eastern Front.

Alfred Franke was a German Luftwaffe ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. On 9 September 1942, Alfred Franke was killed north of Stalingrad after dog-fighting with a Soviet Il-2 Shturmovik flown by Kapitan Pavel S. Vinogradov. He was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross on 29 October 1942 and was also promoted to Lieutenant. During his career he was credited with 60 aerial victories. 4 on the Western Front and 56 on the Eastern Front.

Hermann Wolf was a flying ace in the Luftwaffe and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. During his career he was credited with 57 aerial victories in 586 missions.

Johannes Hölz was a highly decorated Generalmajor in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Johannes Hölz was killed on 29 April 1945 during the retreat of 9. Armee during the Battle of Halbe.

Frank Neubert was a highly decorated Major in the Luftwaffe during World War II, and a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. He is believed to have been the first victor in aerial combat in World War II after shooting down Captain Mieczyslaw Medwecki's PZL P.11 in the early hours of 1 September 1939. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. During his career he was credited with participating in 350+ missions.

Günter Fink was a German Luftwaffe ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Günter Fink was killed on 15 May 1943 after engaging in aerial combat with B-17 bombers. During his career he was credited with 46 aerial victories, all on the Eastern Front.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josef Kociok</span> German World War II fighter pilot (1918–1943)

Josef Kociok was a German Luftwaffe pilot during World War II and a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. He was killed in an air collision.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hans-Georg Schierholz</span>

Hans-Georg Schierholz was a Bordfunker and Oberfeldwebel in the Luftwaffe night fighter force during World War II. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

Karl-Heinrich Schulz was a highly decorated Generalmajor in the Luftwaffe during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Karl-Heinrich Schulz was captured by Allied troops in May 1945 and was held until December 1947.

Herbert Schob was a Luftwaffe ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. During his career Herbert Schob was credited with 34 aerial victories, 6 in the Spanish Civil War and 28 during World War II.