Adolf von Trotha (1 March 1868 – 11 October 1940) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

in the ''

Kaiserliche Marine {{italic title The adjective ''kaiserlich'' means "imperial" and was used in the German-speaking countries to refer to those institutions and establishments over which the ''Kaiser'' ("emperor") had immediate personal power of control. The term wa ...

''. After the German revolution he briefly served as the first ''Chef der Admiralität'', which replaced the imperial ''

Reichsmarineamt The Imperial Naval Office (german: Reichsmarineamt) was a government agency of the German Empire. It was established in April 1889, when the German Imperial Admiralty was abolished and its duties divided among three new entities: the Imperial Na ...

''. After supporting the

Kapp-Lüttwitz Putsch The Kapp Putsch (), also known as the Kapp–Lüttwitz Putsch (), was an attempted coup against the German national government in Berlin on 13 March 1920. Named after its leaders Wolfgang Kapp and Walther von Lüttwitz, its goal was to undo the ...

of March 1920 he resigned his post.

Family

Trotha was born 1 March 1868 at Koblenz, at the time part of the Rhine Province of the Kingdom of Prussia. Trotha was the third son of Karl von Trotha (1834–1870), who was killed in the Franco-Prussian War, when his son was only two years old. Trotha married Anna von Veltheim (15 January 1877 – 8 August 1964) on 4 June 1902, the daughter of Fritz von Veltheim and Elizabeth von Krosigk.

Military career/development

Trotha entered the Imperial Navy in 1886 as an officer candidate and was promoted to ''

Leutnant zur See ''Leutnant zur See'' (''Lt zS'' or ''LZS'') is the lowest officer rank in the German Navy. It is grouped as OF1 in Ranks and insignia of officers of NATO Navies, NATO, equivalent to an Ensign (rank), Ensign in the United States Navy, and an Acti ...

'' in 1891. He served as a commander of the torpedo boat ''D3'' and as a navigations officer on the small cruiser SMS ''Seeadler''. In 1900 he was a staff officer at

Tientsin Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popul ...

. From 1914 to 1918, Trotha served in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. In 1916 he became Chief of Staff of the

High Seas Fleet The High Seas Fleet (''Hochseeflotte'') was the battle fleet of the German Imperial Navy and saw action during the First World War. The formation was created in February 1907, when the Home Fleet (''Heimatflotte'') was renamed as the High Seas ...

. As ''Chef der Admiralität'' from March 1919 Trotha was a (non-voting) ex-officio member of the first two cabinets of the

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional federal republic for the first time in history; hence it is al ...

, the

Scheidemann cabinet The Scheidemann cabinet (German: ''Kabinett Scheidemann'') was the first democratically elected ''Reichsregierung'' of the German Reich. It took office on 13 February 1919. Although the Weimar Constitution was not in force yet, it is generally ...

and the Bauer cabinet from March 1919 until March 1920. In March 1920, he supported the failed

Kapp Putsch The Kapp Putsch (), also known as the Kapp–Lüttwitz Putsch (), was an attempted coup against the German national government in Berlin on 13 March 1920. Named after its leaders Wolfgang Kapp and Walther von Lüttwitz, its goal was to undo the ...

and resigned his post.Bird, Keith ''Weimar, the German Naval Officer Corps and the Rise of National Socialism'', Grüner, 1977, page 69. Trotha was the head of the '' Grossdeutscher Jugendbund'' and the ''Sudetendeutscher Heimatbund''. In 1934 he became the president of the '' Deutscher Flottenverein''. After his death on 11 October 1940 a state funeral was held in Berlin.

Honours and awards

References

External links

* 1868 births 1940 deaths Military personnel from Koblenz People from the Rhine Province Counter admirals of the Imperial German Navy German National People's Party politicians Imperial German Navy admirals of World War I Admirals of the Kriegsmarine Vice admirals of the Reichsmarine Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class) Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class Recipients of the Military Merit Cross (Mecklenburg-Schwerin), 1st class Officers Crosses of the Military Merit Order (Bavaria) {{germany-navy-bio-stub