Alfred Saalwächter

Alfred Saalwächter (10 January 1883 – 6 December 1945) was a high-ranking German U-boat commander during World War I and General Admiral during World War II.

Early life

Saalwächter was born in Neusalz an der Oder, Prussian Silesia, as the son of a factory manager. He entered the ''Kaiserliche Marine'' as a '' Seekadett'' on 10 April 1901, and was trained on and . On 29 September 1904 he was promoted to '' Leutnant zur See''. Saalwächter then served with '' Bordkommando'' units, first with the 2. Matrosen-Division, then on with the 2. Werft-Division. He was promoted to ''Oberleutnant zur See'' on 10 March 1906; until 1908, he served with the 2. Torpedo-Division as adjutant to the I. Abteilung. Saalwächter also served on .

Saalwächter served on in 1910 and later on as ''Flaggleutnant'' to Vice Admiral Hugo von Pohl, commander of the I. Marine-Geschwader. Saalwächter was promoted to ''Kapitänleutnant'' on 10 April 1911 and joined the admiralty in Berlin. He remained in the admiralty until 1915, with his last position there being head of the signal section in the operations department. In 1912 he received the Order of the Red Eagle.

World War I

On 1 April 1915 during World War I, Saalwächter became Flaggleutnant on , the flagship of the High Seas Fleet. In February 1916 he transferred to the U-boat service. After graduating from submarine school, he commanded , , and from September 1916 to March 1918. He was awarded for his success with the Iron Cross 1st Class and the Knight's Cross of the House Order of Hohenzollern.

Interwar era

In 1920, Saalwächter was named a ''Korvettenkapitän'' of the Provisional ''Reichsmarine''. He also served on as an admiralty officer. After a leave of absence, Saalwächter joined the Marineleitung in the Personnel Department on 17 May 1920. From 15 October 1923 till 31 March 1925 he served as 1. Asto in the staff of the Commander of Naval Forces. On 24 September 1926 he took command of the light cruiser , and, a year later, under promotion to ''Fregattenkapitän'' of the battleship . On 2 October 1933 Saalwächter was named inspector for naval instruction. During the following five years he had a strong influence on the development of the young officer corps. He was promoted to Vizeadmiral on 1 April 1935 and Admiral on 1 June 1937. Saalwächter was named Commanding Admiral of Naval Station North Sea at Wilhelmshaven, one of the highest positions in the Kriegsmarine at the time, on 28 October 1938.

On 2 March 1939, Saalwächter sent a report to the Naval High Command in which he openly discussed the acquisition of bases in Norway. The report stressed both the dangers to Germany of British dominance in Norwegian waters and the favourable change in the geo-strategic position that a German occupation of Norway would bring about.

World War II

With the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, Saalwächter received command of ''Marine-Gruppenkommando West'' and was responsible for operations in the North Sea, which led to disputes between himself and the fleet commanders, Vice Admirals Hermann Boehm, Wilhelm Marschall, and Günther Lütjens.

On 1 January 1940 Saalwächter was promoted to Generaladmiral. Along with Admiral Rolf Carls, Saalwächter had tactical command of Operation Weserübung, the invasion of Norway. He was recognized with the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 9 May 1940. Beginning in summer 1940, Saalwächter led German surface operations in the North Atlantic and the English Channel. In 1940, he directed E-Boat forces against British shipping during the '' Kanalkampf'' phase of the Battle of Britain in support of the Luftwaffe. Later, he oversaw naval movements such as Operation Cerberus in February 1942. On 20 September of that year, he was replaced as head of Navy Group West by Marschall, who was himself replaced by Theodor Krancke in April 1944. Saalwächter resigned from active service on 30 November 1942.

Saalwächter was imprisoned by the Soviet Union on 21 June 1945. He was convicted by a Soviet military tribunal of war crimes on 17 October and executed by firing squad in Moscow on 6 December. In 1994, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Saalwächter was formally exonerated by a Russian court.

Awards

* Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 9 May 1940 as General Admiral and Marine-Gruppenbefehlshaber Marinegruppe West
* German Cross in Gold on 14 December 1942 as General Admiral in Marinegruppenkommando WestPatzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 393.

References

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Saalwachter, Alfred
1883 births
1945 deaths
People from Nowa Sól
People from the Province of Silesia
Executed military leaders
Imperial German Navy personnel of World War I
Vice admirals of the Reichsmarine
General admirals of the Kriegsmarine
German people convicted of war crimes
People executed for war crimes
Overturned convictions
Executed German people
Recipients of the Gold German Cross
Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 4th class
U-boat commanders (Imperial German Navy)
Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class
Nazis executed by the Soviet Union by firing squad
People who have received posthumous pardons