Bernhard Rogge (4 November 1899 – 29 June 1982) was a German naval officer who, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, commanded a

merchant raider Merchant raiders are armed commerce raiding ships that disguise themselves as non-combatant merchant vessels. History Germany used several merchant raiders early in World War I (1914–1918), and again early in World War II (1939–1945). The cap ...

. Later, he became a

Konteradmiral ''Konteradmiral'', abbreviated KAdm or KADM, is the second lowest naval flag officer rank in the German Navy. It is equivalent to ''Generalmajor'' in the '' Heer'' and ''Luftwaffe'' or to '' Admiralstabsarzt'' and '' Generalstabsarzt'' in the ' ...

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...

. Rogge became a ''

Vizeadmiral (abbreviated VAdm) is a senior naval flag officer rank in several German (language), German-speaking countries, equivalent to Vice admiral. Austria-Hungary In the Austro-Hungarian Navy there were the flag-officer ranks ''Kontreadmiral'' (al ...

'' (vice-admiral) by the end of World War II, and, when the

West German West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

navy was established after the war, returned to service as a ''Konteradmiral'' (rear-admiral). He also was one of the few German officers of

flag rank A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark the position from which the officer exercises command. The term is used differently in different countries: *In many countries ...

who was not arrested by the Allies after the war. This was due to the way he had exercised his command of .

Early life

Rogge was born in

Schleswig The Duchy of Schleswig ( da, Hertugdømmet Slesvig; german: Herzogtum Schleswig; nds, Hartogdom Sleswig; frr, Härtochduum Slaswik) was a duchy in Southern Jutland () covering the area between about 60 km (35 miles) north and 70 km ...

, the son of a

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

minister, and was himself devoutly religious.

Military career

* 1915 — joins the

Imperial German Navy The Imperial German Navy or the Imperial Navy () was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly for coast defence. Kaise ...

as a volunteer * After

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 ...

— serves on various cruisers * Mid-1930s to 1939 — commander of the sail training ship SSS ''Albert Leo Schlageter'' * September 1939 — assigned to the ** Mid-December 1939 — ''Atlantis'' is formally commissioned ** 31 March 1940 — ''Atlantis'' sets out to sea ** 11 November 1940 — ''Atlantis'' scuttles British cargo ship near Sumatra after retrieving top secret documents for which the Japanese government would reward Rogge with an ornate

katana A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the '' tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge f ...

in April 1943 ** 22 November 1941 — ''Atlantis'' is sunk by **15 Apr 1942- Chief of Staff to Inspector of Training Affairs **1 March 1943- promoted to Konteradmiral and Inspector of Training Affairs **20 Sept 1944- Cdr Fleet Training Formations **1 March 1945- promoted to Vizeadmiral * After

— discharged * 1 June 1957 — enters the post-World War II

Bundesmarine The German Navy (, ) is the navy of Germany and part of the unified ''Bundeswehr'' (Federal Defense), the German Armed Forces. The German Navy was originally known as the ''Bundesmarine'' (Federal Navy) from 1956 to 1995, when ''Deutsche Mari ...

with the rank of Konteradmiral ** 1 June 1957 – 29 September 1957 — delegated with the Command of Military Area Command I ** 30 September 1957 – 31 March 1962 — Commander of Military Area Command I ** 15 April 1958 – 31 March 1962 — at the same time,

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

Commander of Land Forces in

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sc ...

(COMLAND-SCHLESWIG) * 31 March 1962 — retires from the German Bundesmarine as a

Assessment

J. Armstrong White, captain of the British merchant ship

City of Bagdad The SS ''City of Bagdad'' was a British merchant ship built for the Ellerman Lines that was captured and sunk by the German raider ''Atlantis'' on 11 July 1940. The crew were kept prisoner for 107 days on the ''Atlantis'' before transferring to ...

, which ''Atlantis'' sank in July 1940, stated, "His treatment of prisoners left respect, instead of hatred". White later wrote the foreword to ''Atlantis, the Story of a German Surface Raider'', written by U. Mohr & A. V. Sellwood. Admiral Karl Dönitz, who was prosecuted for war crimes at the

Nuremberg Trials The Nuremberg trials were held by the Allies against representatives of the defeated Nazi Germany, for plotting and carrying out invasions of other countries, and other crimes, in World War II. Between 1939 and 1945, Nazi Germany invaded m ...

, cited his own support of Rogge, who had a Jewish grandparent, in an effort to clear himself of the charge of being antisemitic. Rogge confirmed the death sentence of the 21-year-old sailor Johann Christian Süß. Süß was sentenced to death on 10 May 1945, two days after the German capitulation, for "undermining the discipline" and "disruptive speeches" based on paragraph 5 numeral 2 of the ''Kriegssonderstrafrechtsverordnung'' (KSSVO—Special War Criminal Regulation). Süß was executed by firing squad on 11 May 1945.

Awards

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia es ...

(1914) 2nd and 1st ClassThomas 1998, p. 222. * General Honor Decoration *

Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 The Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 (german: Das Ehrenkreuz des Weltkrieges 1914/1918), commonly, but incorrectly, known as the Hindenburg Cross or the German WWI Service Cross was established by Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg, Presiden ...

(7 November 1934)Dörr 1996, p. 180. *

War Merit Cross The War Merit Cross (german: Kriegsverdienstkreuz) was a state decoration of Nazi Germany during World War II. By the end of the conflict it was issued in four degrees and had an equivalent civil award. A " de-Nazified" version of the War Meri ...

2rd Class with Swords *

Wehrmacht Long Service Award The Wehrmacht Long Service Award () was a military service decoration of Nazi Germany issued for satisfactory completion of a number of years in military service. History On 16 March, 1936, Adolf Hitler ordered the institution of a service awar ...

, 4th to 1st Class * Italian

Bronze Medal of Military Valor The Bronze Medal of Military Valor ( it, Medaglia di bronzo al valor militare) is an Italian medal for gallantry. It was established by Charles Albert of Sardinia on 26 March 1833, along with the higher ranking Gold and Silver Medals for Military ...

(''Medaglia di bronzo al Valore Militare'') (25 September 1941) *

Japanese sword A is one of several types of traditionally made swords from Japan. Bronze swords were made as early as the Yayoi period (1000 BC – 300 AD), though most people generally refer to the curved blades made from the Heian period (794 – 1185) to ...

(27 April 1942) *

Clasp to the Iron Cross The Clasp to the Iron Cross (Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz) was a white metal medal clasp displayed on the uniforms of German Wehrmacht personnel who had been awarded the Iron Cross in World War I, and who again qualified for the decoration in World W ...

(1939) 2nd and 1st Class *

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. The Knight' ...

** Knight's Cross on 7 December 1940 as ''

Kapitän zur See Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The rank is equal to the army rank of colonel and air force rank of group captain. Equivalent ranks worldwide include ...

'' and commander of auxiliary cruiser ''Atlantis'' (HSK 2) ** Oak Leaves on 31 December 1941 as ''Kapitän zur See'' and commander of HSK 2 auxiliary cruiser ''Atlantis'' (Ship 16) * Auxiliary Cruiser Badge with diamonds. * Commanders Cross,

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...

(31 March 1962)

Works

*Rogge, Bernhard, and Wolfgang Frank. ''Under Ten Flags''. New York: Ballantine, 1960; which is a translation of ''Schiff 16''.Rogge, Bernhard, and Wolfgang Frank. ''Under Ten Flags''. New York: Ballantine, 1960.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rogge, Bernhard 1899 births 1982 deaths People from Schleswig, Schleswig-Holstein Military personnel from the Province of Schleswig-Holstein Vice admirals of the Kriegsmarine Bundesmarine admirals German Christians Recipients of the Bronze Medal of Military Valor Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class Imperial German Navy personnel of World War I Reichsmarine personnel Counter admirals of the German Navy 20th-century Freikorps personnel