Erich Raeder

Erich Raeder: Grand Admiral

Grand Admiral Erich Raeder, the architect of German naval power in World War II, was born in Wandsbek, Silesia, in 1876. Having entered the navy in 1894, Raeder soon showed a talent for writing and was placed on the staff of the German Navy League. By 1910 he was navigating officer aboard Kaiser Wilhelm the II's royal yacht. It was in this capacity that Raeder began to gain the confidence of Admiral Franz Hipper who later appointed him Chief of Staff when he took command of the Battle Cruiser Squadron.

During the great sea battle at Jutland one June 1, 1916, it was Raeder who convinced Admiral Hipper to shift his flag from the battered Lüzow to the Moltke. Lüzow had been hit by 24 British shells and her big guns were no longer operational. Raeder had participated in all the action of World War I under the leadership of the dashing and courageous Hipper. After the Treaty of Versailles, he contributed many volumes to the history of that war and in particular, German cruiser actions.

Between the World Wars, Raeder commanded the Light Forces in the North Sea and the Baltic Naval District. In 1928, he was promoted to supreme commander of the German Navy and held that post for 14 years. As the head of the navy, Admiral Raeder was sly and devious. He at once set out to circumvent the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles which limited the size of the navy and placed restrictions on the typers of ships which could be built.

The Treaty prohibited submarines. He built them anyway. Battleships were to be no more then 10,000 tons so he redesignated them as "pocket battleships" and made them much heavier than 10,000 tons. The Versailles Treaty was trashed when Hitler came to power in 1933 and Raeder found him to be a naval enthusiast somewhat in the same way as Kaiser Wilhelm II had been back in 1910. Germany began building very heavy ships and a great submarine fleet.

In his memoirs, entitled "Struggle For The Sea", Raeder admitted that his real intention in building a formiddable navy was to avenge the defeat of 1918 and bring England to her knees. His "Z Plan" of 1939, provided for all types of ships to be built. It included battleships, carriers, and submarines. Germany was in it for the long haul. Hitler however jumped into the mix a little ahead of schedule and Admiral Raeder's plan was upset. The fortunes of war for Raeder were linked to the surface fleet for about three and a half years and to the U-Boat fleet under Karl Doenity thereafter.

It was under Raeder that the great ships Bismark and Tirpitz, Gneisenau and Scharnhorst were put to sea. While the submarine fleet was becoming more of a menace, the surface raiders were a disappointment. All through 1942, Raeder fell from grace and even Herman Goering was calling for his removal. By November 1944, Raeder was no longer supreme commander of the Germany Navy. he had resigned. The failure of the big ships, the lack of aggressive spirit among the high command, and Hitler's falling confidence brought on the end.

At the end of World War II, Erich Raeder was captured by the Russians and later was convicted at Nuremberg for planning and waging an aggressive war. He was given life in prison but was released after nine years because of his age and poor health. Grand Admiral Erich Raeder died on November 6, 1960. Raeder will be remembered for his exceptional organizational and administrative skills which resulted in a German navy able to challenge British dominance at sea for a second time within a 40 year period.

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