(Photo courtesy of Gareth Collins)

Vizeadmiral Wilhelm Meendsen-Bohlken
Born: 25 Jun 1897 in Brake, Oldenburg
Died: 20 Aug 1985 in Cologne (K�ln)
Promotions:
F�hnrich zur See (18 Sep 1915); Leutnant zur See (13 Jan 1917); Oberleutnant zur See (10 Jan 1921); Kapit�nleutnant (01 May 1927); Korvettenkapit�n (01 Oct 1934); Fregattenkapit�n (01 Oct 1937); Kapit�n zur See (01 Oct 1939); Konteradmiral (01 Feb 1943); Vizeadmiral (01 Jun 1944)
Career:
Entered the Navy as a War-Volunteer with Aspiring-Officer-Service with the I. Sailor-Division (04 Jan 1915-03 Jan 1915)
On Board the Heavy Cruiser �Freya� (04 Feb 1915-19 Mar 1915)
On Board the Liner �Hessen� (20 Mar 1915-21 Dec 1916)
On Board the Liner �Schlesien� (22 Dec 1916-14 Aug 1917)
Navigation-Course at the Naval-School in M�rwik (15 Aug 1917-17 Nov 1917)
Submarine-Training (18 Nov 1917-02 Dec 1917)
Submarine-Training at the Submarine-School (03 Dec 1917-15 Jan 1918)
Course at the Mine-Battalion (18 Jan 1918-24 Jan 1918)
Watch-Officer on �U 80� of the I. Submarine-Flotilla (28 Jan 1918-06 Mar 1918)
Attended Courses (07 Mar 1918-03 Jun 1918)
Watch-Officer on the Submarine �U 117� (04 Jun 1918-23 Nov 1918)
Placed to the Disposal of the I. Submarine-Flotilla then of the Inspection of Submarine-Affairs and Granted Leave (24 Nov 1918-27 Mar 1919)
Discharged to the Reserves (27 Mar 1919-01 Aug 1919)
Reserve-Watch-Officer on the Torpedo-Boat �V 116� (01 Aug 1919-10 Nov 1919)
Reactivated as Watch-Officer on the Torpedo-Boat �V 116� (11 Nov 1919-16 Mar 1920)
Watch-Officer with the I. Baltic-Sea-Minesweeper-Flotilla (17 Mar 1920-31 Aug 1920)
Watch-Officer with the 1st Half-Flotilla (01 Sep 1920-09 Oct 1923)
At the same time, Fleet-Adjutant (19 Feb 1923-09 Oct 1923)
Naval-Signals-Officer Swinem�nde and Stolpm�nde and also Sea-Transport-Representative Swinem�nde (10 Oct 1923-20 Sep 1924)
Adjutant of Coastal-Defence-Battalion I (21 Sep 1924-14 Jan 1926)
Watch, Torpedo and Divisions Officer with the II. Torpedo-Boat-Flotilla (15 Jan 1926-22 Sep 1926)
Torpedo-Boat-Commandant with the 4th Torpedo-Boat-Half-Flotilla (23 Sep 1926-26 Sep 1928)
Flag-Lieutenant of the II. Torpedo-Boat-Flotilla (27 Sep 1928-30 Sep 1929)
At the same time, Commandant of the Torpedo-Boat �Seeadler� (27 Sep 1928-15 Nov 1928)
At the same time, Commandant of the Torpedo-Boat �Wolf� (15 Nov 1928-30 Sep 1929)
Subsidiary-Leadership-Course (01 Oct 1929-31 Mar 1931)
Advisor in the Air Protection Group, Naval Command (01 Apr 1931-26 Sep 1933)
Chief of the 3rd Torpedo-Boat-Half-Flotilla (27 Sep 1933-02 Oct 1935)
Detached to the Wehrmacht-Academy (03 Oct 1935-24 Aug 1936)
1st Admiral-Staff-Officer in the Staff of the Commander of Reconnaissance Forces (25 Aug 1936-15 May 1938)
Chief of the Armament Economy Department, Military Economy Staff, OKW (16 May 1938-11 Jun 1941)
Commandant of the Heavy Cruiser �Admiral Scheer� (12 Jun 1941-28 Nov 1942)
Naval-Commander Tunisia (29 Nov 1942-04 Mar 1943)
Commander of the German Naval-Command Italy (05 Mar 1943-17 May 1943)
Placed to the Disposal of the Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine then of Naval-Group North, Fleet (18 May 1943-12 Aug 1943)
Commander of the German Naval-Command Italy (13 Aug 1943-16 Jul 1944)
Fleet-Chief, Fleet Command (31 Jul 1944-23 May 1945)
In Captivity (23 May 1945-05 Dec 1946)
Released (05 Dec 1946)

Decorations & Awards:
- Ritterkreuz (212): am 15.05.1944 als Konteradmiral und Befehlshaber deutsches Marine-Kommando Italien
- Deutsches Kreuz in Gold: 15.09.1943 als Konteradmiral und Befehlshaber deutsches Marine-Kommando Italien
- 1914 EK I: 30.12.1919
- 1914 EK II: 01.07.1916
- Grossherzoglich Oldenburgisches Friedrich August-Kreuz II. Klasse: 19.11.1917
- Grossherzoglich Oldenburgisches Friedrich August-Kreuz I. Klasse
- U-Bootskriegsabzeichen, 1918: 00.10.1918
- Ehrenkreuz f�r Frontk�mpfer 1914/1918
- Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung IV. bis II. Klasse
- Komturkreuz des Kgl. Spanisch-Marokkanischen Medauiaordens: 13.05.1938
- Spange zum EK I: 30.08.1942
- Spange zum EK II: 10.06.1942
- Kriegsverdienstkreuz I. Klasse mit Schwertern
- Kriegsverdienstkreuz II. Klasse mit Schwertern
- Komturkreuz des Kgl. Italien. Ordens der Krone: 11.03.1941
- Flottenkriegsabzeichen: 29.11.1942
- Wehrmachtbericht: 05.10.1943
- �rmelband �Afrika�: 00.00.1943


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