Karlgeorg Schuster

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Karlgeorg Schuster
Karlgeorg Schuster, 1943.jpg
Until the early 1930, Schuster signed as Carl, later Karl, afterwards he signed as Karlgeorg.
Birth name Carl Georg Wilhelm Otto Schuster
Birth date 19 August 1886
Place of birth Uelzen, Province of Hanover, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Death date 16 June 1973 (aged 86)
Place of death Kitzeberg, Schleswig-Holstein, West Germany
Allegiance  German Empire
 Weimar Republic
 National Socialist Germany
Service/branch  Kaiserliche Marine
 Reichsmarine
 Kriegsmarine
Years of service 1905–1943/45
Rank Admiral
Battles/wars World War I
World War II
Awards German Cross in Gold
Relations ∞ 1921 Lotte Meyer-Leverkus

Karl Georg "Karlgeorg" Wilhelm Otto Schuster (earlier Carl; 19 August 1886 – 16 June 1973) was a German naval officer, finally Admiral of the Kriegsmarine in World War Two. As a U-Boot ace of the seas and first commandant of SM U 60 (1 November 1916 to 31 October 1917) in WWI, Lieutenant Captain Schuster sank 35 ships with a total of 75,721 GRT and damaged another ship with 283 GRT during his enemy patrols (Feindfahrten).[1]

Life

Schuster as an officer of the Reichsmarine
Naval officers and former crew members of SM U 35 from left: Rear Admiral (Ing.) Hans Fechter, Corvette Captain (Ing.) Wilhelm Johannsen, First Lieutenant (ret.) Otto Albert Erwin de Terra and Rear Admiral Karlgeorg Schuster (an unknown civilian in the middle) at the commissioning of the new U 35 in November 1936.
Karlgeorg Schuster (BArch PERS 62475).jpg
Karlgeorg Schuster (awards).jpg
Ehrendolch der Marine für Admiral Karlgeorg Schuster.jpg

From 1892 to 1905, Schuster attended elementary school and Realgynasium in Uelzen where he achieved his Abitur in March 1905. Schuster joined the Imperial Navy as an officer candidate on 1 April 1905 and completed his basic training on the cruiser frigate SMS "Stein". He then attended the Naval School in Mürwik. On 1 October 1908, he boarded the large cruiser SMS "Gneisenau," with which he transferred to the East Asia Squadron. Schuster returned to Germany on 14 November 1911, was assigned to the Torpedo Inspectorate, and completed submarine training. From 30 December 1911 to 29 September 1913, he served as watch officer on the submarine U-4.

He continued in the same capacity, continuing until 4 October 1914, after the outbreak of the First World War, on the light cruiser SMS "Straßburg." He was then briefly assigned to the torpedo divisional boat D-5 for information and, from 3 November 1914 to 28 May 1915, he served as watch officer on U-35. Until 15 September 1916, Schuster served first as an instructor, then as commandant of the torpedo division boat D 6, which belonged to the submarine school. At the end of September 1916, he spent a month receiving the construction instructions for U 60 at AG Weser and became the first commandant of the submarine after its commissioning on 1 November 1916. Schuster then relinquished command and returned to the submarine school once more, this time as an instructor and second adjutant.

Reichsmarine

At the end of the war, Schuster was initially at the disposal of the Submarine Inspectorate, then was taken over by the Reichsmarine and employed in the staff of the Baltic Sea Naval Station. From 1 October 1929 to 18 September 1931, he served in the Fleet Department (A II) of the Naval Command Office of the Naval High Command. From 19 September 1931, he served as an instructor in the Führergehilfenausbildung (covert general staff officer training) of the Navy. From 27 September 1933 to 28 February 1935, Schuster served as commander of the battleship "Schleswig-Holstein". He was subsequently briefly placed at the disposal of the Chief of Naval High Command and subsequently served on the commission that conducted naval negotiations with Great Britain. These negotiations culminated in the conclusion of the Anglo-German Naval Agreement.

Kriegsmarine

On 1 May 1935, he was promoted to Rear Admiral and shortly thereafter, from 28 June to 24 September 1935, he was appointed II Admiral of the North Sea (II A d N). At the commissioning of the Kriegsmarine's "U 35" on 3 November 1936, the former watch officer of "SM U 35" Schuster, as well as other living crew members who served under Waldemar Kophamel and Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière, among others, were invited as guests of honor.

He then served as II Admiral of the Baltic Sea (II A d O) until 31 March 1938, and from there as 2nd Admiral of the Baltic Station from January 1938. At the same time he was entrusted with the duties of Commander for the Security of the Baltic Sea from 1 October 1937 to 31 March 1938. On 1 April 1938 he was promoted to Vice Admiral and simultaneously appointed Commander for the Security of the Baltic Sea. At the same time Schuster represented the Chief of the Test Command for New Warships from 3 to 19 June and the Commander of the Fortifications of the Western Baltic Sea from 20 July to 3 August 1938. Schuster served as Inspector of Naval Education from 28 October 1938, through the outbreak of World War II, until 1 November 1939.

He then joined the High Command of the Wehrmacht and became Chief of the Commercial and Economic Warfare Staff. As an admiral (since 1 January 1940), he was appointed Commanding Admiral West on 27 May 1940. Schuster continued to hold this post even after it was renamed Commanding Admiral France until 1 March 1941. From 4 March to 3 April 1941, Schuster served as commander of the provisional Admiral Z post, which later became Admiral Southeast. On 30 June 1941, another reorganization took place, and Schuster became Commander-in-Chief of Naval Group Command South. After receiving the German Cross in Gold on 19 February 1943, he was placed at the disposal of the Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine on 21 March and discharged on 30 June 1943 due to age and health.

Schuster continued to serve as an officer at disposal (zur Verfügung) and served as head of the War Science Department in the High Command of the Kriegsmarine from 1 July 1943, until the Wehrmacht's surrender on 8 May 1945. He was then taken prisoner of war by the US, from which he was released on 23 May 1947.

Family

Carl/Karl was born as the son of Georg Rudolf Gottfried Hermann Schuster (d. 26 January 1909 in Uelzen), a physician and Privy Medical Councillor (Geheimer Sanitätsrat) from Celle and his wife Auguste Emilie Anna Steinmetz from Hanover. His oldest brother was Prof. Lic. theol. Dr. theol. h. c. Karl Georg Rudolf Hermann Schuster (1874–1965), theologian, educator and politician (DVP).

Marriage

On 30 May 1921 in Elberfeld, Kapitänleutnant Schuster married his fiancée Charlotte „Lotte“ Meyer-Leverkus (b. 17 November 1894), daughter of Ernst Meyer-Leverkus (1863–1942), Entrepreneur and business executive, as well as owner and general director of Rheinische Textilfabriken A.-G. in Elberfeld, a mechanical weaving mill dedicated to the production of clothing and lining fabrics. He also served as president of the Chamber of Commerce for the Wuppertal industrial district. They had five sons who all would receive pure Germanic given names:

  • Sonnar (b. 14 June 1922 in Kiel)
  • Thorleif (b. 25 September 1923 in Kiel), forester (Forstamt Ludwigsstadt/Forstdirektion Oberfranken)
  • Frohdhin (b. 28 July 1926), head of Latin America sector of the BASF Group, later, living in Heidelberg, limited partner (Kommanditist) of the Boden-Wert Grundstücksvermietungsgesellschaft & Co.
  • Freyr-Widur (b. 1 December 1928 in Kiel; d. 28 May 2024 in Wedel)
  • Tyrwig (b. 26 September 1931)

According to the military personnel file (BArch PERS 6/2475), there was also a daughter (b. 1924/25; d. 23 March 1942).

  • Admiral Karlgeorg Schuster (children).jpg
  • Freyr Schuster.jpg

Promotions

Imperial Navy

  • 1 April 1905 Seekadett (Officer Candidate)
  • 7 April 1906 Fähnrich zur See (Officer Cadet)
  • 28 September 1908 Leutnant zur See (2nd Lieutenant)
  • 29 August 1910 Oberleutnant zur See (1st Lieutenant)
  • 16 November 1915 Kapitänleutnant (Lieutenant Captain)

Reichsmarine

  • 30 April 1924 Korvettenkapitän (Corvette Captain / Lieutenant Commander) with effect from 1 May 1924
  • 1 August 1929 Fregattenkapitän (Frigate Captain / Commander)
  • 1 October 1931 Kapitän zur See (Captain at Sea / Captain / Colonel)

Kriegsmarine

  • 1 May 1935: Konteradmiral (Rear Admiral)
  • 1 April 1938 Vizeadmiral (Vice Admiral)
  • 1 January 1940 Admiral
    • 1 July 1943 Admiral at Disposal / zur Verfügung (z. V.)

Awards and decorations

WWII

  • Honorary Dagger of the Kriegsmarine in 1940
  • Repetition Clasp 1939 to the Iron Cross 1914, 2nd and 1st Class
    • 2nd Class on 31 July 1940
    • 1st Class on 6 June 1941
  • Order of Military Merit (Bulgaria), Grand Cross with the War Decoration
  • Order of the Crown of King Zvonimir (Croatia), Grand Cross with Swords on 26 September 1942
  • Order of the Star of Romania, I. Class with with Swords on the valor ribbon of military virtue on 6 October 1942
  • Order of the Roman Eagle, 1st Class / Knight Grand Cross with Swords on 4 February 1943
  • German Cross in Gold on 19 February 1943 as Admiral and Commander-in-Chief of the Naval Group Command South
  • Order of Michael the Brave, III. Class on 4 March 1943
    • another source states: awarded on 15 January 1943, permission to accept on 4 March 1943
  • Romanian Commemorative Medal for the Crusade Against Communism on 4/5 March 1943

External links

References

  1. ↑ Karlgeorg Schuster, uboat.net
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