Siegfried Maßmann

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Siegfried Maßmann
Vizeadmiral z. V. Siegfried Maßmann II.png
Birth date 2 April 1882 (1882-04-02)
Place of birth Danzig, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Death date 15 February 1944 (1944-02-16) (aged 61)
Place of death Berlin, German Reich
Allegiance  German Empire
 Weimar Republic
 National Socialist Germany
Service/branch  Kaiserliche Marine
 Reichsmarine
 Kriegsmarine
Years of service 1901–1944
Rank Vizeadmiral zur Verfügung
Battles/wars World War I
World War II
Awards Iron Cross
German Cross in Silver

Siegfried Maßmann (2 April 1882 – 15 February 1944) was a German naval officer, finally Vizeadmiral z. V. (Vice Admiral at Disposal) of the Kriegsmarine in World War Two. He must not be confused with the young artist from Munich Siegfried Maßmann (1829–1853).

Military career (chronology)

Vizeadmiral z. V. Maßmann
Vizeadmiral Erich Förste (left) and Vizeadmiral z. V. Siegfried Maßmann (right) in Saloniki, Greece, 1941
Rudolf Maßmann
  • Entered the Navy as a Seekadett and Attended Basic-Training and on Board the School-Ship ‘Moltke’ (10 Apr 1901-31 Mar 1902)
  • Naval-School and Special-Briefings (01 Apr 1902-30 Sep 1903)
  • Roll-Officer and Adjutant on the Liner ‘Wittelsbach’ (01 Oct 1903-30 Sep 1906)
  • Company-Officer in the II. Torpedo-Division (01 Oct 1906-30 Sep 1908)
    • At the same time, Officer-Pupil on the Torpedo-Boat ‘S 42’ (01 Oct 1906-30 Sep 1908)
    • At the same time, Watch-Officer on the Torpedo-Boat ‘S 129’ (19 Nov 1906-16 Dec 1906)
    • At the same time, Watch-Officer on the Torpedo-Boat ‘S 129’ (03 Apr 1907-09 Jun 1907)
  • +At the same time, Watch-Officer on the Torpedo-Boat ‘S 129’ (15 Aug 1907-09 Sep 1907)
    • At the same time, Commandant of the Torpedo-Boat ‘S 81’ (15 Aug 1908-14 Sep 1908)
  • Instructor on the Liner ‘Württemberg’ (01 Oct 1908-16 Oct 1910)
  • Company-Officer in the II. Torpedo-Division (17 Oct 1910-30 Sep 1913)
    • At the same time, Commandant of the Torpedo-Boat ‘V 183’ (04 Jan 1911-13 Sep 1911)
    • At the same time, Commandant of the Torpedo-Boat ‘V 185’ (27 Oct 1911-02 Dec 1911)
    • At the same time, Commandant of the Torpedo-Boat ‘V 183’ (18 Mar 1912-29 Mar 1912)
    • At the same time, Commandant of the Torpedo-Boat ‘V 183’ and Flag-Lieutenant of the 12th Torpedo-Boat-Half-Flotilla (13 Apr 1912-08 Jun 1912)
    • At the same time, Candidate-Instructor on Board the School-Ship ‘Württemberg’ (30 Jun 1912-20 Jul 1912)
    • At the same time, Commandant of the Torpedo-Boat ‘V 183’ (18 Aug 1912-24 Aug 1912)
    • At the same time, Commandant of the Torpedo-Boat ‘V 183’ (02 Sep 1912-20 Sep 1912)
    • At the same time, Commandant of the Torpedo-Boat ‘V 185’ (01 Dec 1912-13 Dec 1912)
    • At the same time, Commandant of the Torpedo-Boat ‘S 75’ (14 Dec 1912-14 Feb 1913)
    • At the same time, Commandant of the Torpedo-Boat ‘V 185’ (03 Mar 1913-15 Mar 1913)
    • At the same time, Commandant of the Torpedo-Boat ‘S 75’ (17 Mar 1913-18 Apr 1913)
    • At the same time, Commandant of the Torpedo-Boat ‘V 85’ (19 Apr 1913-28 Apr 1913)
    • At the same time, Commandant of the Torpedo-Boat ‘S 75’ (29 Apr 1913-17 May 1913)
    • At the same time, Commandant of the Torpedo-Boat ‘V 185’ (18 May 1913-05 Jun 1913)
    • At the same time, Commandant of the Torpedo-Divisions-Boat ‘D 9’ (06 Jun 1913-12 Jun 1913)
    • At the same time, Commandant of the Torpedo-Divisions-Boat ‘D 9’ (20 Jun 1913-12 Jul 1913)
    • At the same time, Commandant of the Torpedo-Boat ‘V 185’ (14 Jul 1913-18 Jul 1913)
    • At the same time, Commandant of the Torpedo-Boat ‘V 185’ (27 Aug 1913-28 Aug 1913)
    • At the same time, Commandant of the Torpedo-Boat ‘V 185’ (31 Aug 1913-13 Sep 1913)
  • I. Course at the Naval-Academy (01 Oct 1913-30 Jun 1914)
  • Placed to the Disposal of the Chief of the Naval-Station of the North Sea (01 Jul 1914-29 Jul 1914)
  • Commandant of the Torpedo-Boats ‘S 179’ and ‘S 178’ of the VIII. Torpedo-Boat-Flotilla (01 Aug 1914-02 Jul 1916)
  • Chief of the 21st Torpedo-Boat-Half-Flotilla (03 Jul 1916-06 Aug 1916)
  • Adjutant of the Inspection Of Torpedo-Affairs (25 Aug 1916-16 Jan 1918)
  • Chief of the 19th Torpedo-Boat-Half-Flotilla (17 Jan 1918-15 Feb 1919)
  • Chief of the Minesweeper-Half-Flotilla B1 of the Baltic Sea (15 Feb 1919-15 Apr 1919)
  • Chief of the 3rd Baltic-Sea-Minesweeper-Half-Flotilla (16 Apr 1919-12 Sep 1919)
  • Chief of the 2nd Baltic-Sea-Minesweeper-Half-Flotilla (13 Sep 1919-29 Apr 1920)
  • Placed to the Disposal of the Chief Of The Admiralty (30 Apr 1920-30 May 1920)
  • Commander on the Mine-Cadre-Battalion of the Baltic Sea (31 May 1920-06 Jun 1920)
  • Chief of the IV. Baltic-Sea-Minesweeper-Flotilla (07 Jun 1920-04 Aug 1920)
  • Transferred to the Staff of the Commander of Sea Forces of the Baltic Sea (05 Aug 1920-09 Sep 1920)
  • Chief Of Staff of the Commander of Sea Forces of the Baltic Sea (10 Sep 1920-26 Dec 1920)
  • Advisor in the Inspection of Torpedo and Mine Affairs and also Acting-Director of the Printing-Administration of the Baltic Sea Station (15 Jan 1921-26 Sep 1924)
  • At the same time, Chief Of Staff of the Inspection of Torpedo and Mine Affairs (01 Apr 1922-26 Sep 1924)
  • Ships-Cadre ‘Hessen’ (29 Jul 1924-14 Feb 1925)
  • First Officer on the Liner ‘Hessen’ (15 Feb 1925-19 Sep 1926)
  • Chief Of Staff of the Naval-Station of the North Sea (20 Sep 1926-28 Sep 1928)
  • Commandant of the Liner ‘Schleswig-Holstein’ (29 Sep 1928-25 Feb 1930)
  • Commandant of the Liner ‘Hannover’ (25 Feb 1930-29/ Sep 1930)
  • Head of the Central-Department of the Naval-Shipyard Wilhelmshaven (30 Sep 1930-30 Sep 1932)
  • Senior-Shipyard-Director (Oberwerftdirektor der Marinewerft Wilhelmshaven) of the Naval-Shipyard Wilhelmshaven (01 Oct 1932-29 Sep 1935)
  • Retired (29 Sep 1935)
  • Leader of the Instruction-Staff for Luftwaffe-Questions (08 Mar 1937-16 Nov 1941)
    • Placed to the Disposal of the Kriegsmarine on 15 February 1939 as Vizeadmiral a. D. , as of 1 September 1940 as Vizeadmiral z. V.
      • At the same time, Chief of the Special-Staff, Admiral West (00 Jun 1940-21 Aug 1940)
      • At the same time, Acting-Chief of the Naval-Mission in Romania (05 Jun 1941-20 Aug 1941)
  • Chief of the Senior-Shipyard-Staff Aegean (20 Nov 1941-15 Feb 1944)[1]

Family

Other members of the Maßmann family also joined the German Navy. Among them were:

  • Karl Maßmann (b. 1877/78) joined the Imperial German Navy on 7 April 1896, was promoted to Oberleutnant zur See on 15 March 1902 and to Kapitänleutnant on 30 March 1906; either retirement or death led to the fact, that he was not noted as of the Rangliste 1914.
  • Theodor Karl Wilhelm Maßmann (b. 14 April 1892 in Oldenburg in Holstein) joined the Imperial German Navy in 1914 (Crew VIII/1914), was discharged in 1920, became a merchant, then belonged to the reserves of the Kriegsmarine, finally as Korvettenkapitän der Reserve
  • Rudolf Maßmann (1883–1956) joined the Imperial German Navy on 1 April 1902, was promoted to Kapitänleutnant on 22 March 1914, received the Iron Cross and the Hessian Bravery Medal (Hessische Tapferkeitsmedaille; HAE1). In 1919 he was discharged with the Charakter als Korvettenkapitän. In the Third Reich he was active with the Reich Labour Service (Reichsarbeitsdienst; RAD), becoming Arbeitsführer, Oberarbeitsführer, Oberstarbeitsführer and finally receiving the rank Charakter als Generalarbeitsführer (IV Pommern-Ost) in 1940. He also wrote Der Führer im Reichsarbeitsdienst als Persönlichkeit und Erzieher im Dritten Reich. In 1940, he became Korvettenkapitän z. V. of the Kriegsmarine and served in Norway. On 1 February 1945 he was promoted to Fregattenkapitän z. V. He became POW of the Red Army until 1949, surviving torture and hunger.[2]
  • Hans Maßmann joined the Imperial German Navy on 1 April 1908, was promoted to Leutnant zur See on 27 September 1911 and Oberleutnant zur See on 19 Septemver 1914. He received the Iron Cross, 2nd and 1st Class.
  • Hanns Ferdinand Maßmann (1917–2021), U-Boot-Kommandant of the Kriegsmarine

Death

Berlin was main target of the bombing terror on the night of February 15/16 1944. 561 Lancasters, 314 Halifaxes, 16 Mosquitos (891 aircraft) were despatched to Berlin dropping 2,643 tons of high-explosive and incendiary bombs. Despite cloud cover some important war industries in Marienfelde and Siemensstadt were hit. In addition to residential areas in Charlottenburg and Kreuzberg, the centre and south-western districts substained most of the damage. The bombs also fell on the headquarters of the Volksbund (Volksbund German War Graves Commission). Almost all files fell victim to the flames. The Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Chemistry was destroyed during the attack.[3] This was the largest raid by the Royal Air Force on Berlin, killing over 6,000 civilians. Among the many victims, although almost all civilians, was also the Vizeadmiral z. V. Siegfried Maßmann.

Promotions

  • Seekadett (10 April 1901)
  • Fähnrich zur See (22 April 1902)
  • Leutnant zur See (29 September 1904)
  • Oberleutnant zur See (30 March 1906)
  • Kapitänleutnant (12 March 1912)
  • Korvettenkapitän (5 February 1920)
  • Fregattenkapitän (1 April 1926)
  • Kapitän zur See (1 May 1928)
  • Konteradmiral (1 October 1932)
  • Charakter als Vizeadmiral (30 September 1935)
  • Vizeadmiral z. V. (1 September 1940)

Awards and decorations

References