Wilhelm Canaris

Wilhelm Canaris
5th Chief of the Abwehr
In office 1 January 1935 – 12 February 1944
Deputy	Hans Oster
Preceded by	Conrad Patzig
Succeeded by	Georg Alexander Hansen
Born	1 January 1887(1887-01-01) Aplerbeck, Landkreis Dortmund, Province of Westphalia, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Died	9 April 1945 (aged 58) Flossenbürg concentration camp, Gau Bayreuth, German Reich 49.734958°N 12.35577°E / 49.734958; 12.35577 (Execution Site of 20 July 1944 Plot (Nazi Germany Resistance))
Military service
Allegiance	German Empire Weimar Republic National Socialist Germany
Service/branch	Kaiserliche Marine Freikorps Reichsmarine Kriegsmarine
Years of service	1905–1944
Rank	Admiral
Commands	U-38 UC-27 U-47 U-34 UB-128 SMS Schlesien Swinemünde Fortress Abwehr
Battles/wars	World War I Battle of Coronel Battle of the Falkland Islands Battle of Más a Tierra World War II
Awards	Iron Cross German Cross in Silver

Wilhelm Franz Canaris (1 January 1887 – 9 April 1945) was a German naval officer, Admiral of the Kriegsmarine and Chief of the Abwehr, the German military intelligence service, from 1935 to 1944. At some point, he became a member of the so-called German resistance, sabotaging Germany's war effort, providing the Allies with information, and providing important support for any internal opposition. This has been argued by some to have been an important cause of Germany losing the war.

Life

Admiral Wilhelm Canaris in Brandenburg an der Havel visiting the Brandenburgers 1940; with Stahlhelm Dr. Theodor von Hippel, to the left Major Kewisch, delegated with the leadership of the Bau-Lehr-Regiment z. b. V. 800 „Brandenburg“. Von Hippel was now to organize the 1st battalion of the new and larger Bau-Lehr-Regiment z. b. V. 800 „Brandenburg“, which he did until Oktober 1940.

Otto Eduard Hasse played the admiral in the feature film “Canaris” (1954)

First World War

Canaris joined the Imperial German Navy (Kaiserliche Marine) in 1905 and became an officer in 1908. During the First World War he was on board the cruiser SMS Dresden. Although they were in neutral waters off the coast of South America, they were fired upon by British warships. The ship survived the Battle of the Falkland Islands in 1914, but was subsequently scuttled by the crew, who were interned in Chile, in March 1915. Nevertheless, together with some others Canaris succeeded in escaping to Germany.

Later, now serving within the German naval intelligence, he was sent to Spain, where, in Madrid, his task was to provide clandestine reconnaissance over enemy shipping movements and to establish a supply service for U-boats serving in the Mediterranean Sea. After being assigned to the Inspectorate of U-Boats by the Naval Staff on 24 October 1916, he took up training for duty as a U-boat commander and graduated from Submarine School on 11 September 1917. He commanded SM U-38, U-27, U-47 and U-34. In the last months of the war he commanded U-Boot SM UB-128. In 1919, he fought with the Freikorps (Marine-Brigade „Ehrhardt“) alongside Wolf von Trotha and others and then re-joined the Reichsmarine.

National socialism and Second World War

During the National Socialist period in government, Canaris, who spoke six languages fluently, including English, was a leader of the Abwehr, German military intelligence. Canaris is known for initiating the Star of David patch Jews had to wear from September, 1939 in Poland and from the 1st September, 1941, in Germany and other parts of Europe. Canaris failed to understand the Allie's aims and strategy, and believed that Hitler and his Party were responsible for the war. Therefore his activities concentrated on keeping Hitler's allies and friends out of the war. This resulted in the initial "non-belligerence" of Mussolini, and possibly the reticence of Franco, when it was suggested he allow the Germans to occupy Gibraltar, that could have stopped the war before the invasion of Russia and the so-called holocaust. The assassination of Reinhard Heydrich on 4 June 1942 has been said to be related to Heydrich becoming suspicious of Canaris.

Finally, at the insistence of Himmler, Hitler dismissed Canaris and abolished the Abwehr in February 1944. Canaris was suspected of involvement in the 20 July plot. Eventually, Canaris' personal diary was discovered, implicating him in the conspiracy. As leader of the military intelligence service, Canaris was a protégé of numerous enemies of National Socialist Germany, such as Hans Oster, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Klaus Bonhoeffer, Hans von Dohnanyi and Erwin von Lahousen.

Death

On 9 April 1945 the once so highly decorated Canaris was executed as an enemy of the state Flossenbürg concentration camp.

Family

Canaris was born the son of Carl Canaris, a wealthy industrialist, and his wife, Auguste, née Popp. In 1919, he married Erika Waag, also the child of an industrialist, with whom he had two children:

• Eva (b. 1923)
• Brigitte (b. 1926)

Promotions

• 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

• 1 January 1924 Korvettenkapitän (Corvette Captain – Lieutenant Commander)
• 1 June 1929 Fregattenkapitän (Frigate Captain – Commander)
• 1 October 1931 Kapitän zur See (Captain at Sea – Captain)
• 1 May 1935 Konteradmiral (Rear Admiral)

Kriegsmarine

• 1 April 1938 Vizeadmiral (Vice Admiral)
• 1 January 1940 Admiral

Awards and decorations

• Venezuelan Order of the Bust of Bolivar, 5th Class (VB5; Condecoracion de la quinta clase del Busto del Libertador) in February 1909
• Prussian Order of the Crown (Kronenorden), 4th Class
• Iron Cross (1914), 2nd and 1st Class
• Military Merit Cross (Austria-Hungary), 3rd Class with War Decoration (ÖM3K)
• Gallipoli Star (TH)
• U-boat War Badge 1918 (U-Boot-Kriegsabzeichen)
• Royal Spanish Order for Naval Merit, Cross of the White Division, 3rd Class (Cruz de tercera clase de la Orden del Merito Naval) on 16 May 1927
  • Approval of the Reich President to accept the Cross, 3rd Class of the Royal Spanish Order for Naval Merit on 28 March 1934
• Royal Spanish Order for Naval Merit, Cross of the White Division, 2nd Class (Cruz de segunda clase de la Orden de Merito Naval) on 16 November 1928
  • Approval of the Reich President to accept the Cross, 2nd Class of the Royal Spanish Order for Naval Merit on 28 March 1934
• Chilean Order of Merit (Chilenischer Verdienstorden), Officer's Cross
  • Approval of the Reich President to accept the Cross, 2nd Class of the Royal Spanish Order for Naval Merit on 28 March 1934
• Bronze Badge of Honour of the Volksbund für das Deutschtum im Ausland (People's Association for Germanness Abroad; VDA) on 9 January 1934
• German Rider's Badge (Deutsches Reitabzeichen) in Silver
• The Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 with Swords
• Hungarian World War Commemorative Medal (Ungarische Kriegs-Erinnerungs-Medaille) with Swords on 8 June 1935
• Austrian War Commemorative Medal (Österreichische Kriegserinnerungsmedaille) with Swords on 15 June 1935
• Order of the Phoenix (Greece), Grand Commander on 30 June 1935
  • Approval of the Führer and Reich Chancellor for acceptance on 28 September 1935
• Hungarian Merit Cross, 2nd Class with Star on 3 January 1936
  • Date according to the letter from the Royal Hungarian Embassy to the Foreign Office from 27 January 1936
  • Approval of the Führer and Reich Chancellor for acceptance on 18 February 1936
• Wehrmacht Long Service Award (Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung), 4th to 1st Class (25-year Service Cross)
• Order of the White Rose of Finland, Commander 1st Class on 8 June 1936
  • Approval of the Führer and Reich Chancellor for acceptance on 15 December 1936
• Certificate of the German Reich War Veterans Association (Kyffhäuser-Bund) on participation in the battles of the Freikorps “III. Marine Brigade” on 1 July 1937
• Japanese Order of the Sacred Treasure, 2nd Class (JZ2)
  • Approval of the Führer and Reich Chancellor for acceptance on 13 December 1937
• Estonian Order of the Cross of the Eagle, 2nd Class on 27 August 1937
  • Approval of the Führer and Reich Chancellor for acceptance on 31 May 1938
• Royal Spanish Order for Naval Merit, Grand Cross (Gran Cruz Merito Naval) on 17 September 1937
• Bulgarian War Commemorative Medal 1915–1918 (Kriegserinnerungsmedaille 1915/1918) with Swords on 10 November 1937
• Order of the Crown of Italy, Grand Cross on 7 March 1938
• Order of Military Merit (Bulgaria), Grand Cross on 26 June 1938
• Hungarian Order of Merit, 1st Class on 3 September 1938
  • Approval of the Führer and Reich Chancellor for acceptance on 21 December 1938
• Spanish-Moroccan Mehdauia Order (Orden de la Mehdauia), Grand Cross on 17 November 1938
• Order of the Crown of Romania, Grand Cross
  • Approval of the Führer and Reich Chancellor for acceptance on 25 September 1940
• Sudetenland Medal on 22 May 1939
• Spanish Cross (Spanienkreuz) in Gold with Swords on 6 June 1939
• Repetition Clasp 1939 to the Iron Cross 1914, 2nd and 1st Class
• War Merit Cross (1939), 2nd and 1st Class with Swords
• Finnish Order of the Cross of Liberty (Finnisches Freiheitskreuz)
  • 1st class with Star and Swords on 16 September 1941
  • Oak Leaves to his 1st class with Star and Swords on 19 September 1941
• German Cross in Silver on 11 November 1943

Gallery (Spanish Cross of Naval Merit)

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See also

• National Socialist Germany and partisans/resistance movements: Internal German resistance movements