Gustav Kieseritzky

Gustav Kieseritzky
Born	22 September 1893 Rendsburg
Died	19 November 1943 (aged 50) Kamysch-Burun, Ukraine
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918)  Weimar Republic (to 1933)  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Kaiserliche Marine  Reichsmarine  Kriegsmarine
Years of service	1912–43
Rank	Vizeadmiral
Unit	SMS Vineta SMS Friedrich der Große SMS Strassburg battleship Hannover battleship Schleswig-Holstein heavy cruiser Admiral Graf Spee
Commands held	battleship Schleswig-Holstein Admiral Schwarzes Meer
Battles/wars	World War I World War II Black Sea Campaigns Kerch–Eltigen Operation †
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Gustav Kieseritzky (22 September 1893 – 19 November 1943) was a highly decorated Vizeadmiral in the Kriegsmarine during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Gustav Kieseritzky was killed on 19 November 1943 during the Kerch–Eltigen Operation. He was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross on 20 November 1943.

Awards

• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd Class (5 January 1916)
  • 1st Class (9 July 1918)
• Hanseatic Cross of Lübeck (30 September 1918)
• Gallipoli Star (Ottoman Empire) ("Iron Crescent", 13 November 1917)
• Friedrich August Cross, 1st class
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 (20 December 1934)
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (18 January 1941)
  • 1st Class (21 May 1941)
• War Badge of the Coastal Artillery (14 July 1942)
• Order of Michael the Brave 3rd Class
• German Cross in Gold (20 October 1943)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 17 September 1944 as Vizeadmiral and commanding Admiral of Schwarzes Meer^[1]
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht (9 October 1943)

Wehrmachtbericht reference

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
9 October 1943	Verbände der Kriegsmarine unter der Führung des Vizeadmirals Kieseritzky führten zusammen mit Pionieren des Heeres die geregelte Versorgung des Kubanbrückenkopfes durch und haben sich hierbei wie bei der Räumung ruhmvoll bewährt.[2]	Forces of the Navy under the command of Vice Admiral Kieseritzky, together with pioneers of the army, conducted the regulated supply of the Kuban bridgehead and during the evacuation have proven themselves exceptionally.

Notes

1. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 210.
2. Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 2, p. 579.

References

• Dörr, Manfred (1995). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Überwasserstreitkräfte der Kriegsmarine—Band 1: A–K [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Surface Forces of the Navy—Volume 1: A–K] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2453-2.
• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
• Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
• Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
• Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 2, 1. Januar 1942 bis 31. Dezember 1943 [The Wehrmacht Reports 1939–1945 Volume 2, 1 January 1942 to 31 December 1943] (in German). München, Germany: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 978-3-423-05944-2.

External links

• World War 2 Awards.com
• Ritterkreuztraeger 1939-1945
• geocities at the Wayback Machine (archived October 29, 2009)
• The Kieseritzky Family