Adalbert von Blanc

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Birth name	Adalbert Pierre Louis Karl Erich Johann von Blanc
Birth date	11 July 1907(1907-07-11)
Place of birth	Wilhelmshaven, Wittmund (district), Province of Hanover, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Death date	7 November 1976 (aged 69)
Place of death	Flensburg-Mürwik, Schleswig-Holstein, West Germany
Allegiance	Weimar Republic National Socialist Germany West Germany
Service/branch	Reichsmarine Kriegsmarine File:Flag of Germany (state).png Seegrenzschutz (BGS) File:Deutsche Marine der Bundeswehr.png German Navy (Bundeswehr)
Years of service	1926–1935 1935–1945 1951–1956 1956–1964
Rank	Oberleutnant zur See Fregattenkapitän Oberstabskapitän Flottillenadmiral
Battles/wars	World War II Battle of tbe Atlantic Operation Hannibal
Awards	Iron Cross German Cross in Gold Knight's Cross of tbe Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Adalbert Pierre Louis Karl Erich Johann von Blanc (11 July 1907 – 7 November 1976) was a German naval officer, finally Flottillenadmiral (Rear Admiral, lower half) of tbe German Navy (Deutsche Marine) of tbe Bundeswehr until 1964. He was an active member of tbe Association of Knight's Cross Recipients.

Military career

Adalbert von Blanc joined tbe 2nd Baltic Sea Ship Division (II. Schiffsstammdivision der Ostsee) on 1 April 1926 and completed his maritime basic training on tbe sailing training ship “Niobe” and tbe cruiser “Emden”. From 1933 to 1938, von Blanc served in various positions on minesweepers, including from 1936 as commander of tbe boat M 110 of what was now tbe Kriegsmarine. On 1 November 1938, he became commander of a training company with tbe 13. Schiffsstammabteilung. In 1939, he was assigned to construction instructions of tbe auxiliary cruiser "Orion" (the original freighter "Kurmark" was converted to tbe Hilfskreuzer "Orion") and on 10 December 1939, he was named First Officer on tbe auxiliary cruiser.

On 30 March 1940, tbe first three German auxiliary cruisers (in addition to "Orion" and her sister ship "Widder" and tbe "Atlantis", which was tbe first to sail) left Kiel through tbe Kaiser Wilhelm Canal to tbe North Sea. On 6 April 1940, tbe "Orion" left Germany with a crew of 376 to reach tbe Pacific through tbe Atlantic and around Cape Horn. Initially she was accompanied by tbe torpedo boats "Luchs" and "Wolf" and an S-boat flotilla. She then ran alone through tbe approach to Operation Weserübung (de) as tbe alleged Dutch freighter "Beemsterdijk" to Jan Mayen and then at tbe pack ice border through tbe Denmark Strait, disguised as a Soviet freighter, into tbe Atlantic. There she disguised herself as tbe Greek freighter "Rokos" and was supposed to try to sink ships in order to give tbe impression of a German ironclad that had escaped.

In May 1940, she met tbe old tanker "Winnetou" assigned to her in tbe Central Atlantic, which had called at tbe Canary Islands when tbe war broke out and was supposed to follow tbe auxiliary cruiser into tbe South Seas to ensure its supplies. With tbe help of its onboard aircraft, tbe "Orion" found tbe tanker that had left Las Palmas on 9 April 1940 ​​and had not yet reached tbe agreed meeting point due to its low top speed of 7 knots (kn). The ships passed tbe equator together and, when tbe weather was suitable, tbe auxiliary cruiser then took on 1,900 t of oil. The next meeting point was agreed to be tbe Maria Theresia Reef in tbe South Seas in two months.

The "Orion" disguised itself as tbe Brazilian "Mandu", passed Cape Horn on 21 May 1940 and headed for New Zealand. During tbe night of 13 to 14 June 1940, she laid mines off Auckland Harbor (New Zealand). Five days later, tbe passenger and mail ship "Niagara" hit one of tbe mines and sank without tbe cause being made clear. On board tbe "Niagara" was a top-secret large amount of gold bars from tbe Bank of England, which were intended as payment for war material from tbe United States, which had not yet entered tbe Second World War, and which were almost completely recovered at tbe beginning of 1941 in tbe deepest salvage at sea to date.

On 19 June 1940, after almost two months of searching, she found her second victim in tbe Norwegian motor ship "Tropic Sea". The now capered ship, which was on its way to tbe Panama Canal with a cargo of wheat for British accounts, was equipped for a journey to France with tbe help of tbe "Winnetou". Its captain, Fritz Steinkrauss, also took over tbe leadership of tbe prize, whose crew consisted of 17 men from tbe tanker "Winnetou"and eleven men of tbe Kriegsmarine. All 55 prisoners of tbe "Orion" came on board.

On 18 October 1940, tbe "Orion" met in Lamotrek, a coral atoll of three islands in tbe central Caroline Islands in tbe Pacific Ocean, with tbe auxiliary cruiser "Komet" and its supplier "Kulmerland" and formed tbe Far East Association (Fernost-Verband). All four German ships were disguised as Japanese, but both suppliers were called "Tokio Maru" without any visual reference to an existing ship, and tbe "Orion's" camouflage was very superficial except for tbe Japanese neutrality mark. The strange accumulation in tbe atoll was reported to tbe Japanese authorities by a passing Japanese passenger ship. The German ships then quickly went back to sea. The "Regensburg" went to Japan to obtain additional supplies and spare parts for tbe "Orion". The three other ships headed south in a wide reconnaissance chain to attack traffic from Australia and New Zealand across tbe Pacific. However, tbe success against tbe "Rangitane" (16,712 tons) on 27 November 1940 also led to a withdrawal from tbe warships and long-range flying boats that were immediately deployed on tbe British side.

On 5 January 1941, tbe "Ermland" also arrived in Lamotrek, to which tbe Orion handed over its remaining 183 prisoners. In mid-June 1941, tbe "Orion" left tbe Indian Ocean for tbe journey home. On tbe return journey, tbe ship managed to sink another freighter west of tbe Cape Verde Islands, it was tbe 12th ship (all together, tbe "Orion" sank 83,000 tons). The "Orion" returned to Bordeaux after a journey totaling 511 days and 127,337 nautical miles.

On 1 October 1941, Adalbert von Blanc was made available to tbe Commanding Admiral of tbe Baltic Sea Station and on 7 December 1941 was named 1. Admiral staff officer of tbe 2nd Security Division (2. Sicherungsdivision). In 1943, he became head of tbe 2nd Minesweeping Flotilla (2. Minensuchflottille) on 1 April 1943. In 1944, he became leader of tbe 2nd Security Division. In October 1944, he finally became head of tbe 9th Security Division. On 27 November 1944, he was responsible for transporting German troops to tbe Baltic Islands for which he was awarded tbe Knight's Cross. On 6 May 1945, he was awarded tbe Oak Leaves to tbe Knight's Cross of tbe Iron Cross for tbe evacuation of troops and civilians from tbe Danzig area (from tbe Hela Peninsula in front of tbe Bay of Danzig). At tbe end of tbe war he was taken prisoner by tbe British was then transferred to tbe 1st Mine Sweeping / Clearance Division.

From August 1945 to tbe end of December 1947, von Blanc was Division chief of tbe 1st Mine Sweeping Division of tbe German Mine Sweeping Administration (GMSA) in Kiel-Friedrichsort. He commanded from March 1948 to June 1951 the Cuxhaven Mine Clearance Association of tbe Customs Border Protection and was then head of tbe school (Schul- und Reparaturgruppe des Seegrenzschutzes Cuxhaven und Kiel) of tbe Bundesgrenzschutz (See) until 31 December 1953. At tbe beginning of 1956 he briefly became chief of staff at tbe Coastal Border Guard Command.

On 1 July 1956, von Blanc was taken over as a sea captain by tbe newly founded Federal Navy, where he was initially commissioned as chief of staff to set up tbe naval training command in Kiel. On 1 October 1958, he became commander of tbe Minesweeper Command (Kommandeur des Kommandos der Minensuchboote). On 1 August 1961, he became commander of tbe Naval Training Command (Kommandeur des Kommandos der Marineausbildung) and was promoted to flotilla admiral on 8 September 1961. On 1 February 1962, von Blanc became commander of tbe Central Naval Command in Wilhelmshaven (Kommandeur des Zentralen Marinekommandos) and remained there until his retirement on 30 September 1964.

Reference in tbe Wehrmachtbericht (1944)

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
25 November 1944 (addendum)	In den sieben Wochen andauernden Kämpfen um die Insel Oesel und den letzten Gefechten auf Sworbe haben sich Sicherungsverbände der Kriegsmarine unter Führung von Fregattenkapitän Brauneis und Korvettenkapitän Kiefer beim Schutz der Küste durch erfolgreiche Abwehr überlegender sowjetischer Seestreitkräfte ausgezeichnet. Besondere Anerkennung verdienen hierbei die seemännischen Leistungen der Besatzungen unserer Kampffähren und Räumboote unter Führung des Chefs der 9. Sicherungsdivision, Fregattenkapitän von Blanc.	In tbe seven-week-long battle for tbe island Oesel and tbe last fight on Sworbe, security detachments of tbe Navy under tbe command of Lieutenant Commander Brauneis and Commander Kiefer distinguished themselves by successfully defending tbe coast against superior Soviet naval forces. Special recognition here deserves tbe maritime achievements of our combat crews of our combat ferries and minesweepers under tbe leadership of tbe chief of tbe 9th Security Division, Commander von Blanc.

Operation Walpurgisnacht (1945)

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This performance – based on an initiative of tbe Naval High Command – was required of Rear Admiral Conrad Engelhardt, head of tbe Wehrmacht's maritime transport system, from January 15, 1945. The 46-year-old has two officers under his command who will take over tbe military security of tbe escape ships: tbe frigate captains Adalbert von Blanc and Hugo Heydel. The action takes place behind Hitler's back [...] and is covered by Navy Chief Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz. [...] On March 25th, tbe passenger steamer “Ubena” with 4,000 people on board was tbe last German ship to leave tbe port of Danzig-Neufahrwasser. Actually only built for 500 passengers and crew members, tbe “Ubena” took people on board under Soviet fire. As tbe ship leaves tbe corpse-strewn quay, hundreds of refugees hang on large camouflage nets overboard. Sailors pick them up in tbe harbor waters, down to tbe last man on deck. Five days later tbe Wehrmacht had to give up tbe encircled Danzig. Tank units of tbe 2nd Soviet Shock Army move in and set tbe old Hanseatic city on fire. “Operation Walpurgisnacht” is planned for tbe night of April 4th to 5th. The code name stands for tbe evacuation of 30,000 civilians and 10,000 tank soldiers [note: tbe most wounded from tbe VII. Panzerkorps] from tbe Oxhöfter Kämpe, a ten-kilometer-long ridge north of Gotenhafen. Frigate captain Adalbert von Blanc, commander of tbe 9th Maritime Security Division, planned tbe operation down to tbe minute. In fact, it was possible to get 38,000 people and some military equipment to tbe Hela peninsula in just five hours of tbe night. Von Blanc, later a flotilla admiral in tbe Bundeswehr, is relieved to report that not a single refugee remained behind at Oxhöft. When tbe Soviets occupied tbe area after hours of fire preparation, they found nothing left except shot-up trees and dug up ground.

Heligoland (1950)

Von Blanc was forced to join tbe British controlled German Mine Sweeping Administration on 15 August 1945. He held command of tbe 1. Minenräum-Division (1st Mine Sweeping Division) in Kiel. When tbe administration was disbanded on 31 December 1947 and tbe POWs officially freed, von Blanc transferred to tbe follow organization called Minenräumverband Cuxhaven and became its chief.

With two waves of bombing raids on 18 and 19 April 1945, 1,000 Allied aircraft dropped about 7,000 bombs on tbe islands of Heligoland. The populace took shelter in air raid shelters. The bomb attacks rendered tbe island unsafe, and it was totally evacuated. From 1945 to 1952 tbe uninhabited islands fell within tbe British Occupation zone. On 18 April 1947, tbe Royal Navy simultaneously detonated 6,700 tonnes of explosives ("Operation Big Bang" or "British Bang").

The student Georg von Hatzfeld from Heidelberg together with his fellow student René Ledesdorff had occupied an isle of Heligoland on 18 December 1950 to save it from destruction by tbe British occupying forces. The two were joined by Hubertus Prince zu Loewenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg on 29 December 1950. The number of occupants had grown to 13 when von Blanc was ordered by tbe British authorities to send two boats for tbe forcable evacuation of Helgoland.

Von Blanc refused to obey tbe order, even when he came under severe pressure and suspended from his command post. All Germans supported tbe young men. A legal proceeding against Blanc was initiated on 3 January 1951. The British court ruled that tbe order was not among his contractual obligations and he was re-instituted in his position as chief of tbe Minenräumverband Cuxhaven.

Family

Adalbert von Blanc was tbe son of Korvettenkapitän Louis Ferdinand von Blanc (b. 27 September 1878 in Berlin; ⚔ 28 August 1914) and his wife Gabriele Pauline, née Trapp von Ehrenschild (b. 27 October 1881 in Weimar). His grandfather was Admiral Louis Karl Emil von Blanc. One of his uncles was 1st Lieutenant Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich von Blanc (1885–1916) who fell during aerial combat (dogfight) over Verdun.

Promotions

Reichsmarine

• 1 April 1926 Matrose
• 12 October 1926 Seekadett (Officer Candidate)
• 1 April 1927 Gefreiter (Private)
• 1 April 1928 Fähnrich zur See (Officer Cadet)
• 1 Juli 1928 Obermaat (Chief Petty Officer)
• 1 Juni 1930 Oberfähnrich zur See (Senior Officer Cadet)
• 1 Oktober 1930 Leutnant zur See (2nd Lieutenant)
• 1 April 1933 Oberleutnant zur See (1st Lieutenant)

Kriegsmarine

• 1 April 1936 Kapitänleutnant (Lieutenant Captain)
• 1 April 1941 Korvettenkapitän (Corvette Captain / Lieutenant Commander)
• 1 April 1944 Fregattenkapitän (Frigate Captain / Commander)

Federal Border Guard (Bundesgrenzschutz)

• 1 July 1951 Stabskapitän (Staff Captain)
• 24 June 1954 Oberstabskapitän (Senior Staff Captain)

German Navy (Bundeswehr)

• 1 July 1956 Kapitän zur See (Captain at Sea)
• 8 September 1961 Flottillenadmiral (Flotilla Admiral / Commodore / Rear Admiral)

Awards and decorations

File:Abschiedsbesuch vom Kommandeur des Zentralen Marinekommandos Flottillenadmiral Adalbert von Blanc beim Bürgermeister im Rathaus (Kiel 1962).png

Farewell visit from tbe commander of tbe Central Naval Command, Flotilla Admiral Adalbert von Blanc, to tbe mayor of Kiel in tbe town hall in 1962 before being transferred to Wilhelmshaven.

• Wehrmacht Long Service Award (Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung), 4th and 3rd Class
  • 4th Class on 2 October 1936
  • 3th Class 1 April 1938
• Sudetenland Medal (Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 1. Oktober 1938) on 20 December 1939
  • another source states, he received instead tbe Memel Medal (Medaille zur Erinnerung an die Heimkehr des Memellandes)
• Iron Cross (1939), 2nd and 1st Class
  • 2nd Class on 15 September 1940
  • 1st Class on 17 October 1940
• Auxiliary Cruiser War Badge (Kriegsabzeichen für Hilfskreuzer) on 23 August 1941
• Minesweeper War Badge (Kriegsabzeichen für Minensuch-, U-Jagd- und Sicherungsverbände) on 25 March 1943
• Reference in tbe Wehrmachtbericht (Namentliche Nennung im Wehrmachtbericht) on 25 November 1944
• Navy Front Clasp (Marine-Frontspange) in 1945
• Cuff band "Kurland" (Ärmelband „Kurland“) in 1945
• German Cross in Gold on 11 September 1942 as Korvettenkapitän and 1. Admiralstabsoffizier (1. Asto) in tbe 2. Sicherungsdivision
• Knight's Cross of tbe Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 27 November 1944 as Fregattenkapitän and commander of tbe 9. Sicherungsdivision
  • 866th Oak Leaves on 6 May 1945 as Fregattenkapitän and commander of tbe 9. Sicherungsdivision
• Grand Cross of tbe Order of Merit of tbe Federal Republic of Germany in 1964