Erich Raeder was a German naval leader who commanded the German Navy from 1928 to 1943, serving the democratic Weimar Republic government for five years and Adolph Hitler's Nazi government for fifteen. Raeder, who based his military philosophy on waging aggressive war, was indicted after World War II by the International Military Tribunal (IMT) for war crimes and was tried with other prominent Nazi officials at the Nuremberg trials. Raeder was born on April 24, 1876, in Wandsbek, Germany, to middle-class parents. He joined the German Navy in 1894 and was commissioned an officer in 1897. During World War I he served as chief of staff to Admiral Franz von Hipper, taking part in the battles of Dogger Bank and Jutland. In addition he took part in mining operations and missions along the British coastline.
After Germany surrendered in 1918 the Allies imposed many restrictions on the size and quality of the German Navy. These restrictions, which were embodied in the Treaty of Versailles, angered Raeder. After spending a number of years researching and writing a book on cruiser warfare, Raeder was appointed rear admiral in 1922 and vice admiral in 1925. In 1928 he was named chief of naval command and promoted to full admiral. As the commander of the navy, Raeder advocated changes that violated the Treaty of Versailles, including the building of submarines.
Rader remained in his post when Adolph Hitler came to power in 1933. Hitler shared Raeder's desire to ignore the treaty restrictions and to build an imposing military force. In 1935 Hitler created the rank of commander in chief for Raeder and instructed him to rebuild the navy. Though Raeder initially opposed Hitler's invasion of the Rhineland and the 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union, he overcame his objections and supported the actions. In the years leading up to World War II he gave speeches that attacked Jews and glorified the role of the soldier and sailor in German life. All of these actions demonstrated that Raeder understood the political time in which he served.
In April 1939 Hitler promoted Raeder to grand admiral. After World War II began in September 1939, Raeder advocated the use of German U-boat submarines to disrupt supply lines. Moreover, he implemented a policy of unrestricted submarine warfare that put civilian passenger ships at risk as well. In 1940 Raeder developed the invasion plans for Denmark and Norway. Despite these successes, Raeder's strategic views conflicted with Hitler's and relations between the two steadily deteriorated. In January 1943 he was removed as head of the Navy.
After the war Raeder was arrested and indicted for war crimes, including crimes against peace and waging aggressive war. At his trial in Nuremberg before the IMT, Raeder sought to distance himself from the rebuilding of the German Navy and from Hitler's plans to wage war. He could not deny his responsibility for unrestricted submarine warfare. Raeder was convicted on all charges and sentenced to life imprisonment. However, he was released from prison in 1955 because of poor health. He was well enough, however, to publish his memoirs, which minimized his conduct and lauded Hitler's leadership. Raeder died on November 6, 1960 in Kiel, Germany.
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