Gustav Heinrich Ernst Friedrich von Ingenohl (30 June 1857 – 19 December 1933) was a German admiral from

Neuwied Neuwied () is a town in the north of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, capital of the District of Neuwied. Neuwied lies on the east bank of the Rhine, 12 km northwest of Koblenz, on the railway from Frankfurt am Main to Cologne. Th ...

best known for his command of the German

High Seas Fleet The High Seas Fleet (''Hochseeflotte'') was the battle fleet of the German Imperial Navy and saw action during the First World War. The formation was created in February 1907, when the Home Fleet (''Heimatflotte'') was renamed as the High Seas ...

at the beginning of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He was the son of a tradesman. He joined the navy in about 1874, and spent many years in the Far East. He took part in an engagement in the First Sino-Japanese War in 1895. He moved to the Admiralty in Berlin in 1897, and in 1904 became the commander of the yacht Hohenzollern. He became an admiral in 1908 and received the "von", which signified nobility, on 27 January 1909. He became commander-in-chief of the navy in January 1913. His intention of engaging the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

in a quick, decisive battle was not supported by the German admiralty. Ingenohl repeatedly sought small engagements against the British fleet in order to provoke imprudent counterstrokes, in order to gain a crucial advantage for the German navy. The intended result did not materialize; in the first combat of this kind on 28 August 1914 at the Battle of Heligoland Bight, the German Imperial Navy (''Kaiserliche Marine'') lost three light cruisers and a torpedo boat to Royal Navy ships. After a similarly unsuccessful action on the Dogger Bank on 24 January 1915, Ingenohl yielded command of the High Seas Fleet on 2 February and was succeeded by Admiral

Hugo von Pohl Hugo von Pohl (25 August 1855 – 23 February 1916) was a German admiral who served during the First World War. He joined the Navy in 1872 and served in various capacities, including with the new torpedo boats in the 1880s, and in the ''Reic ...

. After the war, the Allies requested his extradition as a "war culprit", but Germany refused to comply. Ingenohl died in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

on 19 December 1933.

Medals and awards

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia es ...

1st and 2nd classeshttp://s400910952.websitehome.co.uk/germancolonialuniforms/militaria/medals%20prussian.htm *

Order of the Red Eagle The Order of the Red Eagle (german: Roter Adlerorden) was an order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was awarded to both military personnel and civilians, to recognize valor in combat, excellence in military leadership, long and faithful se ...

3rd class with crown *

House Order of Hohenzollern The House Order of Hohenzollern (german: Hausorden von Hohenzollern or ') was a dynastic order of knighthood of the House of Hohenzollern awarded to military commissioned officers and civilians of comparable status. Associated with the various ...

4th class with bow *

Order of the White Falcon Order of the White Falcon (german: Hausorden vom Weißen Falken) is a grand-ducal order of Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, founded by Duke Ernest Augustus on 2 August 1732, and renewed in 1815 by Charles Augustus. Description In the early 2 ...

References

* Sauerbrei, Wolfram (1999). ''Ingenohl : vier Sterne auf blauem Grund ; eine Neuwieder Familie, ein Admiral und mehr ...'' (in German). Neuwied : Kehrein. . * http://s400910952.websitehome.co.uk/germancolonialuniforms/militaria/medals%20prussian.htm 1857 births 1933 deaths People from Neuwied Imperial German Navy admirals of World War I People from the Rhine Province Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class Grand Crosses of the Military Merit Order (Bavaria) Admirals of the Imperial German Navy {{germany-navy-bio-stub