Friedrich Christiansen (12 December 1879 – 3 December 1972) was a German general who served as commander of the German ''

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

'' in the occupied Netherlands during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Christiansen was a

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...

and the only seaplane pilot to receive the ''

Pour le Mérite The (; , ), also informally known as the ''Blue Max'' () after German WWI flying ace Max Immelmann, is an order of merit established in 1740 by King Frederick II of Prussia. Separated into two classes, each with their own designs, the was ...

''. He joined the Nazi Party in the interwar period, eventually rising to the rank of ''

Korpsführer ''Korpsführer'' was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was the highest rank used by the National Socialist Motor Corps and the National Socialist Flyers Corps. Translated as "Corps Leader", the rank of ''Korpsführer'' was held by the single ...

'' of the

National Socialist Flyers Corps The National Socialist Flyers Corps (; NSFK) was a paramilitary aviation organization of the Nazi Party. History NSFK was founded 15 April 1937 as a successor to the German Air Sports Association; the latter had been active during the years when ...

. After the

German invasion of the Netherlands The German invasion of the Netherlands (), otherwise known as the Battle of the Netherlands (), was a military campaign, part of Case Yellow (), the Nazi German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands) and Fran ...

, Christiansen was appointed as the ''

Wehrmachtbefehlshaber The () was the German chief military position in countries occupied by the Wehrmacht which were headed by a civilian administration. The main responsibilities of this position were military security in the area and command of the defense in cas ...

'' (Chief Military Commander) in the Netherlands. In response to attacks by the

Dutch Resistance The Dutch resistance () to the History of the Netherlands (1939–1945), German occupation of the Netherlands during World War II can be mainly characterized as non-violent. The primary organizers were the Communist Party of the Netherlands, C ...

, he ordered reprisals against Dutch civilians such as the

Putten raid The Putten raid (Dutch: ''Razzia van Putten'') was a civilian raid conducted by Nazi Germany in occupied Netherlands during the Second World War. On 1 October 1944, a total of 602 men – almost the entire male population of the village – were ...

. He was also responsible for the

Dutch famine of 1944–1945 The Dutch famine of 1944–1945, also known as the Hunger Winter (from Dutch language, Dutch ''Hongerwinter''), was a famine that took place in the History of the Netherlands (1939–1945), German-occupied Netherlands, especially in the dens ...

that resulted in the deaths of thousands of civilians after ordering an embargo on all food transports to the western Netherlands. After the war, Christiansen was arrested and convicted of

war crimes A war crime is a violation of the laws of war that gives rise to individual criminal responsibility for actions by combatants in action, such as intentionally killing civilians or intentionally killing prisoners of war, torture, taking hos ...

Early life

He was born in

Wyk auf Föhr Wyk auf Föhr () (Fering, ''Fering'' North Frisian: ''Wik'', ''a Wik'', or ''Bi a Wik''; ) is the only town on Föhr, the second largest of the North Frisian Islands on the Germany, German coast of the North Sea. Like the entire island it belongs ...

Province of Schleswig-Holstein The Province of Schleswig-Holstein ( ) was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia (from 1868 to 1918) and the Free State of Prussia (from 1918 to 1946). History It was created from the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein, which had been conquere ...

, into an old seafaring family, the son of a sea captain. The generations-long seafaring tradition within his family charted an obvious course for his future. In 1895 he joined the merchant marine, serving for 7 years and volunteering in 1901 for MTBs.Franks et al., p. 92. After one year, he returned to the merchant marine, serving several years aboard the 5-masted '' Preussen'' (at the time, the largest sailing ship in the world,) as Second Officer. In 1913 he decided to deviate from this career, and learned to fly. Having graduated and gaining licence No. 707, he became a flying instructor at a civilian flying school.

Service during World War I

In August 1914, Christiansen was called up and posted to

Zeebrugge Zeebrugge (; from , meaning "Bruges-on-Sea"; , ) is a village on the coast of Belgium and a subdivision of Bruges, for which it is the modern port. Zeebrugge serves as both the international port of Bruges-Zeebrugge and a seafront resort with ...

as naval aviator. He flew

Hansa-Brandenburg W.12 The Hansa-Brandenburg W.12 was a biplane fighter floatplane built by the Hansa-Brandenburg Aircraft Company () for the Imperial German Navy's () Naval Air Service () during World War I. Six prototypes were ordered in 1916 and deliveries began the ...

seaplanes over the North Sea, the English Channel, and Britain. For his bombing missions on

Dover Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...

and

Ramsgate Ramsgate is a seaside resort, seaside town and civil parish in the district of Thanet District, Thanet in eastern Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century. In 2021 it had a population of 42,027. Ramsgate' ...

, he was awarded the

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...

2nd Class. From 1915 to 1916 Christiansen went on numerous reconnaissance and bombing missions, helping to make his unit at

one of the most successful in the German Naval Air Service. On 27 April 1916, as ''Leutnant der Matrosen Artillerie'' (Lieutenant of Naval Artillery,) Christiansen was awarded the

1st Class and Knights Cross with Swords of the

House Order of Hohenzollern The House Order of 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 versions of the order were crosses an ...

. Christiansen claimed his first air-to-air victory 15 May 1917 by shooting down a

Sopwith Pup The Sopwith Pup is a British single-seater biplane fighter aircraft built by the Sopwith Aviation Company. It entered service with the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Flying Corps in the autumn of 1916. With pleasant flying characteristi ...

off Dover. On 1 September 1917 he took command of Naval Air Station at Zeebrugge, and being promoted to ''

Oberleutnant zur See (''OLt zS'' or ''OLZS'' in the German Navy, ''Oblt.z.S.'' in the ''Kriegsmarine'') is traditionally the highest rank of Lieutenant in the German Navy. It is grouped as Ranks and insignia of officers of NATO Navies, OF-1 in NATO. The rank was ...

'', shot down a Porte FB2 Baby off Felixstowe the same day. On 11 December 1917 he shot down the non-rigid coastal class airship ''C-27'', Cdr. Flight Lieutenant John Francis Dixon,

DSC DSC or Dsc may refer to: Education * Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) * District Selection Committee, an entrance exam in India * Doctor of Surgical Chiropody, superseded in the 1960s by Doctor of Podiatric Medicine Educational institutions * Dyal Sin ...

, near the Belgian coast. Christiansen continued to carry out reconnaissance, rescue, and bombing missions, such that by December 1917, he had completed 440 missions, including shooting down Airship C27. At this time he was also awarded the Pour le Mérite ("Blue Max"), the first of only three given to naval aviators and the only one to a seaplane pilot. He was promoted to ''

Kapitänleutnant , short: KptLt/in lists: KL, ( or ''lieutenant captain'') is an officer grade of the captains' military hierarchy group () of the modern German . The rank is rated Ranks and insignia of NATO navies' officers, OF-2 in NATO, and equivalent to i ...

'' in 1918. On 15 February 1918 Christiansen shot down a Curtiss H12B flying boat off Felixstowe, followed by 2 more on 24 April and 25 April. In June he claimed three more Felixstowe F2As. On 6 July he surprised and damaged British submarine in the Thames estuary, killing its captain and five crewmen (the submarine reached harbour). By 11 November 1918 he raised his personal tally to 13, as well as some shared victories, which cumulatively may have brought his total to 21.

Activity between wars

Following the German Revolution of late 1918, Christiansen was a member of the 3rd Marinebrigade commanded by Wilfried von Loewenfeld. In 1922 Christiansen was active again in the merchant marine, as a ship's captain. He continued in this pursuit until 1929, when he was employed as a pilot by the Claude Dornier Company. While with Dornier, he flew what was at the time the largest seaplane in the world, the

Dornier Do X The Dornier Do X was the largest, heaviest, and most powerful flying boat in the world when it was produced by the Dornier company of Germany in 1929. First conceived by Claude Dornier in 1924, planning started in late 1925 and after over 240 ...

on its maiden Atlantic flight to New York in 1930.Franks et al., p. 93. Christiansen's distinguished career led him eventually to being called to a post in the

Reichsluftfahrtministerium The Ministry of Aviation (, abbreviated RLM) was a government department during the period of Nazi Germany (1933–45). It is also the original name of the Detlev-Rohwedder-Haus building on the Wilhelmstrasse in central Berlin, Germany, which ...

(RLM/Reich Aviation Ministry) from 1933 to 1937, and in 1936 he was promoted to ''Generalmajor''. On 15 April 1937 he was appointed ''Korpsführer'' of the

, or ''NSFK''. He was also promoted to ''Generalleutnant''. On 1 January 1939 he was named ''

General der Flieger () was a General of the branch rank of the Luftwaffe (air force) in Nazi Germany. Until the end of World War II in 1945, this particular general officer rank was on three-star level ( OF-8), equivalent to a US Lieutenant general. The "Genera ...

''.

Service during World War II

From 29 May 1940 until 7 April 1945 Christiansen was ''

in den Niederlanden'' (Supreme Commander of the ''Wehrmacht'' in the Netherlands), and until 26 June 1943 was concurrently still Korpsführer of the NSFK. In addition, from 10 November 1944 until 28 January 1945 supreme commander of the 25th Army. Christiansen also was responsible for the food embargo in winter 1944, causing famine in western Holland resulting in the death of 22000 civilian men, women and children. After the war Christiansen was arrested for

war crime A war crime is a violation of the laws of war that gives rise to individual criminal responsibility for actions by combatants in action, such as intentionally killing civilians or intentionally killing prisoners of war, torture, taking hostage ...

s. On 2 October 1944 he had ordered a raid on the village of Putten in

Gelderland Gelderland ( , ), also known as Guelders ( ) in English, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands, located in the centre-east of the country. With a total area of of which is water, it is the largest province of the Nethe ...

, the Netherlands, in retaliation, after one of his officers, a ''Leutnant'' Sommers, was killed there by the

Dutch resistance The Dutch resistance () to the History of the Netherlands (1939–1945), German occupation of the Netherlands during World War II can be mainly characterized as non-violent. The primary organizers were the Communist Party of the Netherlands, C ...

. When he heard about the actions of the resistance near Putten, Christiansen is reported to have said, "''Das ganze Nest muss angesteckt werden und die ganze Bande an die Wand gestellt!''" ("Put them all against the wall and burn the place down!") In compliance with this retributive sentiment, several members of the civilian population were shot, the village was burned, and 661 of the males of the town were deported to labor camps, the vast majority of whom never returned. Christiansen was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment in 1948 in

Arnhem Arnhem ( ; ; Central Dutch dialects, Ernems: ''Èrnem'') is a Cities of the Netherlands, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands, near the German border. It is the capita ...

for war crimes but was released in December 1951. He died in

Aukrug Aukrug is a municipality in the district of Rendsburg-Eckernförde, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated approximately 13 km west of Neumünster, and 35 km southwest of Kiel. Geography Aukrug is the seat of the '' Amt'' (coll ...

in 1972. His release from imprisonment in 1951 was an occasion for his native town, Wyk auf Föhr, to renew Christiansen's honorary citizenship and reinstate a street name in his honor, previously changed by the British military administration in 1945. These honors sparked controversies in Germany and the Netherlands and they were revoked in 1980 by the town council.

Decorations and awards

(11 December 1917) *

German Cross The War Order of the German Cross (), normally abbreviated to the German Cross or ''Deutsches Kreuz'', was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 28 September 1941. It was awarded in two divisions: in gold for repeated acts of bravery or military leade ...

in Silver (1 June 1943) * Prussian Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Knight's Cross with Swords (27 April 1916) * Prussian Iron Cross of 1914 ** 1st Class (27 April 1916) ** 2nd Class (March 1915) * Prussian Lifesaving Medal (20 August 1917) *

Hanseatic Cross The Hanseatic Cross () was a military decoration of the three Hanseatic city-states of Bremen, Hamburg and Lübeck, who were members of the German Empire during World War I. Each republic established its own version of the cross, but the design ...

of Hamburg (World War I decoration) * German Navy Seaplane Pilot's Badge (World War I decoration) *

Golden Party Badge __NOTOC__ The Golden Party Badge () was an award authorised by Adolf Hitler in a decree in October 1933. It was a special award given to all Nazi Party members who had, as of 9 November 1933, registered numbers from 1 to 100,000 (issued on 1 Oc ...

of the NSDAP (30 January 1939) *

War Merit Cross The War Merit Cross () was a state decoration of Nazi Germany during World War II. By the end of the conflict it was issued in four degrees and had an equivalent civil award. A " de-Nazified" version of the War Merit Cross was reissued in 1957 ...

** 1st class with Swords (30 April 1941) ** 2nd class with Swords (30 April 1941) *

The Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 The Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 (), commonly referred to as the Hindenburg Cross or the German WWI Service Cross, was established by Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg, President of the German Weimar Republic, by an order dated 13 July ...

* Combined Pilot/Observer Badge in Gold with Diamonds *

Wehrmacht Long Service Award The Wehrmacht Long Service Award () was a List of military decorations of the Third Reich, military service decoration of Nazi Germany issued for satisfactory completion of a number of years in military service. History On 16 March 1936, Adolf ...

, 4th class with 1st class

References

Sources

* * Franks, Norman L. R. ''et al.'' ''Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps 1914 - 1918'' Grub Street, 1993. , . *O'Connor, M. ''Airfields & Airmen of the Channel Coast''. Pen & Sword Military, 2005 * *T. C. Treadwell & A. C. Wood, ''German Knights of the Air, 1914-1918; The Holders of the Orden Pour Le Merite'', Barnes & Nobel Books (UK) Ltd, 1997.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Christiansen, Friedrich 1879 births 1972 deaths People from Wyk auf Föhr German World War I flying aces Imperial German Navy personnel of World War I Luftwaffe World War II generals Military personnel from the Province of Schleswig-Holstein Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class) Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class Generals of Aviators 20th-century Freikorps personnel German people imprisoned abroad National Socialist Flyers Corps members Nazis convicted of war crimes Nazi Party members Military personnel from Schleswig-Holstein Luftwaffe personnel convicted of war crimes Prisoners and detainees of the Netherlands