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

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

from

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

best known for his command of the German

High Seas Fleet The High Seas Fleet () was the battle fleet of the German Empire, German Imperial German Navy, Imperial Navy and saw action during the First World War. In February 1907, the Home Fleet () was renamed the High Seas Fleet. Admiral Alfred von Tirpi ...

at the beginning of

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 ...

. He was the son of a tradesman. He joined the navy in about 1874, and spent many years in the Far East. He commanded the gunboat from 1894 to 1896, aboard which he observed the

First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 189417 April 1895), or the First China–Japan War, was a conflict between the Qing dynasty of China and the Empire of Japan primarily over influence in Joseon, Korea. In Chinese it is commonly known as th ...

in 1895. He moved to the Admiralty in Berlin in 1897, and in 1904 became the commander of the

Kaiser Kaiser ( ; ) is the title historically used by German and Austrian emperors. In German, the title in principle applies to rulers anywhere in the world above the rank of king (). In English, the word ''kaiser'' is mainly applied to the emperors ...

's yacht '' Hohenzollern''. He became an admiral in 1908 and was elevated to the nobility on 27 January 1909, adding "von" to his name. He became commander of the

in April 1913. His intention of engaging the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

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 Dogger Bank ( Dutch: ''Doggersbank'', German: ''Doggerbank'', Danish: ''Doggerbanke'') is a large sandbank in a shallow area of the North Sea about off the east coast of England. During the last ice age, the bank was part of a large landmass ...

on 24 January 1915, Ingenohl yielded command of the High Seas Fleet on 2 February and was succeeded by Admiral Hugo von Pohl. 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 of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

on 19 December 1933.

Medals and awards

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 ...

1st and 2nd classes * Order of the Red Eagle 3rd class with crown *

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 ...

* Order of the Red Eagle 4th class with bow * Order of the White Falcon

References

* Sauerbrei, Wolfram (1999). ''Ingenohl : vier Sterne auf blauem Grund ; eine Neuwieder Familie, ein Admiral und mehr ...'' (in German). Neuwied : Kehrein. .
German Colonial Uniforms - Medals awarded to German Colonial and Overseas Troops
1857 births 1933 deaths People from Neuwied Imperial German Navy admirals of World War I Military personnel 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 Military personnel from Rhineland-Palatinate {{germany-navy-bio-stub