Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz

Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz was a German naval officer and leader during World War II. He became head of Germany’s navy (Kriegsmarine) and briefly served as the country’s leader after Adolf Hitler’s death in 1945, mainly overseeing the U-boat campaign against Allied shipping. Known for his strategic focus on submarine warfare, Dönitz aimed to disrupt enemy supply lines. His leadership marked a shift in German naval tactics, but his role in wartime atrocities and his surrender at the end of the war led to his conviction at the Nuremberg Trials, where he was sentenced for war crimes.