Wilhelm Meisel (4 November 1893 – 7 September 1974) was a Admiral with the Kriegsmarine during World War II and a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
Meisel was born in Zwickau and joined the Navy as a midshipman in 1913. During the First World War he served on then battlecruiser SMS Moltke, the light cruiser SMS Stralsund and the auxiliary cruiser SMS Mowe. He later served as a staff officer on Torpedo boats and was interned in Sc...
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Wilhelm Meisel (4 November 1893 – 7 September 1974) was a Admiral with the Kriegsmarine during World War II and a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
Meisel was born in Zwickau and joined the Navy as a midshipman in 1913. During the First World War he served on then battlecruiser SMS Moltke, the light cruiser SMS Stralsund and the auxiliary cruiser SMS Mowe. He later served as a staff officer on Torpedo boats and was interned in Scapa Flow. After the scuttling of the High Seas Fleet he was held as a POW by the British and repatriated in 1921.
During the 1920's Meisel commanded a torpedo boat flotilla and held several staff posts and commanded the light cruiser Karlsruhe in 1929.
During World War II Meisel commanded a destroyer flotilla in the Polish Campaign of 1939 and was appointed commander of the heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper in 1940. He was made Chief of Staff of Naval Group west in 1943 and Chief of Naval staff in 1943.
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