Dönitz

Karl Dönitz was a German admiral who served as the commander-in-chief of the Kriegsmarine (German Navy) from 1943 to 1945 and as the head of state of Germany for 23 days in 1945. Born in 1891, Dönitz joined the Imperial German Navy in 1910. During World War I, he commanded a U-boat and was captured by the British in 1918.

After the war, Dönitz continued his naval career and became a strong advocate for the development and use of submarines. He played a key role in the rearmament of Germany in the 1930s and the expansion of the U-boat fleet. During World War II, Dönitz's U-boats inflicted heavy losses on Allied shipping in the Battle of the Atlantic. He was promoted to Grand Admiral in 1943, succeeding Erich Raeder as commander-in-chief of the navy.

In the final days of the war, following Adolf Hitler's suicide, Dönitz was appointed Hitler's successor as head of state. He ordered the unconditional surrender of German forces on May 8, 1945, effectively ending World War II in Europe. After the war, Dönitz was tried at the Nuremberg trials and convicted of war crimes, primarily for his role in the unrestricted submarine warfare. He was sentenced to ten years in prison and was released in 1956. Dönitz died in 1980.