Conrad Emil Lambert Helfrich
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| Conrad Emil Lambert Helfrich | |
|---|---|
| 11 October 1886 - 20 September 1962 | |
 Conrad Emil Lambert Helfrich |
|
| Place of birth | Semarang, Indonesia |
| Place of death | The Hague, Netherlands |
| Allegiance |  Netherlands |
| Service/branch | Dutch Navy |
| Rank | Luitenant-Admiraal |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Luitenant-Admiraal Conrad Emil Lambert Helfrich, GNL, KCB (October 11, 1886 Semarang - September 20, 1962 The Hague) of the Royal Netherlands Navy was a leading Dutch naval figure of World War II.
Between 1919 and 1922 Helfrich was in the service of the marine staff in The Hague where he was involved in the creation of a Fleet plan for the Dutch Indies.
At the outbreak of the war in the Pacific Helfrich assumed command of all Dutch naval units in the Dutch East Indies and gave instruction to wage war aggressively. His small force of submarines sank more Japanese ships in the first weeks of the war than the entire British and US navies together. An exploit which earned him the nickname "Ship-a-day Helfrich". Admiral Helfrich worked tirelessly to establish co-operation with the Allied navies in the area since he knew that the Dutch could not hope to protect the Dutch East Indies by themselves.
When a combined command (ABDA) was finally created in January 1942, he was bypassed for the post of commander of the navy, in favour of Admiral Thomas C. Hart of the United States Navy. Helfrich's mission to defend Java at all costs clashed with Hart's desire to conserve as many naval units as possible. On February 12, 1942, Helfrich succeeded Hart as commander of the American-British-Dutch-Australian naval forces in the Pacific and immediately went on the offensive. Unfortunately, the courage of the striking force was to no avail in the face of the overwhelming superiority of the Japanese navy and after the disastrous Battle of the Java Sea most of the ABDA ships under his command had been put out of action and ABDA itself was dismantled. Helfrich spent the remainder of the war in Ceylon preparing the return of Dutch administration to the Dutch East Indies.
In 1945, he was given command of all Dutch naval forces and promoted to Luitenant-Admiraal. On September 2, 1945, he signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender aboard the battleship USS Missouri on behalf of the Dutch government. He remained in command until his release from the navy on January 1, 1949, and was awarded the "Knight Grand Cross in the Order of the Netherlands Lion". He wrote his memoires which were published in 1950 and finally passed away in the Hague, on September 20, 1962.
[edit] External links
- http://www.geocities.com/dutcheastindies/helfrich.html
- http://www.absofacts.com/biografie/data/helfrichconradel.htm
- http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,885896-1,00.html
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Helfrich, Conrad Emil Lambert |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Dutch Luitenant-Admiraal of World War II |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 11, 1886 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Semarang, Indonesia |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 20, 1962 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | The Hague, Netherlands |
