Ernst Lindemann
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| Ernst Lindemann | |
|---|---|
| 28 March 1894 — 27 May 1941 (aged 47) | |
 Hitler and Captain Ernst Lindemann to his left, inspecting crew of battleship Bismarck in 1941. |
|
| Place of birth | Altenkirchen |
| Place of death | North Atlantic |
| Allegiance |  Nazi Germany |
| Service/branch |  Kriegsmarine |
| Years of service | 1913 - 1941 |
| Rank | Kapitän zur See |
| Commands held | Bismarck |
| Battles/wars | Battle of the Denmark Strait, Last battle of the battleship Bismarck |
| Awards | Iron Cross,
Knight's Cross (posthumously) |
Ernst Lindemann (March 28, 1894 – May 27, 1941) was the captain of the German battleship Bismarck.
Ernst Lindemann was born in Altenkirchen (now Rhineland-Palatinate). In 1913 he joined the Kaiserliche Marine, and was a gunnery officer on the SMS Elsass and SMS Schleswig-Holstein during World War I. Between 1931 and 1934 he was a lecturer at the Naval Gunnery School and between 1936 and 1938 he was an advisor and later head of the construction department at the Naval High Command. In 1938 he was promoted to the rank of Kapitän zur See, and in August of 1940 he was given command of the battleship Bismarck.
Lindemann was respected amongst his crew and showed a great deal of attachment to the ship as well, he told his crew to refer to the ship as "he" rather than the traditional "she" because, he felt, the ship showed a sense of masculine strength.[1][citation needed] In the Battle of the Denmark Strait Bismarck sank HMS Hood and damaged HMS Prince of Wales. The Bismarck was sunk less than a week later after a concentrated effort by the British navy.
Lindemann died sometime during the final battle between Bismarck and British warships. It is believed that Lindemann, Admiral Günther Lütjens and other officers died when shells from British warships hit Bismarck's bridge. This theory was backed up when film director James Cameron went with a expedition team to investigate the wreck of the Bismarck for the TV-film Expedition: Bismarck, and discovered gaping shell holes in Bismarck's bridge.[2] One anti-aircraft gunner however claimed that Lindemann heroically died standing on the bow while saluting, and the ship rolled over with him apparently trapped under it. His body was never recovered. He earned both classes of the Iron Cross in World War I, and was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross in 1941, for sinking the British battlecruiser HMS Hood.
[edit] References
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945. Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas, 2000. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
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