Warzecha, Walter Wilhelm Julius, born 23-05-1891 in Schwiebus, the last Oberbefehlshaber der Kriegsmarine after the end of World War II. His father, Max Warzecha, was mayor of the town of Neuruppin, but the family came from Silesia, hence the Slavic rather than German surname. On 01-04-1909 Warzecha joined the Kaiserliche Marine 
as a Seekadett. His first post was aboard the heavy cruiser SMS Victoria Louise 
where he was promoted to Fähnrich zur See in April 1910. Between 1911 and 1916 he served on the dreadnought battleship Nassau, and there was promoted to the rank of Leutnant zur See in September 1912, and then to Oberleutnant zur See on 02-05-1915. From August 1916 until the end of the first war he served as the commanding officer of various submarines; UC-1, UC-71 and UB-148, and sank nine ships totaling 22.612 GRT, and damaged ten more for a total of 55.808 GRT. After the war Warzecha settled in Wilhelmshaven and then Kiel, where he started a family and became a father of four. Following the re-militarisation of Germany he returned to active duty within the Marinestation der Nordsee, with the rank of Kapitänleutnant from 1920. Promotion to Korvettenkapitän followed in 1928 and then to Fregattenkapitän in 1933. In 1934 Warzecha became Chief of Staff of the Marinestation der Ostsee in the Baltic. Warzecha served as the commander of the pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee 
between October 1937 and October 1938. On 01-11-1938 he was promoted to the rank of Konteradmiral and moved to a staff post in Berlin at the Oberkommando der Marine 
, serving as Chef des Marinewehramtes, Chief of the Naval Defence Office until August 1942, gaining promotion to Vizeadmiral on 01-01-1941, and also serving as Chef des Allgemeinen Marinehauptamtes, Chief of General Navy Headquarters between November 1939 and April 1944. On 01-03-1944 he was promoted to the rank of Generaladmiral and on 1 May was appointed Chef der Kriegsmarinewehr, Chief of the Navy. Following the end of World War II, and the suicide of the Commander-in-Chief Hans-Georg von Friedeburg\
as a Seekadett. His first post was aboard the heavy cruiser SMS Victoria Louise where he was promoted to Fähnrich zur See in April 1910. Between 1911 and 1916 he served on the dreadnought battleship Nassau, and there was promoted to the rank of Leutnant zur See in September 1912, and then to Oberleutnant zur See on 02-05-1915. From August 1916 until the end of the first war he served as the commanding officer of various submarines; UC-1, UC-71 and UB-148, and sank nine ships totaling 22.612 GRT, and damaged ten more for a total of 55.808 GRT. After the war Warzecha settled in Wilhelmshaven and then Kiel, where he started a family and became a father of four. Following the re-militarisation of Germany he returned to active duty within the Marinestation der Nordsee, with the rank of Kapitänleutnant from 1920. Promotion to Korvettenkapitän followed in 1928 and then to Fregattenkapitän in 1933. In 1934 Warzecha became Chief of Staff of the Marinestation der Ostsee in the Baltic. Warzecha served as the commander of the pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee between October 1937 and October 1938. On 01-11-1938 he was promoted to the rank of Konteradmiral and moved to a staff post in Berlin at the Oberkommando der Marine , serving as Chef des Marinewehramtes, Chief of the Naval Defence Office until August 1942, gaining promotion to Vizeadmiral on 01-01-1941, and also serving as Chef des Allgemeinen Marinehauptamtes, Chief of General Navy Headquarters between November 1939 and April 1944. On 01-03-1944 he was promoted to the rank of Generaladmiral and on 1 May was appointed Chef der Kriegsmarinewehr, Chief of the Navy. Following the end of World War II, and the suicide of the Commander-in-Chief Hans-Georg von Friedeburg\
on 23-05-1945, Warzecha assumed the duties of the Commander-in-Chief under Allied control, and supervised the Kriegsmarine ’s dissolution until 22-07-1945. Until 1947 Warzecha was held as a prisoner of war, then settled in Hamburg where he worked for the Allianz-Versicherungsgesellschaft insurance company.Death and burial ground of Warzecha, Walter Wilhelm Julius.
He died of a heart attack on 30-08-1956, age 65 
and is buried with his wife Hildegard, who died age 73 in 1979, on the Nordfriedhof of Kiel, Section 10. My friend Wolfgang Linke from Frankfurt am Main visited the cemetery for me and sent me the pictures. On this cemetery close by the grave of Grossadmiral Erich Raeder, 
Vize Admiral, Kommandeur Kriegsarsenal Kiel, Karl Kaufmann, General Admiral, Commander of the German Naval Forces in Norway, Hermann Boehm, Generaladmiral and commander of the Naval station Command East, Rolf Carls, 
General Admiral, commander of the SMS “Hessen” Wilhelm Marschall and Kapitän zur See, Chief of the 2nd Räumbootflottille, Gerhard von Kamptz.
and is buried with his wife Hildegard, who died age 73 in 1979, on the Nordfriedhof of Kiel, Section 10. My friend Wolfgang Linke from Frankfurt am Main visited the cemetery for me and sent me the pictures. On this cemetery close by the grave of Grossadmiral Erich Raeder, Vize Admiral, Kommandeur Kriegsarsenal Kiel, Karl Kaufmann, General Admiral, Commander of the German Naval Forces in Norway, Hermann Boehm, Generaladmiral and commander of the Naval station Command East, Rolf Carls, General Admiral, commander of the SMS “Hessen” Wilhelm Marschall and Kapitän zur See, Chief of the 2nd Räumbootflottille, Gerhard von Kamptz.
Cemetery location of Warzecha, Walter Wilhelm Julius.
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