Dönitz, Karl

Dönitz, Karl (b. 16 Sept. 1891, d. 24 Dec. 1980). Hitler's successor During World War I he commanded a U-boat, and in 1936 he was put in charge of developing the German U-boat fleet. As Commander-in-Chief of the German navy from 1943 he had a distinguished military record, and Hitler came to trust him more than his army or air force generals, with whom he always had an uneasy relationship. In his political testament, which became effective after his suicide on 30 April 1945, Hitler designated Dönitz as his successor, even though he had never been a prominent Nazi functionary. While Dönitz failed in his efforts to negotiate a separate settlement with the Western Allies to enable him to continue the fight against the Red Army, he did achieve an armistice in north-western Europe (4 May), while Germany did not officially surrender until 8 May 1945. This delay enabled the safe arrival in northern Germany of around 100,000 refugees from Eastern Europe. As the Allies needed a ‘legitimate’ chain of command that was recognized by all Germans, Dönitz and his cabinet were not imprisoned until 23 May 1945. He was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment at the Nuremberg Trials.