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GREAT LEADER - GRAND ADMIRAL KARL DONITZ

Reference:

A. JSTI LM No. JSC/69/2022 dated 21 Jul 22.

INTRODUCTION

1. Military leadership makes critical decisions, frequently in high-pressure

circumstances with substantial risks. Military leaders also build and inspire teams.
This accountability involves looking out for their welfare, emerging individual aptitudes
and identifying successes to create a combined team confident to complete assigned
tasks. Different leaders and men have different leadership styles. This trend also
applies to military leaders. This service paper will discuss famous military leader
Grand Admiral Karl Donitz, the "Hero of Germany."

2. Karl Donitz, a German admiral, briefly took over as the country's leader in May
1945 and held the post until the Flensburg Government was dissolved after
Germany's unconditional surrender to the Allies a few days later. He significantly
impacted the naval history of World War II as Supreme Commander of the Navy. “A
turbulent life with its heights and depths, and hard personal blows of fate, has ended,”
an editor eulogized Karl Donitz's death on 24 December 1980.

3. This service paper will analyse Donitz's contribution to World War II and his
performance as Commander in Chief and Grand Admiral. This paper will
incrementally consider Donitz's abilities against four theoretical approaches to
leadership: Personality traits, Behavioural style, Power and influence and the
situational or contingency approach. An in-depth study of this great leader would
unfold many characteristics of leadership, which may yet lead as a model to be an
effective leader.

AIM

4. This paper aims to analyse the leadership of German Grand Admiral Karl Donitz
and the lessons learned from his leadership traits.

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PERSONAL LIFE

5. Donitz was born in Berlin, Germany in 1891. He lost his mother when he was only
three years old. Afterward, his father took all responsibilities of the family and never
married again to keep her wife's memory in the heart of his sons. The sacrifice of his
father thereby cultured this unique quality in his character also. At six and a half,
Donitz started his schooling at a preparatory school outside Halensee. Later, he
enrolled at the Realschule, a public school in the Duchy of Saxony-Weimar due to his
Father's transfer.

6. Donitz married a nurse named Ingeborg Weber (the daughter of German general
Erich Weber) on 27 May 1916. They had two sons and one daughter. Both of Donitz's
sons were killed during the Second World War. After the death of his first son Hitler
issued a policy stating that if a senior officer such as Donitz lost a son in battle and
had other sons in the military, the latter could withdraw from combat and return to
civilian life1. Afterward, his other son was forbidden from having any combat role and
was allowed to leave the military to study to become a naval doctor. But he had
convinced all to let him go on the E-boat S-141 for a raid on Selsey. On his 24th
birthday, he returned to sea and was killed on 13 May 1944.

MILITARY CAREER

Early Career and Progress

7. In April 1910, Donitz enlisted in the Imperial German Navy. After three years, he
was promoted to officer. After serving two years onboard ‘SMS BRESLAU’, he was
transferred to the Naval Air Arm. He trained there to become a Seaplane Squadron
Leader and Flight Observer. He started working as a commanding officer in the U-
boat fleet in 1916. During World War I, in September 1918, his U-Boat was operating
near Malta in the Mediterranean Sea and was sunk by the British Navy. Then he was
captured as a prisoner of war and kept in a British camp in Sheffield. Donitz remained
in British captivity for the next nine months. After being released in 1919, Donitz

1
Blair, Clay (1998). Hitler's U-boat War: Vol. II, The Hunted, 1942–1945. Random House.

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joined the German Navy as an Inspecting Officer of Torpedo Boats. In 1935, Donitz
was

appointed to command the U-boat arm of the navy. Donitz was awarded the Knight's
Cross and promoted to Admiral in 1942. In 1943 he was promoted to Grand Admiral.
He succeeded Admiral Raeder as supreme commander of the German Navy.

Contribution to World War II

8. As commander of German U-boats in January 1939, Donitz started to prepare for

war as tensions with Britain and France increased. After the German invasion of
Poland, Britain and France declared war on Germany, and World War II began.
During the war, Donitz had only 57 boats; among them, 27 were capable of reaching
the Atlantic Ocean from their German bases. Donitz was forced to restrict his
commerce raiding campaign by Hitler and Raeder. However, his submarines scored
successes in sinking the carrier HMS Courageous and the battleships HMS Royal
Oak and HMS Barham as well as damaging the battleship HMS Nelson.

9. In Battle of the Atlantic, Donitz’s U-boat's continued attacks on British naval and
merchant targets. Later on, his fleet began to expand with the arrival of larger
numbers of Type VIIs. Moreover, by coordinating U-boats by radio using encoded
messages, Donitz's crews sank increasing amounts of Allied tonnage, eventually
beginning to damage the British economy. After the entry of the United States into
war in 1941, Donitz commenced Operation Drumbeat, which targeted Allied shipping
off the East Coast.

10. Operation Drumbeat began with only nine U-boats but scored several successes
and exposed the US Navy's unpreparedness against anti-submarine warfare. After
including more U-boats in 1942, Donitz implemented his wolf pack tactics by directing
groups of submarines against Allied convoys. As British and American technology
improved in 1943, they began to have more success in combating Donitz's U-boats.
Due to this, Donitz continued to press for new submarine technology and more
advanced U-boat designs.

Contribution as Commander-in-Chief and Grand Admiral

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11. On 30 January 1943, Donitz was promoted to the rank of grand admiral and took
Raeder's place as the Kriegsmarine's supreme commander. Donitz had only
occasional contact with Hitler before 1943, but Donitz met with the Fuhrer twice a
month

after being named commander of the German navy. Even though Donitz joined the
Nazi party only in 1944, Hitler appreciated how Donitz initiated a program of Nazi
indoctrination for German sailors and Donitz’s confidence that U-boats could still
bring Britain to its knees. After July 1944, Hitler held Donitz in even higher esteem
when it was discovered that no German naval officers took part in the failed attempt
to assassinate the Fuhrer orchestrated by high-ranking German army officers. As
Germany’s fortunes deteriorated, Donitz remained steadfastly loyal to Hitler.

12. Assuming command of the German Navy, as per direction German U-Boats
continued to menace allied ships. He used the few remaining surface units as a "fleet
in being" to divert the Allies so he could concentrate on submarine warfare. German
designers produced some of the most advanced submarine designs of the war,
including the Type XXI, during his tenure. Despite spurts of success, as the war
progressed, Donitz's U-boats were slowly driven from the Atlantic as the Allies utilized
sonar and other technology as well as Ultra radio intercepts to hunt down and sink
them.

POLITICAL CAREER

13. Political Views. Donitz respected Hitler and was outspoken about the traits of
leadership he saw in that dictator. He frequently admired Hitler's confidence and
foresight. Donitz tried to promote Nazi ideas to his officers. Officers in the navy were
compelled to take a five-day course on Nazi philosophy. Hitler rewarded Donitz for his
dedication to him and the cause because due to Donitz's leadership, he never felt that
the navy had abandoned him.

14. Successor of Hitler. Hitler committed suicide on April 30, 1945. In his will,
Hitler unexpectedly named Donitz as the next head of state. Donitz assumed the
roles of the President of Germany and Supreme Commander of the armed forces.
Donitz focused most of his efforts during his brief tenure in office on maintaining the

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German military's loyalty and ensuring that German troops would surrender to the
British or Americans rather than the Soviets. He was right to worry about subsequent
Soviet actions. The Allies did not, however, recognize the Donitz government, and for
a few days, they mostly neglected it. The Donitz government could only govern in the
vicinity of Flensburg, close to the Danish border and where Donitz's headquarters
were. The end of World War II in western Europe was announced on May 4 when
Field Marshal

Bernard Montgomery accepted the German forces under Donitz's command in the
Netherlands, Denmark, and northwest Germany in the Luneburg Heath, southeast of
Hamburg. A few days later, Donitz gave Colonel-General Alfred Jodl, the head of the
German armed forces staff, the go-ahead to sign the document declaring the
unconditional surrender of all German forces to the Allies. On May 23, the British
soldiers at Flensburg captured and imprisoned members of the Donitz government,
leading to its dissolution. The highest-ranking German who was arrested was Donitz.

LEADERSHIP ANALYSIS

Philosophy

15. Influence of Hitler. Donitz and Hitler developed a more robust relationship
throughout the war. Many naval officers mentioned that he was closely tied to Hitler
and Nazi ideology. He did mention Hitler's human qualities on occasion. He was
humorously dubbed in "Hitler Youth Quex" as the fictional hero of a Nazi novel and
motion picture due to his passionate pro-Hitler stance. Donitz also declared, "We are
all pipsqueaks compared to Hitler. Anyone who believes he can do better than the
Fuhrer is stupid."

16. Nazism. Donitz was a believer in Nazi philosophy. Donitz aided in the Nazi
movement's growth within the Kriegsmarine. As commander of the Kriegsmarine, he
urged the naval officers to adopt his political viewpoints and on 1 February 1944, he
officially joined the Nazi Party as member number 9,664,999. Later that year, in
recognition of his fidelity to the party, he received the Golden Party Badge. None of
the navy officers joined the plots to assassinate Hitler due to Donitz's influence over
them.

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Analysing Karl Donitz's Leadership Based on Leadership Theories

17. Types of Theories. Analysing the leadership of Donitz, the following four core
theory groups2 are found:

a. Trait theories.
b. Behavioural theories.
c. Contingency theories.
d. Power and influence theories.

18. Trait Theories. Traits are external behaviours that emerge from the things
going on within our minds. Analysing the life of Karl Donitz, the following leadership
traits are found in his character:

a. Courage. Donitz had to make one of his life's most difficult decisions
which was the unconditional surrender to the American soldiers. Several
military authorities criticized his decision to surrender. Despite these criticisms,
he had the guts to make an unpopular decision for the sake of his countrymen.
It is a complicated step for a leader when a nation needs to be led during a
distressing period. Nevertheless, he accepted the responsibility dauntlessly
and did so.

b. Initiative. According to the treaty of Versailles, the German Navy was

forbidden to use submarines. The main purpose of this treaty was to make
Germany incapable of offensive action. Later on, an agreement took place
between the United Kingdom and Germany on 18 June 1935 which is known
as the “Anglo-German Naval Agreement (AGNA)”. According to the
agreement, the total tonnage of the Kriegsmarine was allowed to be 35% of
the total tonnage of the Royal Navy. This agreement was a great opportunity
for the Germans to strengthen their Navy. However, Donitz was then placed in
command of the U-boat flotilla Weddigen, which comprised three boats
only; U-7, U-8 and U-9. Therefore, he took great initiative to reshape and
modernize the fleet. He also invented and implemented various strategies of
submarine warfare which caused great damage to the Allied forces.

c. Commitment. Commitment to the duty and the nation was significant in

the naval carrier of Karl Donitz. Donitz had lost his two sons during World War
2
https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/leadership-theories.htm.

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II. Despite that, he was consistent and dedicated to the greater cause. He did
not allow his personal feelings to jeopardize his professional life. This shows
his dedication and commitment to his nation.

d. Vision. The U-boat idea of German naval warfare during World War II is
credited to Karl Donitz. He was a prisoner of war in British custody during
World War I when he had the concept of the "Wolfpack" strategy. He
visualized the future of war while living a miserable life in the detention camps.
This is an unambiguous demonstration of his vision. Although it wasn't just on
that occasion that he showed his ability to predict how the war would pan out.
He believed that surrendering to the Russians would have worse effects than
surrendering to the Americans which shows his wisdom and foresight.

e. Self Confidence. Donitz stated in 1939 that 300 submarines would be

enough to win the war which amply demonstrates his level of confidence. He
believed in himself and that was one of the most significant reasons for his
ability to plan so many successful operations. Sound professional knowledge,
knowledge of men under him, equipment and limitations and knowing the
enemies and their capabilities were the ingredients of his self-confidence.

19. Behavioural Theories. In the 1930s, Kurt Lewin developed a framework

based on a leader's behaviour.

a. Democratic Leaders. Before deciding, democratic leaders seek input

from the team, though the level of participation varies from leader to leader.
This style is important when team agreement matters, but it can be challenging
to manage when there are many opposing viewpoints and ideas.

b. Laissez-faire leaders. Laissez-faire leaders don't become involved; they

let team members handle most of the decision-making. When the team is
highly competent, motivated, and does not require close monitoring, this works
effectively.

c. Autocratic Leaders. Autocratic leaders take their decisions without

involving their teams. When decisions must be taken fast, when input is not

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required, and when team consensus is not required for a successful

conclusion, this leadership style is seen as appropriate.

d. Evaluation. After analysing Donitz’s naval career, it can be said that he

was an autocratic leader. He used to take decisions by himself and
implemented those by his own authority.

20. Contingency Theories. These theories by Fiedler try to predict which style is
best in which circumstance. These suggest that the best leaders adopt different
leadership styles in different situations.

a. Task-Oriented. Task-oriented leaders focus on getting the necessary

tasks or series of studies in hand to achieve a goal. However, his motivation
style influences his subordinates.

b. People-Oriented. People-oriented leaders are focused on supporting,

motivating and developing the people on their teams and the relationships
within.

c. Evaluation. Donitz was mainly a task-oriented leader, even though, he

could motivate his subordinates to fight for the cause which shows that he was
also people-oriented.

24. Power and Influence Theories. These theories are based on the different
ways in which leaders use power and influence to get things done. There are two
main styles of leadership based on the use of power and influence.

a. Transactional Leadership. In this leadership style, leaders promote

compliance by followers through both rewards and punishments. Through a
reward and punishment system, transactional leaders can keep followers
motivated for the short term.

b. Transformational Leadership. Transformational leaders show integrity

and they know how to develop a robust and inspiring vision of the future. They
motivate people to achieve this vision, manage its delivery and build even
stronger and more successful teams.

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c. Evaluation. After studying the life and career of Donitz, it can be easily
identified that he was a transformational leader. The reasons are:

(1) Donitz was close to his followers.

(2) His subordinates had confidence in him.

(3) He understood the strengths and weaknesses of his

subordinates and led them accordingly.

(4) He could inspire his troops to engage in combat under any

circumstances.

CRITICISM

21. Aggressive War. During the Nuremberg trials, Donitz was charged with
promoting aggressive war. His planning often included the idea of violation of
treaties. Moreover, in as the commander in chief of the German navy, he authorized,
directed and participated in war crimes, particularly against people and property at
the sea. He was charged mainly for waging unrestricted submarine warfare by
issuing War Order No. 154 in 1939, and another similar order after the Laconia
incident in 1942, not to rescue survivors from ships attacked by submarine. By
issuing these two orders, he was found guilty of causing Germany to be in breach of
the Second London Naval Treaty of 1936 3.

22. Lack of Delegation. Donitz took over as commander-in-chief of the navy on

30 January 1943. In a communique to the navy, he proclaimed his intentions to retain
control of the U-boats and his desire to fight to the end for Hitler. Donitz inability to
delegate control of the U-boat service has been interpreted as a weakness for the
German U-boat fleet. It indicates that Donitz was preoccupied with fighting battles
and was more of a tactician than a strategist or organizer 4.

23. Lack of Compassion. While there are stories of Nazi soldiers valuing the lives
of enemy soldiers, Donitz was considered not to be one of them. He instructed his
under commands as, not to make any attempt of rescuing members of sunken ships.
He said, “and this includes picking up persons in the water and putting them in
lifeboats, righting capsized lifeboats, and handing over food and water.” To his belief,
3
Moore, John Norton; Turner, Robert F. (1995). Readings on International Law from the Naval War
College Review, 1978–1994.
4
Terraine, John (1989). Business in Great Waters: The U-Boat Wars, 1916–1945. London: Leo
Cooper.

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rescue runs counter to the most primitive demands of warfare for the destruction of
enemy ships and crews5.

24. Micromanagement. Donitz was very particular about the whereabouts and
actions of his boats. He contacted them over 70 times a day and inquired about the
small details like where they were, how much fuel they had and others. At times
those communications had 70 or more replies. All of that back and forth
communications gave the Allied codebreakers a lot of chance to intercept and
information to work on. It also allowed Allied platforms to determine their position and
attack them easily 5.

LESSONS FOR BN LEADERS

25. Self-confidence. Donitz had showed self-confidence in decision making and

their execution throughout his career. He had confidence in his men, and his men had
faith in him as he was confident in his cause. BN leaders should be confident in
performing their duties and lead their men to success.

26. Initiative. Donitz always took initiative to innovate and possessed the ability to
think far ahead. His initiative in formulating innovative tactics contributed effectively in
German war effort. Likewise, a BN Leader should take initiative to bring positive
change in his surroundings.

27. Courage. Apart from his naval career, Donitz also took over the helm of the
nation in a critical time with courage. He took over the responsibility as the successor
to Hitler and led the nation in distress. BN leaders should also possess the courage to
face any challenge.

28. Vision. A man without vision can never make a positive change. Donitz
always saw the big picture and did not get lost in the intricacies of the time. His vision
catered many successes in German naval front. Similarly, a BN leader must possess
a clear vision to attain the aim of his professional pursuit.

29. Commitment. Throughout his career, Donitz was committed to his duties,
responsibilities and the interests of the nation. Even after being held as a prisoner of

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war in World War I, he returned to his duties after release. BN leaders should be
committed to their duties and responsibilities for the betterment of the Service.

30. Compassion and Delegation. From the drawbacks of leadership attributes of

Doenitz, it can be said that despite of the aim or intention, a leader must be
compassionate to own and enemy soldiers.
CONCLUSION

31. It is said that, leaders are born not made, whereas some believe they are made.
Whatever the case may be, not everyone can be called a leader. Among the leaders,
a few stand out from the general and leave their mark on the pages of history. In the
course of lifetime, a leader attains success though some of those may remain
controversial. As such, Admiral Karl Donitz could be praised for his outstanding
leadership and achievements in warfare or judged for his controversial attempts in the
war. He went to the pinnacle of his career by utmost sincerity and dedication to his
service and the nation. Throughout his career, he has left the mark of great
leadership which led the German navy into many successful operations. Hence, to
better understand Donitz's leadership characteristics, we must keep his entire career
in mind.

32. Donitz emphasized on using deliberate tactics and inspiring his troops to fight for
the cause. He identified the submarines as his submarines and the men as his men.
As such, he had the ability to instil in his men an unquestioning dedication and
devotion. He spoke to his men about the need for a fanatical willingness to die for the
cause of fatherland. The outcome was a highly skilled, determined, and competent
submarine fleet that altered the course of the war in Germany's favour. His initiative,
vision, courage and power to influence enabled him to maximize the use of his
resources in the most optimum way to achieve the strategic and operational
objectives in the theatre. Eventually, his U-boat fleet proved to be one of Germany's
most effective weapons.

33. Throughout his life, Donitz showed unparallel loyalty to his subordinates and
superiors. In Hitler's last will, he named Donitz as his successor. Although his tactics
and leadership have brought significant success in favour of the German war efforts,
some of his endeavours remain controversial. Some of his ideologies were

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aggressive in nature and lacked compassion. His overwhelming attention to details

had caused some great failures in the German naval front. By the analysis of his
leadership, it is comprehended that it had autocratic, task oriented and
transformational characteristics.

34. Admiral Donitz is considered as one of the greatest naval tacticians of World
War II. His leadership, innovation and dedication whilst commanding the U-boat arm
and

eventually the entire Kriegsmarine contributed significantly to Germany's strategic

and operational goals. Donitz displayed an abundance of revolutionary ideas in
submarine warfare. He had the leadership ability and fanaticism to train his
submarine crews to achieve outstanding success in implementing his tactical and
operational ideas. Effective leaders live by strong values that guide their decisions
and behaviours. Finally, by studying his leadership characteristics, we can consider
Donitz as a truly effective leader.

Chattogram MEHRAB HASSAN

SHOWROV
Lt Cdr BN
August Group Leader (Gp - 2)

To:

Cdr Ripon Kumar Mondol, (E), psc, BN

Directing staff-1
69th BN Junior Staff Course
Junior Staff Training Institute
Bangladesh Naval Academy
South Patenga
Chattogram

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Books

1. Edwards, B. (2014). Dönitz and the Wolf Packs. Open Road Integrated Media.
2. Turner, B. (2017). Karl Donitz and the Last Days of the Third Reich. Icon Books.
3. Padfield, P. (2013). Dönitz: The Last Führer. Thistle Publishing.
4. Blair, Clay. (1998). Hitler's U-boat War: Vol. II, The Hunted, 1942–1945. Random
House.
5. Moore, John N; Turner, Robert F. (1995). Readings on International Law from the
Naval War College Review, 1978–1994.
6. Terraine, John (1989). Business in Great Waters: The U-Boat Wars, 1916–1945.
London: Leo Cooper.

Articles and Publications

1. https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/leadership-theories
2. https://www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-ii/karl-donitz-cmdr-kriegsmarine
3. https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/leadership-theories
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Donitz

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