or Karl Doenitz
born Sept. 16, 1891, Grünau-bei-Berlin, Ger.
died Dec. 22, 1980, Aumühle, W.Ger.
German admiral.
After serving as a submarine officer in World War I, he oversaw the creation of the German U-boat fleet in the 1930s, thus violating the Treaty of Versailles . As the fleet's commander, he conducted the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II, then served as commander in chief of the navy (194345). He succeeded Adolf Hitler as Germany's leader in the last few days of the war and executed Germany's surrender to the Allies. Convicted of war crimes at the Nürnberg trials, he served 10 years in prison.