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Alfred von Tirpitz

born Küstrin, March 19, 1849; died Ebenhausen, March 6, 1930

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Grand Admiral of the German Navy and Secretary of State of the German Imperial Naval Office before and during World War I.

Having joined the Prussian Navy in 1865 and worked his way through the ranks, becoming a Rear Admiral in 1895, Tirpitz spearheaded the build-up of the German Navy prior to World War I with a view to making Germany the greatest naval power in the world, and identifying England as Germany's prime enemy. In 1911, he was made a Grand Admiral and Secretary of State of the German Imperial Naval Office. In 1917, he was co-founder of the pan-Germanic German Fatherland Party, and after 1918 supported the German National People's Party, serving as a member of the Reichstag from 1924 to 1928.

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Correspondence

  • OJ 10/1, [45] Handwritten letter from Dahms to Schenker, dated September 26, 1919

    Dahms responds to Schenker's letter (non-extant). He reflects on Prussian militarism. He declares that there is no such things as "military genius"; Germany was as guilty as the Entente Powers for the war; soldiers were treated as slaves by their officers, with Wilhelm II bearing the ultimate guilt. He rejects all political parties. England does not treat its people as Germany does. He believes only in the German spirit, which he regards as the spirit of the world. He cannot wait to leave Germany, and wants only to immerse himself in Schenker's work.

Diaries