So-called "pistol donated" from the front end of a German torpedo. It belonged to Generaladmiral Otto Schultze, recipient of the Pour le Mérite and the German Cross in silver. Schultze was also awarded the Kriegsmarine Honor Dagger. His and his son’s groupings turned up just lately and to our information were never available on the market. The grouping of Generaladmiral Otto Schultze originally also contained documents as well as the case for his Kriegsmarine Honor Dagger which are owned by one of our customers at the moment.
Please see other lots in this auction for his son's grouping.
Otto Schultze joined the Kaiserliche Marine on 7.4.1900 and served during WW1 as an U-Boot officer. He was trained to become a U-Boot commander from 1915 and served as commander of U-63 until December 1917. He served as first „Admiralstabsoffizier“ of the commander of „Unterseeboote Mittelmeer“ until 1918 and became chief of 1.U-Boot-Flottille at the same time.
Schultze joined the Reichsmarine after WW1 and served as a staff officer before he commanded „Linienschiff Elsaß“ from 1927-1929. He became Konteradmiral on 1.4.1931, Vizeadmiral three years later and Admiral in 1936. He retired in 1937 but was called up again in August 1939 to serve as Oberbefehlshaber Marinegruppenkommando West before he became „Kommandierender Admiral Frankreich“.
Schultze was promoted to a Generaladmiral on 31.8.1942 and finally retired in the same year.
Awards: 1914 Iron Cross 1st and 2nd Class, the Knight’s Cross of the Hausorden von Hohenzollern with swords, the Pour le Mérite, the WW1 U-Boot War Badge, all Wehrmacht Service Time Awards, the 1939 Clasp to the Iron Cross 2nd Class, the 1939 War Merit Cross 1st and 2nd Classes, the German Cross in silver as well as many more WW1 period time awards.
Generaladmiral Otto Schultze was one fo the few recipients of the Kriegsmarine Honor Dagger.
