Date of birth:

April 2nd, 1892 (Frankfurt am Main/Hesse-Nassau, Germany)

Date of death:

March 31st, 1960 (Baden-Baden/Baden-Württemberg, Germany)

Nationality:

German (1933-1945, Third Reich)

Promotions:
Fähnrich zur See (15 Apr 1912);
Leutnant zur See (03 Aug 1914);
Oberleutnant zur See (26 Apr 1917);
Kapitänleutnant (01 Feb 1922);
Korvettenkapitän (01 Jan 1930);
Fregattenkapitän (01 Jul 1935);
Kapitän zur See (01 Jan 1937);
Konteradmiral (01 Jan 1941)

Career:
Entered the Navy as a Seekadett and Attended Basic-Training and on the Heavy Cruiser ‘Hansa’ (01 Apr 1911-31 Mar 1912)
Naval-School and Special-Briefings (01 Apr 1912-30 Sep 1913)
Granted Leave and Departed to Tampico (01 Oct 1913-28 Nov 1913)
On Board the Light Cruiser ‘Bremen’ (29 Nov 1913-20 Mar 1914)
On Board the Light Cruiser ‘Karlsruhe’ (25 Apr 1914-04 Nov 1914)
Returned Home with ‘Rio Negro’ (05 Nov 1914-22 Dec 1914)
Adjutant and Radio-Officer on the Light Cruiser ‘Amazone’ (13 Jan 1915-30 Mar 1916)
Watch-Officer on ‘V 108’, Torpedo-School-Flotilla (31 Mar 1916-16 May 1916)
Course on the Heavy Cruiser ‘Kaiserin Augusta’ (17 May 1916-12 Jul 1916)
Watch-Officer on ‘V 106’ and ‘G 192’, Torpedo-School-Flotilla (13 Jul 1916-15 Sep 1916)
Adjutant then Commandant of the Torpedo-Boats ‘G 193’, ‘V 183’, ‘V 150’ and ‘V 130’, 2nd Torpedo-Boat-Half-Flotilla (16 Sep 1916-31 Jul 1918)
Submarine-Training, Submarine-School (01 Aug 1918-06 Nov 1918)
Placed to the Disposal of the Inspection of Submarines (07 Nov 1918-28 Jul 1919)
Group-Leader and Flag-Lieutenant, III. Baltic-Sea-Minesweeper-Flotilla (29 Jul 1919-18 Mar 1920)
Granted Leave (19 Mar 1920-15 Sep 1920)
Commandant ‘M 4’, ‘M 85’, and ‘M 110’, 5th Half-Flotilla (16 Sep 1920-31 Aug 1922)
Placed to the Disposal of the Commander of the Sea-Forces of the Baltic Sea (01 Sep 1922-01 Oct 1922)
Company-Leader, Coastal-Defence-Battalion V (02 Oct 1922-23 Mar 1924)
Commandant ‘G 8’, 1st Torpedo-Boat-Half-Flotilla (24 Mar 1924-23 Sep 1926)
Naval-Liaison-Officer with Military-District-Command II, Stettin (24 Sep 1926-24 Sep 1929)
First Officer on the Surveying-Ship ‘Meteor’ (30 Sep 1929-19 Sep 1930)
In the Naval-Defence-Department, Naval-Command (23 Sep 1930-30 Sep 1931)
Advisor in the Nautical Department, Naval-Command (01 Oct 1931-25 Sep 1935)
Commandant of the Surveying-Ship ‘Meteor’ (26 Sep 1935-06 Oct 1937)
Chief of the Military Department, Naval Defence Office, OKM (07 Oct 1937-30 Nov 1939)
Commandant of the Auxiliary-Cruiser ‘Komet’ (01 Dec 1939-20 Feb 1942)
Naval-Liaison-Officer to Air-Fleet 4 (20 Mar 1942-09 Aug 1942)
Chief, Kriegsmarine-Service-Office Oslo (18 Aug 1942-14 Jul 1944)
Commander of Military-District-Command Vienna III (15 Jul 1944-31 Jan 1945)
Placed to the Disposal of the Military-Replacement-Inspection Vienna (01 Feb 1945-30 Apr 1945)
Retired (30 Apr 1945)

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Period:

First World War (1914-1918)

Awarded on:

October 4th, 1914

Period:

First World War (1914-1918)

Awarded on:

September 19th, 1918

with swords

Period:

First World War (1914-1918)

Awarded on:

July 12th, 1920

Period:

First World War (1914-1918)

Awarded on:

October 29th, 1934

Awarded on:

October 2nd, 1936

Period:

First World War (1914-1918)

Awarded on:

October 2nd, 1936

Awarded on:

October 2nd, 1936

Awarded on:

October 2nd, 1936

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

December 25th, 1940

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

December 25th, 1940

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

1941

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Konteradmiral (Commodore)

Unit:

Kommandant, Hilfskreuzer, "Komet" (HSK 7)

Awarded on:

November 29th, 1941

The following newspaper article (dated 22.12.1941) describes why x received the Knight’s Cross…

“As already reported, the Führer and Supreme Commander of the Wehrmacht has awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross to Konteradmiral Robert Eyssen. Konteradmiral Eyssen did an excellent job of fulfilling his task of raiding enemy merchant shipping in faraway ocean waters while serving as the captain of a German auxiliary cruiser. Among other things he took out 10 armed enemy merchant ships (amounting to 64494 GRT). He also succeeded in bombarding the oil and phosphate infrastructure as well as the embarkation facilities on the island of Nauru.”

89th Award.

• Photo 1:
• Photo 2:
• Photo: Konteradmiral Robert Eyssen
  - http://www.ritterkreuztraeger.info/rk/e/E187Eyssen.pdf
  
• - DÖRR, MANFRED, Die Ritterkreuzträger der Deutschen Wehmacht 1939–1945, Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück, 1995.
  - Die Ordensträger der Deutschen Wehrmacht (CD), VMD-Verlag GmbH, Osnabrück, 2002
  - Fellgiebel W.P., Elite of the Third Reich, The recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939-1945: A Reference, Helion & Company Limited, Solihull, 2003, ISBN 1-874622-46-9
  - Völkischer Beobachter (Vienna), Edition 54.