Date of birth:

March 3rd, 1894 (Hamburg, Germany)

Date of death:

November 2nd, 1967 (Kiel, Germany)

Buried on:

Nordfriedhof Kiel

Nationality:

German

Promotions:
Obermatrose (16 Sep 1914);
Bootsmaat (15 Jan 1915);
Vizesteuermann der Reserve (13 Jul 1916);
Leutnant zur See (09 Sep 1920);
Oberleutnant zur See (28 Sep 1920);
Kapitänleutnant (01 Oct 1926);
Korvettenkapitän (01 Dec 1933);
Fregattenkapitän (01 Jun 1937);
Kapitän zur See (01 Apr 1939);
Konteradmiral (01 Feb 1943)

Career:
In the Merchant Navy (1909-1914)
Entered the Navy as a One Year Volunteer, Basic-Training and On Board the Heavy Cruiser ‘Hansa’ (01 Apr 1914-28 Jul 1914)
On Board the Heavy Cruiser ‘Roon’ (29 Jul 1914-06 Feb 1916)
Submarine-Training with the Submarine-School (07 Feb 1916-01 Jun 1916)
Watch-Officer with the Submarine-Flotilla Kurland (02 Jun 1916-16 Oct 1916)
Watch-Officer on ‘UB 30’ and ‘UB 112’, Submarine-Flotilla Flaunders (16 Oct 1916-18 Dec 1918)
Granted Leave (19 Dec 1918-30 Jun 1919)
Adjutant and Watch Officer with the V. Baltic-Sea-Minesweeper-Flotilla (01 Jul 1919-20 Apr 1920)
Granted Leave (21 Apr 1920-08 Sep 1920)
Watch-Officer on the Tender ‘S 168’ with the Barrier-Test-Command (09 Sep 1920-07 Nov 1920)
Commandant of the Minesweeper ‘M 75’ with the 12th Half-Flotilla (08 Nov 1920-04 Jun 1921)
Advisor and Adjutant in the Personnel-Office North Sea (05 Jun 1921-30 Jan 1922)
Commandant of the Tender ‘M 134’ (31 Jan 1922-30 Sep 1922)
Watch-Officer on the Torpedo-Boat ‘T 151’ with the 4th Torpedo-Boat-Half-Flotilla (01 Oct 1922-30 Sep 1924)
Commandant of the Torpedo-Boat ‘T 153’ with the 4th Torpedo-Boat-Half-Flotilla (01 Oct 1924-30 Sep 1925)
Flag-Lieutenant of the II. Torpedo-Boat-Flotilla and Commandant of the Torpedo-Boat ‘T 196’ then ‘T 185’ (01 Oct 1925-25 Sep 1927)
Admiral-Staff-Officer with the Staff of the Commander of the Sea Forces of the North Sea (26 Sep 1927-30 Sep 1929)
Subsidiary-Leadership-Training (01 Oct 1929-06 Apr 1931)
Company-Chief at the Naval-School Friedrichsort (07 Apr 1931-27 Mar 1933)
Navigation-Officer on the Cruiser ‘Karlsruhe’ (28 Mar 1933-02 Jul 1935)
Advisor in the Ships Transport and Operations Department in Naval Command, from 11 Jan 1936 in OKM (03 Jul 1935-07 Nov 1937)
Placed to the Disposal of the Inspection of Training Affairs of the Navy (10 Nov 1937-18 Mar 1938)
Commandant of the Sailing-School-Ship ‘Gorch Fock’ (19 Mar 1938-05 Sep 1939)
Chief of Outpost-Formations West (06 Sep 1939-15 Oct 1939)
Construction-Indoctrination Ship 10 (16 Oct 1939-14 Mar 1940)
Commandant of the Auxiliary-Cruiser ‘Thor’ (15 Mar 1940-20 Jul 1941)
Department-Chief in Sea-Ship-Transport-Office in the Reichs Traffic Ministry (21 Jul 1941-30 Jun 1942)
Naval Liaison Officer to the Reichs-Commissioner for Sea Ship Transport (01 Jul 1942-15 Oct 1942)
Chief of the Ship Transport Department, Naval Warfare Command, OKM (16 Oct 1942-04 Jan 1944)
Commandant of the Sea-Fortifications Brittany (05 Jan 1944-18 Sep 1944)
In Captivity (18 Sep 1944-28 Feb 1947)
Released (28 Feb 1947)

Do you have more information about this person? Inform us!

Period:

First World War (1914-1918)

Awarded on:

October 1st, 1915

Period:

First World War (1914-1918)

Awarded on:

April 1916

Period:

First World War (1914-1918)

Awarded on:

1918

Period:

First World War (1914-1918)

Period:

First World War (1914-1918)

Awarded on:

October 2nd, 1936

Awarded on:

October 2nd, 1936

Awarded on:

October 2nd, 1936

Awarded on:

October 2nd, 1936

Period:

Spanish Civil War (1936-1939)

Awarded on:

1939

Period:

Spanish Civil War (1936-1939)

Awarded on:

1939

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Kapitän zur See (Navy Captain)

Unit:

Hilfskreuzer "Thor" (HSK 4), Kriegsmarine

Awarded on:

December 22nd, 1940

Awarded the Knight’s Cross while conducting his successful patrol with the auxiliary cruiser “Thor”. During this 329 day voyage (06.06.1940—30.04.1941) the vessel sunk or captured 12 enemy ships with 96602 GRT. In the process 3 enemy auxiliary cruisers were encountered and engaged. Two of these were heavily damaged and one (“Voltaire”) was sunk.

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

1941

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Konteradmiral (Commodore)

Unit:

Seekommandant, Festung Brest, Kriegsmarine

Awarded on:

September 15th, 1944

The following press excerpt (dated 18.09.1944) describes why Kähler would be awarded the Oakleaves…

“The Oakleaves for the commander of Brest:

On the 15.09.1944 the Führer awarded the Oakleaves to the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross to the naval commander of Fortress Brest, Konteradmiral Otto Kähler, as the 583rd soldier of the German Wehrmacht to be so honoured. As the naval commander of Brittany, Konteradmiral Kähler’s tenacious and purposeful efforts enabled him to do a masterful job of preparing the defenses of the area and its garrison for the final battle around Brest.”

583rd award

• Photo 1: Public domain (Public Domain)
• Photo 2: Wikimedia Commons (CC Attribution Share Alike 4.0)
• - DÖRR, MANFRED, Die Ritterkreuzträger der Deutschen Wehmacht 1939–1945, Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück, 1995.
  - Dörr, Manfred (1995). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Überwasserstreitkräfte der Kriegsmarine—Band 1: A–K [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Surface Forces of the Navy—Volume 1: A–K] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2453-2.

Helaas geen map gevonden.