Theodor Krancke

Theodor Krancke (30 March 1893 – 18 June 1973) was a naval commander and admiral of Germany during World War II and a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves.

Under the command of Krancke, during the five-month-long raiding cruise, the pocket battleship Admiral Scheer sank 13 merchant ships, one armed merchant cruiser , and captured three merchant ships representing of Allied and neutral shipping.

During the Allied Invasion of Normandy Krancke, as Commander-in-Chief of Navy Group Command West headquartered in Paris, controlled all German naval vessels in France, as well as the various land-based naval units and the naval coastal artillery and anti-aircraft batteries along the French Atlantic coast.

Dates of rank Fähnrich zur See – 12 April 1913 Leutnant zur See – 22 March 1915 Oberleutnant zur See – 25 December 1917 Kapitänleutnant – 1 September 1922 Korvettenkapitän – 1 October 1930 Fregattenkapitän – 1 November 1935 Kapitän zur See – 1 April 1937 Konteradmiral – 1 April 1941 Vizeadmiral – 1 April 1942 Admiral – 1 March 1943

Awards Iron Cross (1914) 2nd Class (May 1915) & 1st Class (27 September 1919) Sudetenland Medal 1939 614th Oak Leaves on 18 October 1944 as Admiral and commander in chief of Marinegruppenkommando West (Navy Group Command West)