Leo Kreisch – Panzerschiff Lützow & Führer der U-Boote

Original Postwar Signature on a Postwar Photo of Leo Kreisch. Vizeadmiral Leo Kreisch
(25 June 1895, Xanten † 1977) was a career naval officer who served in both World Wars, rising to the rank of Vizeadmiral in the Kriegsmarine. Beginning his service in the Kaiserliche Marine in 1914, he trained aboard the light cruisers Danzig and Wiesbaden before being commissioned as a Leutnant zur See in July 1916. He went on to serve aboard the Regensburg and later attended U-Boat school.

Integrated into the Reichsmarine after the First World War, Kreisch steadily advanced through the ranks, serving in various posts including Torpedooffizier on the battleship Schleswig-Holstein. During the Second World War, he held several important naval commands:

• Kommandant of the light cruiser Nürnberg (1940)

• Commander of the Panzerschiff Lützow (1941–42)

• Führer der U-Boote Italien/Mittelmeer (1942–44), directing submarine operations in the Mediterranean.

• Führer der Zerstörer (1944–45), overseeing destroyer forces until the end of the war.

On 1 January 1945, he was promoted to Vizeadmiral. After Germany’s capitulation, Kreisch survived captivity and lived in postwar Germany, including in Berlin-Zehlendorf. He passed away in 1977.

Career Highlights

• World War I service on cruisers Danzig, Wiesbaden, and Regensburg.

• Reichsmarine officer in the interwar period, rising to Korvettenkapitän in 1933.

• World War II commands:

  • Nürnberg (light cruiser)

  • Lützow (pocket battleship)

  • U-Boat operations in Italy/Mediterranean, 1942–44

  • Commander of German destroyers, 1944–45

• Promoted to Vizeadmiral (1 January 1945).

Item Details

• Authentic postwar signature of Vizeadmiral Leo Kreisch.

• Signed on a postwar photograph.

• Condition: Clear, well-preserved autograph.