Wilhelm Meentzen

Wilhelm Meentzen (19 March 1915 – 8 May 2001) was a German admiral in the Bundeswehr. He commanded the destroyer Zerstörer 3 (D172), formerly USS Wadsworth (DD-516), from October 1959 until January 1961. During World War II, Meentzen served as an officer in the navy and was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany.

Wilhelm Meentzen
Born	19 March 1915
Died	8 May 2001 (aged 86)
Allegiance	Nazi Germany  West Germany
Service/branch	Kriegsmarine German Navy
Years of service	1934–45 1956–74
Rank	Vizeadmiral
Commands held	Zerstörer 3 (D172)
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Awards and decorations

• Spanish Cross in Bronze with Swords (6 June 1939)[1]
• Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (23 December 1939) & 1st Class (21 November 1940)[1]
• German Cross in Gold on 5 May 1944 as Kapitänleutnant on Torpedoboot T-24/4. Torpedoboots-Flottille[2]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 30 October 1944 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of Torpedoboot T-24[3]
• Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (25 May 1973)[1]

References

1. Dörr 1996, p. 49.
2. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 300.
3. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 250.

• Dörr, Manfred (1996). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Überwasserstreitkräfte der Kriegsmarine—Band 2: L–Z [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Surface Forces of the Navy—Volume 2: L–Z] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2497-6.
• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
• Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.