Burkard Freiherr von Müllenheim-Rechberg
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25 June 1910
Burkard Freiherr von Müllenheim-Rechberg | |
|---|---|
 von Müllenheim-Rechberg as a sub-lieutenant in 1934 | |
| West German ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
| In office 1965–1967 | |
| West German ambassador to Tanzania | |
| In office 1971–1975 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Richard Alexander Conrad Bernhard Burkard von Müllenheim-Rechberg 25 June 1910 |
| Died | 1 June 2003 (aged 92) Herrsching am Ammersee, Germany |
Richard Alexander Conrad Bernhard Burkard von Müllenheim-Rechberg (Spandau, 25 June 1910 — Herrsching am Ammersee, 1 June 2003) was a German diplomat and author. After his career as a naval officer in the Kriegsmarine, he entered the diplomatic career of the Federal Republic of Germany. He was the highest-ranking survivor of the battleship Bismarck.
Burkard Freiherr von Müllenheim-Rechberg was a member of the Müllenheim family, an old Protestant family which originated from Alsace.[1] After receiving his Abitur in 1929, he entered the Reichsmarine, the Weimar navy. He became an aide to the German military attaché in London.
Second World War
At the outbreak of the Second World War, von Müllenheim-Rechberg served on several vessels. In May 1941, he experienced the sinking of the battleship Bismarck as fourth artillery officer with the rank of lieutenant commander, thereby becoming the highest-ranking survivor of the ship.[2] He was rescued by the British cruiser Dorsetshire and, after initial detention in England, was transported to Canada to the Bowmanville POW camp in Bowmanville, Ontario, from early April 1942 until it closed in April 1945.[3] He was later brought back to England in spring 1946 in preparation for repatriation.[4] On 1 February 1943, he was promoted to the rank of commander.
