• Operation Frankton

Date of birth:

March 22nd, 1890 (Werdau/Saxony, Germany)

Date of death:

April 2nd, 1945 (Willebadessen/Westphalia, Germany)

Buried on:

German War Cemetery Königswinter - Ittenbach
Plot: B. Row: 10. Grave: 188.

Nationality:

German

Johannes Bachmann joined the Imperial German Navy in 1909, training aboard the cruiser Freya before serving in the East Asia Squadron on Gneisenau. Promoted to Lieutenant in 1912, he returned to Germany in 1913, assigned to naval inspection and later the 2nd Torpedo Division.

During World War I, he commanded torpedo boats G 8 and V 130 before transitioning to the Reichsmarine after the war. Over the next two decades, he held various roles, including artillery officer on Hamburg, instructor at the Naval School, and navigation officer on Nymphe and Karlsruhe. In 1935, he commanded the cruiser Emden, later becoming Chief of Staff of the North Sea Naval Station and Rear Admiral by 1939.

During World War II, he was appointed Coastal Commander, East Frisia, later overseeing German Bight defense. He became Naval Commander, West France in 1942 and was promoted to Admiral, leading operations on the Atlantic Coast until his retirement in May 1943.

In June 1943, Bachmann became District Administrator of Warburg, where he was killed in action against US forces on April 2, 1945, in Willebadessen.

Career:
1923 - 1933: Landrat, Breslau;
August 1936 - August 1940: Chef des Stabes, Marinestation Nordsee;
August 1940 - February 1941: Küstenbefehlshaber Ostfriesland;
February 1941 - June 1942: Küstenbefehlshaber Deutsche Bucht;
August 1942 - March 1943: Marinebefehlshaber Westfrankreich;
May 31st, 1943: z.V.

Alleged war crimes
Bachmann is linked to the execution of British commandos captured under his command after Operation Frankton. Post-war war crimes investigations concluded that Bachmann should be tried for war crimes, however news of his death later emerged. There are numerous reports, including his own diary, pointing out that he committed these war crimes.

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• Photo 1: Public Domain (Public Domain)
• - PATZWALL, K. & SCHERZER, V., Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941-1945, Band II, Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, Norderstedt, 2001.
  - Die Ordensträger der Deutschen Wehrmacht (CD), VMD-Verlag GmbH, Osnabrück, 2002
  

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