Karl Dönitz
Karl Dönitz, Navy Grand Admiral, born September 16, 1891 in Grünau near Berlin, commander of the U-boats, commander-in-chief of the Navy from 1943-1945, successor to Adolf Hitler in May 1945, winner of the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, convicted at Nürnberg of war crimes, sentenced to 10 years imprisonment, released in 1956, author Memoirs: Ten Years and Twenty Days, died on December 24, 1980 in Aumühle near Hamburg, said of himself: “I must go to the front – that is where I belong. I must be with the troops. I must ever and always have an ear for my people.” (Dönitz’s Crews: Germany’s U-Boat Sailors in World War II)
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Herbert A. Kleinbeck
Herbert A. Kleinbeck, Jr., a Technician Fifth Grade and an assistant hangman to Master Sergeant John C. Woods, was discharged from the Army at Fort Sheridan, Illinois on December 24, 1945; for his service, he was awarded the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal and the Good Conduct Medal. (American Hangman: MSgt. John C. Woods, The United States Army’s Notorious Executioner in World War II and Nürnberg)