View source for Hans Zenker

{{Short description|German admiral (1870–1932)}}
{{Infobox military person
|name=Hans Zenker
|birth_date={{birth date|1870|8|10|df=y}}
|death_date={{death date and age|df=y|1932|8|18|1870|8|10}}
|birth_place=[[Bielitz]]
|death_place=[[Göttingen]]
|image=Bundesarchiv Bild 102-13764, Hans Zenker.jpg
|image_size=250
|caption=Admiral Hans Zenker, circa 1928
|allegiance={{flag|German Empire}}<br/>{{flag|Weimar Republic}}
|serviceyears=
|rank=
|branch=
{{plainlist|
*{{navy|German Empire}}
*{{navy|Weimar Republic}}
}}
|commands={{SMS|Von der Tann}}
|battles=[[World War I]]
*[[Battle of Jutland]]
}}

'''Hans Zenker''' (10 August 1870 in [[Bielitz]] – 18 August 1932 in [[Göttingen]]) was a [[German Empire|German]] [[Admiral (Germany)|admiral]].

==Biography==
Born in [[Bielitz]] (now [[Bielsko-Biała]], [[Poland]]), he entered the [[Imperial German Navy]] on 13 April 1889. After serving as captain of several [[torpedo boat]]s, he commanded in turn the [[light cruiser]]s {{SMS|Lübeck||2}} in 1911 and {{SMS|Cöln|1909|2}} in 1912&ndash;13. As captain of the [[battlecruiser]] {{SMS|Von der Tann||2}} in 1916&ndash;17, Zenker saw action in the [[Battle of Jutland]] on 31 May &ndash; 1 June 1916.

Zenker joined the Admiralty Staff in 1917. He was appointed to the North Sea area command in 1918, holding this post when the German war effort collapsed in November 1918.

After the war, he was an officer of the ''[[Reichsmarine]]'', serving as ''Inspekteur der Marineartillerie'' from 1920 to 1923 and the top post of ''Chef der Marineleitung'' (Chief of the Naval Command) from October 1, 1924, to September 30, 1928. His tenure as head of the Reichsmarine saw the beginning of the rebuilding of the German fleet with the construction of light cruisers and torpedo boats and the planning of {{Sclass|Deutschland|cruiser|4}} ships, later built as the ''[[German cruiser Deutschland|Deutschland]]'', ''[[German cruiser Admiral Scheer|Admiral Scheer]]'', and ''[[German cruiser Admiral Graf Spee|Admiral Graf Spee]]''.

==Family==
The last years of his life Zenker spent in [[Osterode am Harz]]. His son, [[Karl-Adolf Zenker]] (1907-1998), held the office equivalent to Chef der Marineleitung&mdash;[[Inspector of the Navy]]&mdash;in the West German [[Bundesmarine]] from 1961 to 1967.

==See also==
* [[Lohmann Affair|Lohmann affair]]

== References ==
* Bradley, Dermot; Hildebrand, Hans H.; Henriot, Ernest (1990). ''Deutschlands Admirale 1849–1945. Die militärischen Werdegänge der See-, Ingenieur-, Sanitäts-, Waffen- und Verwaltungsoffiziere im Admiralsrang.'' Band 3: ''P–Z.'' Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio Verlag. {{ISBN|3-7648-1700-3}}.

{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{succession box|title=[[Reichsmarine|Chef der Marineleitung]]|
|before=Admiral [[Paul Behncke]]
|after=Admiral [[Erich Raeder]]
|years=1924&ndash;1928
}}
{{s-end}}

{{Commons category}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zenker, Hans}}
[[Category:1870 births]]
[[Category:1932 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Austrian Silesia]]
[[Category:People from Bielsko]]
[[Category:Admirals of the Reichsmarine]]
[[Category:Imperial German Navy personnel of World War I]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class]]


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