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Wilhelm Meisel | |
|---|---|
 Meisel in 1941 | |
| Born | 4 November 1891 Zwickau |
| Died | 7 September 1974 (aged 82) Mülheim |
| Allegiance |  German Empire (to 1919) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany |
| Branch |  Imperial German Navy Reichsmarine Kriegsmarine |
| Years of service | 1913–45 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Unit | SMS Hertha SMS Moltke SMS Stralsund SMS Kaiserin Augusta |
| Commands | Heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper |
| Battles / wars | World War I
World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Wilhelm Meisel (4 November 1891 – 7 September 1974) was an Admiral of the Kriegsmarine of Nazi Germany during World War II and a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
Meisel was born in Zwickau and joined the Navy as a midshipman in 1913. During the First World War he served on the battlecruiser SMS Moltke, the light cruiser SMS Stralsund and the SMS Möwe. He later served as a staff officer on Torpedo boats and was interned in Scapa Flow. After the scuttling of the High Seas Fleet he was held as a POW by the British and repatriated in 1921.
During the 1920s Meisel commanded a torpedo boat flotilla and held several staff posts and commanded the German cruiser Karlsruhe in 1929.
During World War II Meisel commanded a destroyer flotilla in the invasion of Poland of 1939 and was appointed commander of the heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper in 1940. He was made Chief of Staff of Naval Group west in 1943 and Chief of Naval staff in 1943.