Ludwig von Reuter
| Ludwig von Reuter | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
9 February 1869 Guben, Prussia |
| Died | 18 December 1943 (aged 74) Potsdam, Germany |
| Allegiance |
 German Empire
|
| Service/branch |
 Kaiserliche Marine
|
| Years of service | 1885–1920 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Battles/wars | |
Ludwig von Reuter (9 February 1869 – 18 December 1943) was a German admiral during World War I who commanded the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet when it was interned at Scapa Flow at the end of the war. On 21 June 1919 he ordered the scuttling of the fleet to prevent the British from seizing the ships.
Reuter was born in Guben into a Prussian military family. His father, a colonel in the Prussian army, died during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. In 1885, he became a cadet in the Imperial German Navy at the instigation of his mother.
A midshipman at the age of 17, he was promoted to Unterleutnant zur See (sub-lieutenant at sea) in 1888. By 1910, he was a Kapitän zur See (captain at sea), commanding the heavy cruiser SMS Yorck.
Two months after the outbreak of World War I, he was made captain of the battlecruiser SMS Derfflinger, which he also commanded during the Battle of Dogger Bank. In September 1915, he became Commodore and commanding officer of the Second Scouting Group of five light cruisers (SMS Stuttgart, SMS Hamburg, SMS München, SMS Stettin, SMS Frauenlob), leading the group during the Battle of Jutland. Promoted to Konteradmiral in November 1916, he was placed in command of the Fourth Reconnaissance Group, a fleet of six light cruisers including his flagship SMS Königsberg. He commanded the group during the mine sweeping operation that led to the Second Battle of Heligoland Bight in November 1917. Faced with a surprise attack by a numerically superior force of British ships, he successfully withdrew his group under fire to the protection of the battleships SMS Kaiser and SMS Kaiserin.
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