Ernst Lindemann (1894–1941) was a German naval captain and the only
commander of the battleship Bismarck during its eight months of service
in World War II. Born in 1894, he joined the German Imperial Navy
(German: Kaiserliche Marine) in 1913, and after his basic military
training, served on a number of warships during World War I as a
wireless telegraphy officer. After World War I, he served in various
staff as well as naval gunnery training positions. In May 1941,
Lindemann commanded Bismarck during Operation Rheinübung. The German
task force, under the command of Admiral Günther Lütjens, consisted of
the battleship Bismarck and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen. It was to
break out of its base in German occupied Norway and attack British
merchant shipping lanes in the Atlantic Ocean. The force's first major
engagement was the Battle of the Denmark Strait which resulted in the
sinking of HMS Hood. Less than a week later, on 27 May, Lindemann and
most of his crew lost their lives during Bismarck's last battle. He was
posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz
des Eisernes Kreuzes), which recognized extreme bravery on the
battlefield or outstanding military leadership.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_Lindemann>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1153:
Malcolm IV became King of Scotland at the age of twelve.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_IV_of_Scotland>
1799:
War of the Second Coalition: Austrian forces defeated the French and
captured the strategically important town of Winterthur, Switzerland.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Winterthur_%281799%29>
1930:
Standing at 319 metres (1,047 ft), New York City's Chrysler Building
opened as the world's tallest building before it was surpassed by the
Empire State Building 11 months later.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysler_Building>
1967:
Australians overwhelmingly approved two amendments to the Constitution
granting the government the power to make laws to benefit Indigenous
Australians and to count them in the national census.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_referendum%2C_1967_%28Aboriginals%29>
2006:
An earthquake measuring about 6.3 Mw struck near the Indonesian city of
Yogyakarta on the southern side of the island of Java, killing at least
5,700 people, injuring at least 36,000, and leaving at least 1.5
million homeless.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_2006_Java_earthquake>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
nefandous (adj):
Horrific; unspeakably appalling
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nefandous>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
I am confirmed in my division of human energies. Ambitious people
climb, but faithful people build.
--Julia Ward Howe
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Julia_Ward_Howe>