Conrad Helfrich

Conrad Emil Lambert Helfrich ( born October 11, 1886 in Semarang, Java, Indonesia, † September 20th 1962 in The Hague, Netherlands ) was a Dutch Vice- Admiral of the Royal Navy.

Life

The son of a Dutch physician of the Koninklijk Nederlandsch - Indian Leger ( KNIL ) and a native woman, the young Conrad Helfrich has always been interested in the Navy and left at age 17 to his parents' house in Den Helder to undertake at the Naval Academy. After four years, he was sworn in as an officer and took part in the 1908 Bali expedition. The following stations of his career were bets on a wide variety of warships before studying at the Military Academy, and shortly thereafter was employed there even for three years as a lecturer.

In 1931, the Navy leadership Conrad Helfrich appointed Chief of Staff of the Navy in the Dutch East Indies and from 1935 to 1937 he commanded the NEI squadron. After that he went as a director for the higher naval military school and stayed there for one and a half years.

In October 1939, Helfrich was given command of the complete units in the Dutch East Indies and was promoted to vice admiral on 31 August 1940. At this time he became friends with the British Admiral Sir Geoffrey Leyton, who led the China fleet for the Allies. Presented together with him Helfrich at the beginning of the Pacific War, the ABDA fleet together, which consisted of Australian, British, Dutch and American ships. With her he wanted to meet the Japanese at their most vulnerable spot. On February 12, 1942 Helfrich got transferred the Fleet Command in place of Admiral Thomas C. Hart ( U.S. Navy ).

After intelligence Conrad Helfrich informed about the advancing Japanese invasion associations, the course had taken on Java, he presented on February 21, 1942 together two defense fleets. One had its base in the port of Batavia Tandjong Priok, the second in Surabaya. On 26 February, the western fleet delivered under Rear Admiral Karel Doorman with the Japanese in the Battle of the Java Sea, which resulted in almost the complete ABDA fleet was destroyed by the Allies.

Conrad Helfrich left the Dutch East Indies on March 2 in a Catalina and flew to Colombo in Ceylon. There he built as quickly as possible to a new headquarters for the remaining ships.

As the new commander of the armed forces east he had command of the remaining land and naval forces that are still in the Far East opposed the expansionist ambitions of the Japanese. However, this function proved in his eyes as deportation on a high post, which had been promoted by the Americans, because blaming it on the intervention of the ABDA fleet and their loss Helfrich. He did not have a real impact on the tactical approach in the fight against the Japanese.

After the Second World War, the Dutch Navy transferred him in August 1945, the command of the entire fleet in the world. As a Dutch representative, he attended the formal signing of the Japanese surrender aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945.

Vice Admiral Helfrich resigned from the services of the Dutch navy on 1 January 1949. In 1950, he published his memoirs. He died on 20 September 1962 in The Hague.