place_of_birth otto schulz 
Melitta Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg , born Melitta Schiller ( 9 January 1903  8 April 1945 ), was a ___MASK24___ Aviator who served as a test pilot in the Luftwaffe before and during World War ___MASK79___ . Strategic bombing is a military strategy used in a total war with the goal ___MASK52___ defeating the enemy by destroying its morale or its economic ability to produce and transport materiel to the theatres ___MASK52___ military operations , or both . It is a systematically organized and executed attack from the air which can utilize strategic bombers , long - or medium - range missiles , or nuclear - armed fighter - bomber aircraft to attack targets deemed vital to the enemy ' s war - making capability . ___MASK13___ is the common English name for the period in ___MASK24___ history from 1933 to 1945 , when ___MASK88___ was governed by a dictatorship under the control of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party ( NSDAP ). Under Hitler ' s rule , ___MASK88___ was transformed into a fascist state in which the Nazi Party took totalitarian control over nearly all aspects of life . The official name of the state was " Deutsches Reich " from 1933 to 1943 and " Großdeutsches Reich " (" Greater ___MASK24___ Reich ") from 1943 to 1945 . The period is also known under the names the Third Reich and the National Socialist Period ( abbreviated as " NS - Zeit "). The Nazi regime came to an end after the Allied Powers defeated ___MASK88___ in May 1945 , ending World War II in Europe . The Knight ' s Cross ___MASK52___ the Iron Cross ( German language : " Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes "), or simply the Knight ' s Cross (" Ritterkreuz "), and its variants were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces ___MASK52___ ___MASK13___ during World War II . A great power is a sovereign state that is recognized as having the ability and expertise to exert its influence on a global scale . Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength , as well as diplomatic and soft power influence , which may cause middle or small powers to consider the great powers ' opinions before taking actions ___MASK52___ their own . International relations theorists have posited that great power status can be characterized into power capabilities , spatial aspects , and status dimensions . World War I ( WWI or WW1 ), also known as the First World War , or the Great War , was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918 . More than 70 million military personnel , including 60 million Europeans , were mobilised in one ___MASK52___ the largest wars in history . Over nine million combatants and seven million civilians died as a result ___MASK52___ the war ( including the victims ___MASK52___ a number ___MASK52___ genocides ), a casualty rate exacerbated by the belligerents ' technological and industrial sophistication , and the tactical stalemate caused by gruelling trench warfare . It was one ___MASK52___ the deadliest conflicts in history , and paved the way for major political changes , including revolutions in many ___MASK52___ the nations involved . The Iron Cross ( abbreviated EK ) was a military decoration in the Kingdom ___MASK52___ ___MASK89___ , and later in the ___MASK41___ ( 1871  1918 ) and Nazi Germany ( 1933  1945 ). It was established by King Friedrich Wilhelm III ___MASK52___ ___MASK89___ in March 1813 backdated to the birthday ___MASK52___ his late wife Queen Louise on 10 March 1813 during the Napoleonic Wars ( EK 1813 ). Louise was the first person to receive this decoration ( posthumous ). The recommissioned Iron Cross was also awarded during the Franco - Prussian War ( EK 1870 ), World War I ( EK 1914 ), and World War II ( EK 1939 , re - introduced with a swastika added in the center ). The Iron Cross was normally a military decoration only , though there were instances ___MASK52___ it being awarded to civilians for performing military functions . Two examples ___MASK52___ this were civilian test pilots Hanna Reitsch who was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class and 1st Class and Melitta Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg , who was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class , for their actions as pilots during World War II . The Napoleonic Wars ( 1803 - 1815 ) were a series ___MASK52___ major conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies , led by Napoleon I , against a fluctuating array ___MASK52___ European powers formed into various coalitions , primarily led and financed by the United Kingdom . The wars resulted from the unresolved disputes associated with the French Revolution and the Revolutionary Wars , which had raged on for years before concluding with the Treaty ___MASK52___ ___MASK25___ in 1802 . The resumption ___MASK52___ hostilities the following year paved the way for more than a decade ___MASK52___ constant warfare often categorized into five conflicts : the War ___MASK52___ the Third Coalition ( 1805 ), the War ___MASK52___ the Fourth Coalition ( 1806 - 7 ), the War ___MASK52___ the Fifth Coalition ( 1809 ), the War ___MASK52___ the Sixth Coalition ( 1813 ), and the War ___MASK52___ the Seventh Coalition ( 1815 ). The Napoleonic Wars had profound consequences for global and European history , leading to the spread ___MASK52___ nationalism and liberalism , the rise ___MASK52___ the British Empire as the world ' s premier power , the independence movements in Latin America and the collapse ___MASK52___ the Spanish Empire , the fundamental reorganization ___MASK52___ German and Italian territories into larger states , and the establishment ___MASK52___ radically new methods in warfare . The ___MASK32___ ( also known outside the Indian subcontinent as the Hakenkreuz , gammadion cross , cross cramponnée , croix gammée , fylfot , or tetraskelion ) ( as a character  or  ) is an ancient religious symbol originating from the Indian subcontinent , that generally takes the form of an equilateral cross with four legs each bent at 90 degrees . It is considered to be a sacred and auspicious symbol in Hinduism , Buddhism , and Jainism and dates back at least 11 , 000 years . It continues to be commonly used as a religious symbol in religions native to the Indian subcontinent , such as Hinduism , Buddhism , and Jainism . Konteradmiral , abbreviated KAdm or KADM , is the second lowest ___MASK17___ flag officer rank in the German Navy . It is equivalent to " Generalmajor " in the " Heer " and " Luftwaffe " or to " Admiralstabsarzt " and " Generalstabsarzt " in the " Zentraler Sanitätsdienst der Bundeswehr ". The Holocaust ( from the Greek ': " hólos ", " whole " and " kaustós ", " burnt "), also referred to as the Shoah "' ( Hebrew : , " HaShoah ", " the catastrophe "), was a genocide in which Adolf Hitler ' s ___MASK13___ and its collaborators killed about six million Jews . The victims included 1 . 5 million children and represented about two - thirds ___MASK52___ the nine million Jews who had resided in Europe . Some definitions ___MASK52___ the Holocaust include the additional five million non - Jewish victims ___MASK52___ Nazi mass murders , bringing the total to about 11 million . Killings took place throughout ___MASK13___ , German - occupied territories , and territories held by allies ___MASK52___ ___MASK13___ . In politics and military planning , a war effort refers to a coordinated mobilization ___MASK52___ society ' s resources  both industrial and human  towards the support ___MASK52___ a military force . Depending on the militarization ___MASK52___ the culture , the relative size ___MASK52___ the armed forces and the society supporting them , the style ___MASK52___ government , and the popular support for the military objectives , such war effort can range from a small ___MASK27___ to complete command ___MASK52___ society . ___MASK44___ Reitsch ( 29 March 1912  24 August 1979 ) was Germany ' s most famous female aviator and test pilot , starting in the early 1930s . During the Nazi era she served as an international representative for the regime . In the 1960s she was sponsored by the West German foreign office as a technical adviser in Ghana and elsewhere . Generalmajor , short GenMaj , ( en : major general ) is the third highest general officer rank in the ___MASK24___ Army (" Heer "), ___MASK24___ Air Force (" Luftwaffe "). This rank is also used in the Austrian Armed Forces , but is abbreviated as GenMjr . ___MASK24___ is a West Germanic language that is mainly spoken in ___MASK83___ Europe . It is the ___MASK34___ widely spoken and ( co -) official language in Germany , Austria , Switzerland , South Tyrol ( Italy ), the ___MASK24___ - speaking Community of Belgium , and ___MASK57___ ; it is also an official , but not majority language of Luxembourg . Major languages which are ___MASK34___ similar to ___MASK24___ include other members of the West Germanic language branch , such as Afrikaans , Dutch , and English . It is the second ___MASK34___ widely spoken Germanic language , after English . World War ___MASK79___ ( often abbreviated to WWII or WW2 ), also known as the Second World War , was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945 , although related conflicts began earlier . It involved the vast majority ___MASK52___ the world ' s nations  including all ___MASK52___ the great powers  eventually forming two opposing military alliances : the Allies and the Axis . It was the ___MASK34___ widespread war in history , and directly involved more than 100 million people from over 30 countries . In a state ___MASK52___ " total war ", the major participants threw their entire economic , industrial , and scientific capabilities behind the war effort , erasing the distinction between civilian and military resources . Marked by mass deaths ___MASK52___ civilians , including the Holocaust ( in which approximately 11 million people were killed ) and the strategic bombing ___MASK52___ industrial and population centres ( in which approximately one million were killed , and which included the atomic bombings ___MASK52___ Hiroshima and ___MASK11___ ), it resulted in an estimated 50 million to 85 million fatalities . These ___MASK28___ World War ___MASK79___ the deadliest conflict in human history . A military ___MASK37___ is an international agreement concerning national security , when the contracting parties promise to support each other in case of a crisis that has not been identified in advance . Military alliances differ from coalitions , as coalitions are formed for a crisis that are already known . The Wehrmacht ( lit . " defence force ") was the unified armed forces ___MASK52___ ___MASK13___ from 1935 to 1946 . It consisted ___MASK52___ the " Heer " ( army ), the " Kriegsmarine " ( navy ) and the " Luftwaffe " ( air force ). The designation " Wehrmacht " for ___MASK13___ ' s military replaced the previously used term , " Reichswehr " ( 1919  35 ), and was the manifestation ___MASK52___ ___MASK13___ ' s efforts to rearm the nation to a greater extent than the Treaty ___MASK52___ ___MASK75___ permitted . The Kingdom ___MASK52___ ___MASK89___ was a German kingdom that constituted the state ___MASK52___ ___MASK89___ between 1701 and 1918 and included parts ___MASK52___ present - day Germany , Poland , Russia , Lithuania , Denmark , Belgium and the Czech Republic . It was the driving force behind the unification ___MASK52___ Germany in 1871 and was the leading state ___MASK52___ the ___MASK41___ until its dissolution in 1918 . Although it took its name from the region called ___MASK89___ , it was based in the Margraviate ___MASK52___ Brandenburg , where its capital was Berlin . Total war is warfare that includes any and all civilian - associated resources and infrastructure as legitimate military targets , mobilizes all ___MASK52___ the resources ___MASK52___ society to fight the war , and gives priority to warfare over non - combatant needs . The American - English Dictionary defines total war as " war that is unrestricted in terms ___MASK52___ the weapons used , the territory or combatants involved , or the objectives pursued , especially one in which the laws ___MASK52___ war are disregarded ." The ___MASK41___ ( officially ') was the historical German nation state that existed from the unification of Germany in 1871 to the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II in November 1918 , when Germany became a federal republic ( the Weimar Republic ). The ___MASK24___ Navy ( or simply ) is the navy ___MASK52___ ___MASK88___ and part ___MASK52___ the unified " Bundeswehr " (" Federal Defense "), the ___MASK24___ Armed Forces . The ___MASK24___ Navy was originally known as the " Bundesmarine " (" Federal Navy ") from 1956 until 1995 when " Deutsche Marine " (" ___MASK24___ Navy ") became the official name with respect to the 1990 incorporation ___MASK52___ the East ___MASK24___ " Volksmarine " (" People ' s Navy "). It is deeply integrated into the NATO ___MASK37___ . Its primary mission is protection ___MASK52___ ___MASK88___ ' s territorial waters and maritime infrastructure as well as sea lines ___MASK52___ communication . Apart from this , the ___MASK24___ Navy participates in peacekeeping operations , and renders humanitarian assistance and disaster relief . The United States dropped nuclear weapons on the Japanese cities ___MASK52___ Hiroshima and ___MASK11___ on August 6 and 9 , 1945 , respectively , during the final stage ___MASK52___ World War II . The United States had dropped the bombs with the consent ___MASK52___ the United Kingdom as outlined in the ___MASK58___ Agreement . The two bombings , which killed at least 129 , 000 people , remain the only use ___MASK52___ nuclear weapons for warfare in history . ___MASK48___ is perhaps best known as the first city in history to be targeted by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces ( USAAF ) dropped an atomic bomb on the city ( and later on ___MASK11___ ) at 8 : 15 a . m . on August 6 , 1945 , near the end of World War II . The Franco - Prussian War or Franco - ___MASK24___ War , often referred to in ___MASK39___ as the War of 1870 ( 19 July 1871 ), was a conflict between the Second French Empire of Napoleon III and the ___MASK24___ states of the North ___MASK24___ Confederation led by the Kingdom of ___MASK89___ . The conflict was caused by Prussian ambitions to extend ___MASK24___ unification and French fears of the shift in the European balance of power that would result if the Prussians succeeded . Some historians argue that the Prussian chancellor Otto von Bismarck deliberately provoked a French attack in order to draw the southern ___MASK24___ states  Baden , Württemberg , ___MASK7___ and Hesse - ___MASK54___  into an alliance with the North ___MASK24___ Confederation dominated by ___MASK89___ , while others contend that Bismarck did not plan anything and merely exploited the circumstances as they unfolded . Generalstabsarzt and Admiralstabsarzt are in ___MASK24___ armed forces the rank designations ___MASK52___ the second highest grad ___MASK52___ the generals rank group . During World War ___MASK79___ , the American atomic bombings ___MASK52___ Hiroshima and ___MASK11___ ___MASK28___ ___MASK11___ the second and , to date , last city in the world to experience a nuclear attack . The Reichsmarine (" Navy ___MASK52___ the Realm ") was the name ___MASK52___ the German Navy during the Weimar ___MASK33___ and first two years ___MASK52___ Nazi Germany . It was the naval branch ___MASK52___ the " Reichswehr ", existing from 1919 to 1935 . In 1935 , it became known as the " Kriegsmarine ", a branch ___MASK52___ the Wehrmacht ; a change implemented by Adolf Hitler . The Luftwaffe was the aerial warfare branch ___MASK52___ the combined German Wehrmacht military forces during World War II . ___MASK88___ ' s military air arms during the First World War , the " Luftstreitkräfte " ___MASK52___ the Army and the " Marine - Fliegerabteilung " ___MASK52___ the Navy , had been disbanded in May 1920 as a result ___MASK52___ the terms ___MASK52___ the Treaty ___MASK52___ Versailles which stated that ___MASK88___ was forbidden to have any air force . The Kriegsmarine (" War Navy ") was the navy ___MASK52___ ___MASK13___ from 1935 to 1945 . It superseded the " Kaiserliche Marine " ( German Imperial Navy ) ___MASK52___ World War I and the inter - war " Reichsmarine ". The " Kriegsmarine " was one ___MASK52___ three official branches  along with the " Heer ( Army )" and the " Luftwaffe ( Air Force )" ___MASK52___ the Wehrmacht , the armed forces ___MASK52___ ___MASK13___ . A navy or maritime force is a ___MASK16___ ___MASK52___ waterborne military vessels ( watercraft ) and its associated naval aviation , both sea - based and land - based . It is the branch ___MASK52___ a nation ' s armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare ; namely , lake - borne , riverine , ___MASK49___ , or ocean - borne combat operations and related functions . It includes anything conducted by surface ships , amphibious ships , submarines , and seaborne aviation , as well as ancillary support , communications , training , and other fields ; recent developments have included space - related operations . The strategic offensive role ___MASK52___ a navy is projection ___MASK52___ force into areas beyond a country ' s shores ( for example , to protect sea - lanes , ferry troops , or attack other navies , ports , or shore installations ). The strategic defensive purpose ___MASK52___ a navy is to frustrate seaborne projection - ___MASK52___ - force by enemies . The strategic task ___MASK52___ the navy also may incorporate nuclear deterrence by use ___MASK52___ Submarine - launched ballistic missiles . Naval operations can be broadly divided between riverine and ___MASK49___ applications ( brown - water navy ), open - ocean applications ( blue - water navy ), and something in between ( green - water navy ), although these distinctions are more about strategic scope than tactical or operational division . Otto Schulz ( 12 ___MASK23___ 1900 -- 28 ___MASK23___ 1974 ) was a Konteradmiral with the Kriegsmarine ( the ___MASK24___ navy ) during World War ___MASK79___ and a recipient ___MASK52___ the Knight ' s Cross ___MASK52___ the Iron Cross ( Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes ) . The Knight ' s Cross ___MASK52___ the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership .