5. Hans-Georg Von Friedeburg committed suicide after Germany surrendered, as he could not live with the shame of defeat
Hans-Georg von Friedeburg (b. 1895) was the deputy-commander of the U-Boats and the last Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine (Navy). Joining the German Imperial Navy in 1914 as a Seekadet, Friedeburg served aboard the SMS Kronprinz and took part in the Battle of Jutland in 1916 against the British Royal Navy. Later Friedeburg was promoted to the rank of Leutnant zur See (Acting Sub Lieutenant), serving aboard the U-Boat SM U-114 until the end of the war.
Remaining a prominent naval officer during the inter-war period Friedeburg was promoted to the rank of Deputy Commander of the U-Boat fleet in September 1941, overseeing the development of the German fleet and organizing the U-Boat picket lines during the Battle of the Atlantic. Promoted to Rear-Admiral in 1942 and receiving command of the whole U-Boat fleet in 1943, Friedeburg also became Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine on May 1 1945 after the death of Hitler.
Ordered by the new Reich President Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz to negotiate an unconditional surrender with the Allies, Friedeburg was the only representative of the armed forces present at the signing of the German instruments of surrender at Luneburg Heath on May 4 1945. Friedeburg was also present for the instrument’s signings in Reims on May 7 and in Berlin on May 8, signing on behalf of the Kriegsmarine. Two weeks later as a prisoner of war in Plön, unable to endure the shame of defeat and having previously committed to such action in the event of a German loss, Friedeburg ingested cyanide.