World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseHeinz Assmann was born in Stendal, Province of Saxony, Germany in 1904. He joined the German Navy in 1922 and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant (Leutnant zur See) in 1926. In 1934, he was promoted to the rank of captain lieutenant (Kapitänleutnant). During 1938, he was promoted to the rank of corvette captain (Korvettenkapitän) and frigate captain (Fregattenkapitän). Between Nov 1938 and Nov 1939, he served as a staff officer in the Eastern Naval Group Command in Nov 1938. Between Nov 1939 and Sep 1942, he was assigned to the Naval Operations Division. Between Oct 1942 and Aug 1943, he served aboard battleship Tirpitz as the first officer; during this time, in Jan 1943, he was promoted to the rank of full captain (Kapitän zur See). Between Sep 1943 and the end of war, he was a general staff officer for the Navy at the German High Command (Oberkommando der Wehrmacht, or OKW). In this role, he was present in many meetings between Adolf Hitler and high ranking military officers, including the 20 Jul 1944 meeting during which an assassination attempt on Hitler failed. After the war, he moved to Hamburg, Germany, where he would serve as a member of the Hamburg Parliament starting in 1953. He passed away in Hamburg, West Germany in 1954.

Heinz Assmann Timeline