Odo Löwe
Kapitänleutnant Odo Loewe, Sr. (January 19, 1884 – February 2, 1916) was the commander of the zeppelin LZ 54 (L 19) during World War I.
Odo Löwe, Sr. | |
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![]() Loewe circa 1915 | |
Born | |
Died | February 2, 1916 32) | (aged
Other names | Odo Loewe, Sr. |
Biography
He was born on January 19, 1884 in Stettin, Germany. From June 24, 1915 to October 19, 1915 stationed in Hage in East Frisia on L 9 with Lieutenant Braunhof as his first officer. On November 22, 1915 took over command of the newly built zeppelin LZ 54 (L 19) and was stationed in Dresden, Germany. He moved on January 29, 1916 to the airbase in Tønder. Two days later he departed on his fatal expedition.[1]
He died on February 2, 1916, in the North Sea when his zeppelin crashed. He and his crew survived the crash and a British fishing vessel responded to their distress flares. The captain was worried that he would be overpowered by the crew and let them drown.[2]
Legacy
His son, Odo Loewe, Jr. (1914–1943) would go on to command a U-boat and be killed in action.[3]
References
- Zeppelin L 19 - zeppelin-museum.dk
- "Notes Tell Airship's Fate. Bottle Picked Up Contains Last Messages from the Zeppelin L-19" (PDF). New York Times. 25 February 1916.
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "Odo Loewe". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net.