Karl Smidt

Karl Smidt
Born(1903-08-30)30 August 1903
Died11 January 1984(1984-01-11) (aged 80)
Allegiance Nazi Germany
West Germany
BranchKriegsmarine
German Navy
Service years1922–45
1956–63
RankKapitän zur See
Konteradmiral (Bundesmarine)
CommandsJaguar
destroyer Z12 Erich Giese
destroyer Z27
ConflictsSpanish Civil War
World War II
AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Karl Ernst Smidt (30 August 1903 – 11 January 1984) was a German naval commander who reached the rank of Konteradmiral with the West German Navy. He served during World War II and was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. From 1961 to 1963 he was the NATO Commander-in-Chief of the German Fleet of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.