Georg Ritter von Trapp
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Captain Georg Ritter von Trapp* Note regarding personal names: Ritter is a title, translated approximately as Knight, not a first or middle name. There is no equivalent female form. (April 4, 1880 - May 30, 1947) headed the famous Austrian singing family immortalized in the musical The Sound of Music. His exploits at sea in World War I earned him numerous decorations, including elevation to the Austrian nobility.
Early life and naval career
Georg von Trapp was born in Zadar, Croatia (then part of Austria-Hungary) and in 1894 he followed his father's career into the Austro-Hungarian Navy, entering the naval academy at Fiume. He graduated four years later and completed two years of follow-on training voyages including a trip to Australia. In 1900 he was assigned to the armored cruiser Kaiserin und Königin Maria Theresia and was decorated for his performance during the Boxer Rebellion. In 1902, he passed the officer's examination.
He was fascinated by submarines, and in 1908 he seized the opportunity to be transferred to the newly-formed U-boot-Waffe. In 1910 he was given command of the newly-constructed U-6, which was christened by Agathe Whitehead, granddaughter of the Englishman Robert Whitehead, inventor of the torpedo. Georg and Agathe were married on March 1, 1912. He commanded U-6 until 1913.
On April 22, 1915, he took command of U-5 and conducted nine combat patrols. In October 1915 he was transferred to the captured French submarine Curie, which the Austrian Navy redesignated U-14. He conducted ten more war patrols, until, in May 1918, he was promoted to Korvettenkapitän and given command of the submarine base in the Gulf of Kotor.
At the end of World War I, Trapp's wartime record stood at 19 war patrols, 12 cargo vessels totalling 45,669 tons sunk, the French armored cruiser Leon Gambetta (12,600 tons) and the Italian submarine Nereide (225 tons).
For his wartime service, Trapp was raised to the nobility and granted the right to use the word von (of in English) before his name. Among other honors, he received a knighthood and the Knight's Cross of the Order of Maria Theresa. The title of Ritter appearing after his first name is sometimes incorrectly translated as Baron, but it is approximately equal to "rider" or knight. Its meaning is closer to the British Sir.
Life between the world wars
World War I ended with Austria defeated and stripped not only of its Navy, but of its entire sea coast.Trapp attempted to settle down with his wife and seven children, but in 1922, four years after the war, an epidemic of scarlet fever infected some of the children, and his wife Agathe caught it from the children and died. He began raising his family alone. In 1924, when his daughter Maria was advised by the doctor to stay home from school as she was recovering from the scarlet fever, he hired a novice from a local convent to teach her at home. The family had always shared a love of music (they often sang three-part harmony lieder together) and the novice, Maria Kutschera, joined in the children's musical education. She and Georg married in 1927. Maria would bear the Ritter three more children.
When the economy crashed in 1932 (the European side of the Great Depression), the Trapps lost most of their wealth. They began singing as a way to raise some money, and received high honors at the Salzburg Music Festival of 1936. Their fame brought them invitations to sing all over Europe. Hitler asked the family to sing at his birthday party, but the Trapps declined. The Nazis made other offers to the famous naval hero, but even command of a submarine base did not tempt Trapp.
Unlike many Austrian aristocrats, the Trapps were horrified by the Anschluss of 1938. Georg made no secret of his feelings; allegedly, the Gestapo ordered the von Trapps to display the Hakenkreuzflagge (swastika flag) for Hitler's visit to Salzburg, but Georg replied, "I can do a better job with one of my Persian carpets." Shortly afterwards the family fled to Italy by train (not to Switzerland on foot as in the film) and then to the United States. Georg Ritter von Trapp died of lung cancer on May 30, 1947 in Stowe, Vermont. His children by Agathe were Maria, Rupert, Agathe, Werner, Hedwig, Johanna and Martina; those by Maria were Rosmarie, Eleonore and Johannes.
References
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