Kurt August Viktor Weyher (30 August 1901 – 17 December 1991) was a Konteradmiral of the German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 Navy (Kriegsmarine

Kriegsmarine

The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...

) who, during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, commanded a merchant raider

Merchant raider

Merchant raiders are ships which disguise themselves as non-combatant merchant vessels, whilst actually being armed and intending to attack enemy commerce. Germany used several merchant raiders early in World War I, and again early in World War II...

. Material on the command of the raider Orion was published online at http://www.bismarck-class.dk/hilfskreuzer/orion.html.

Weyher was heavily decorated during his active lifetime and progressed to Konteradmiral (equivalent to Rear Admiral) during the war, so he seems to have been an effective officer at the least.

Although it was not mentioned in his book "The Black Raider", it seems that Weyher was a non-trivial painter; in a feature article author Keith Gordon tells that on the voyage of the Orion Weyher did about 30 paintings on subjects connected with the ship's activities. The one painting illustrated seems to have had narrative merit and to have represented the topographic background recognisably.

Awards

• Schlesischer Adler  2nd and 1st Grade
• Bewährungsabzeichen der III. Marine-Brigade
• Cross of Honor
  Cross of Honor
  The Cross of Honor, also known as the Honor Cross or, popularly, the Hindenburg Cross, was a commemorative medal inaugurated on July 13, 1934 by Reichspräsident Paul von Hindenburg for those soldiers of Imperial Germany who fought in World War I...
  
  
• Olympia-Ehrenzeichen 2nd Class
• Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung
  Service award
  A Service award was awarded by a country to a soldier or civilian for long service. It is comparable to a service medal but can be awarded to civilians as well as soldiers.-Kingdom of Bavaria:*Königliches Ludwigsorden for 50 years' service...
  
  4th to 2nd Class
• Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 1. Oktober 1938
  Sudetenland Medal
  The The Sudetenland Commemorative Medal was a decoration of Nazi Germany awarded in the interwar period.-Description:...
  
  
• Spanish Cross
  Spanish Cross
  The Spanish Cross was an award of Germany given to Germans who participated in the Spanish Civil War, fighting for Franco.- History :With the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, Germany sent the Condor Legion to give military aid to Francisco Franco's nationalist forces.On April 14, 1939, Germany...
  
  
• Iron Cross
  Iron Cross
  The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
  
   (1939)
  • 2nd Class (9 July 1940)
  • 1st Class (30 August 1940)
• Kriegsabzeichen für Hilfskreuzer
  Auxiliary Cruiser Badge
  The Auxiliary Cruiser Badge was an award of the German military of the Third Reich. It was awarded to officers and men of the Kriegsmarine for service on Auxiliary Cruisers or the supply ships that supported them for a successful large voyage...
  
  (23 August 1941)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
  Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
  The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
  
   (21 August 1941)
• St. Alexander-Orden Kommandeurkreuz mit Schwertern
• German Cross
  German Cross
  The German Cross was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 17 November 1941 as an award ranking higher than the Iron Cross First Class but below the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross respectively ranking higher than the War Merit Cross First Class with Swords but below the Knight's Cross of the War Merit...
  
   in Gold (18 May 1944)
• Order of Michael the Brave
  Order of Michael the Brave
  The Order of Michael the Brave is Romania's highest military decoration, instituted by King Ferdinand I during the early stages of the Romanian Campaign of World War I, and was again awarded in World War II...
  
   3rd Class
• Order of the Star of Romania
  Order of the Star of Romania
  The Order of the Star of Romania is Romania's highest civil order. It is awarded by the President of Romania...
  
   Commodore with Swords
• Cross of Merit on ribbon
  Bundesverdienstkreuz
  The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany is the only general state decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has existed since 7 September 1951, and between 3,000 and 5,200 awards are given every year across all classes...
  
  (29 April 1977)