Fritz Joseph Bittenfeld
From Gineipaedia, the Legend of Galactic Heroes wiki
.jpg) High Admiral Bittenfeld (800 UC (2 NIC / 491 IC / 3600 CE)) | |
| Gender: | Male |
| Affiliation: | Galactic Empire |
| Rank: | High admiral |
| Flagship(s): | Königs Tiger |
| Status: | Alive (801 UC (3 NIC / 492 IC / 3601 CE)) |
| Born: | 767 UC (458 IC / 3567 CE) |
| Played by: | Keiichi Noda |
Fritz Joseph Bittenfeld (Japanese: フリッツ・ヨーゼフ・ビッテンフェルト) was an admiral in the Imperial Fleet who served under Reinhard von Lohengramm and was known for his fiery temper and aggressive battle tactics. His fleet, named the Black Lancers, was notorious for their speed and unmatched offensive power. The Black Lancers were distinguished by a black paint scheme, and used fast battleships in place of the standard battleship.
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Military service
Before joining the Lohengramm admiralty, Bittenfeld was first noticed by Reinhard in the Sixth Battle of Iserlohn. Only a Captain at that time, Bittenfeld managed to sink two Alliance ships in one volley.
A Vice Admiral at the Battle of Lügen, his Black Lancers routed the 10th Fleet, killing Vice Admiral Ulanhu in the process. When the Imperial forces reunited at Amritsar Starzone, Bittenfeld attempted to engage the 13th Fleet, but was bypassed. However, the Black Lancers still managed to obliterate the 8th Fleet, killing Vice Admiral Appleton. Bittenfeld turned his forces back to face Yang Wen-li. He deployed his Walküren too soon and his fleet was struck by a critical volley from Yang. Although heavily damaged, the Black Lancers still functioned. Reinhard lacked sufficient forces to reinforce Bittenfeld at that time. A later attempt to reinforce with Kircheis's forces came too late to prevent Yang's fleet from breaking through the Black Lancer formation. Reinhard almost court-martialed Bittenfeld on the spot, but was convinced by Kircheis to pardon Bittenfeld. (LOGH: 'The Battle of Amritsar Starzone', 'New Trends')
As a High Admiral, Bittenfeld tried to engage Yang Wen-li in battle after the fall of the Alliance, but was lured into the Iserlohn Corridor where his Black Lancers and Fahrenheit Fleet were forced into close quarters and outflanked by the smaller Yang Fleet. Bittenfeld ordered aggressive attacks before he had to pull back and regroup - ironically having come very close to killing Yang when an Imperial fast battleship was destroyed at point blank range just as it was about to fire at Yang's flagship, the Ulysses. After regrouping the Black Lancers attacked again but were surrounded and had to break out and retreat. (LOGH: 'The Battle of the Corridor: The Invincible and the Undefeated')
The Black Lancers had lost 6,220 ships out of 15,900 and Adalbert von Fahrenheit's fleet had lost 8,490 ships out of 15,200 including Fahrenheit's flagship, the Asgrimm. Casualties were over two million. On reporting to Reinhard, Bittenfeld stated he would accept any punishment for his failure and the death of his comrade. However Reinhard declined to reproach him, stating that it was still better than committing a mistake that was unlike Bittenfeld's nature. The survivors in the Fahrenheit Fleet were absorbed into the Black Lancers and painted their ships black, but they remained a separate formation and used the standard battleship instead of the fast battleship. (LOGH: 'The Battle of the Corridor: Kaleidoscope', 'Live by the Sword...')
Bittenfeld was probably promoted to Fleet Admiral by Hildegard von Lohengramm, per the deathbed recommendation of Reinhard.
Personal life
Bittenfeld is not known to be married and is not mentioned as having any particular hobbies. He was bored by a ballet he attended alongside Reinhard, although he hid this and applauded with apparent enthusiasm. (LOGH: 'Burgeoning')
Appendices
Appearances
- LOGH:
- 'The Castrop Rebellion' (first appearance)
- 'Cool, Clear Artificial Eyes'
- 'Running Start Towards the Future'
- 'Long Live the Empress! (Hoff Kaiserin)'
- 'Invitation to Rebellion'
- 'A Challenge to Arms'
- 'Cosmic Mosaic'
- 'Towards Peace, Through Bloodshed'
- 'Planet of Confusion'
- 'The Burning of Holly House'
- 'The Crimson Star Road'
- 'The Beautiful Maiden Wants Blood'
- 'The Golden Lion Flag Loses Its Lustre'
- 'Dream: To See It to the End' (final appearance)
Name variations
- Fritz Josef Wittenfeld (Novels)
- Fritz Joseph Bittenfeld (DVD/BD subtitles)
- Fritz Josef Bittenfeld (LD subtitles)
- フリッツ・ヨーゼフ・ビッテンフェルト (LD/DVD subtitles)
Memorable quotes
- "Right now the goddess of victory is waving her underwear in our faces!"
- "As always, there's no cuteness about them. Dammit."
- "When a devil gets caught by a monster, I, as a human being, can only hope that they both die."
- "There's a tradition in the Bittenfeld family! When you praise someone you do it loudly; when you denounce someone you do it even louder! I'm only observing that tradition."
- "Did you come by to bring me a bludgeon to crush Oberstein or something?"
Background information
Bittenfeld is a town in north Baden-Württemberg, in the south of Germany. It is part of the bigger city Waiblingen since 1975. It was the birthplace of Friedrich Schiller's father Johan Kaspar Schiller who served as a war officer and gardener under the Duke of Württemberg.
Karl Eberhard Herwarth von Bittenfeld was a rifleman in Prussian Army during the liberation wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was promoted to the Prussian general staff after siding against partisans during the 1848 Berlin revolution. He served in the Austro-Prussian war, and was a logistics officer during the Franco Prussian war. His commander, Otto Von Bismarck, is well known for rejecting peace and initiating wars simply for the fact that he believed that coalitions formed without blood were illegitimate; making him one of the most aggressive politicians in world history.
