High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Franz Ritter von Hipper (13 September 1863 - 25 May 1932) was a German admiral during the First World War. He is most famous for commanding the German battlecruisers at the Battle of Jutland. Born in Weilheim in Oberbayern within the Kingdom of Bavaria, Hipper joined the German Imperial Navy in 1881 as an 18-year-old cadet, initially serving on the sail-frigate SMS Niobe. From 1884 to 1903 he commanded German torpedo boats until he received command of the armored cruiser SMS Friedrich Carl. In October 1913 he was appointed commander of the High Seas Fleet Scouting Forces.