Karl Witzell (18 October 1884, Hiersfeld near Wesel – 31 May 1976, Berlin) was a German naval officer who rose to the rank of General Admiral in the Kreigsmarine of Nazi Germany.

He then spent several years in the German leased territory of Kiautschou, as a company officer and adjutant in the land-based coastal artillery department.

In this capacity, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog and remained on the ship of the line until the start of the First World War, serving there until early September 1915.

He briefly served as first officer on the ship of the line Braunschweig from 11 to 31 January 1926, and in the same role from 1 February 1926 to 30 September 1927, on the Schleswig-Holstein, where he was promoted to Fregattenkapitän on 1 April 1927.

[2] After the outbreak of the Second World War, he became Chef des Marinewaffenhauptamtes (Head of the Naval Weapons Main Office) in the Kriegsmarine high command on 7 November 1939 and was promoted to Generaladmiral on 1 April 1941.

Formed on 6 May 1942, under the leadership of Reich Minister Albert Speer, this committee aimed to centralize the research and development efforts of the three branches of the Armed Forces.

By establishing a unified planning agency, the committee sought to streamline ordnance research and optimize resource allocation, ensuring better-coordinated advancements in military technology across the Heer, Luftwaffe, and Kriegsmarine.