Niels Bätge

Niels Bätge
Born (1913-04-19)19 April 1913
Reval
Died 12 December 1944(1944-12-12) (aged 31)
near the Åland Islands
Allegiance  Weimar Republic (to 1933)
 Nazi Germany
Service/branch  Reichsmarine
 Kriegsmarine
Years of service 1931–44
Rank Korvettenkapitän
Unit SKS Niobe
light cruiser Karlsruhe
Destroyer Hans Lody (Z-10)
Commands held Torpedoboot T-2 and T-20
4. Schnellbootflottille
Destroyer Z-35
Battles/wars World War II
Awards Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Niels Bätge (19 April 1913 in Reval – 12 December 1944 near the Åland Islands) was a German Schnellboot commander with Baltic German orign in World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Bätge was promoted to Kapitänleutnant on 1 September 1943. Shortly after his promotion he took command of the destroyer Z-35 on 25 September 1943. The destroyers Z-35 and Z-36 both ran into a German naval mine in the Gulf of Finland on 12 December 1944. Bätge and 24 members of the crew managed to save themselves in a life boat. However, they all froze to death and were later washed ashore near the Åland Islands.

Awards

Wehrmachtbericht reference

The daily Wehrmachtbericht (Wehrmacht propaganda report) noted the following:

Date Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording Direct English translation
Tuesday, 25 November 1941 Vor der britischen Küste griffen Schnellboote unter Führung des Flottillenchefsvon Kapitänleutnant Baethge einen stark gesicherten Geleitzug an und versenkten bei heftigen Kämpfen mit britischen Zerstörern vier schwer beladene Handelsschiffe mit zusammen 16 500 BRT, darunter einen Tanker von 6 500 BRT. Alle Boote kehrten unversehrt an ihren Stützpunkt zurück.[3] Fast attack boats under the leadership of flotilla chief, Captain Lieutenant Baethge, attacked a heavily secured convoy and sank in heavy fighting with British destroyers, four heavily laden merchant ships with a total of 16 500 GRT, including a tanker of 6 500 GRT off the British coast. All boats returned to their base undamaged.

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Dörr 1995, p. 12.
  2. ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 120.
  3. ↑ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 1, p. 731.

Bibliography

  • Dörr, Manfred (1995). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Überwasserstreitkräfte der Kriegsmarine—Band 1: A–K [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Surface Forces of the Navy—Volume 1: A–K] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2453-2. 
  • Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6. 
  • Range, Clemens (1974). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Kriegsmarine [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Navy]. Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 978-3-87943-355-1. 
  • Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2. 
  • Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 1, 1. September 1939 bis 31. Dezember 1941 [The Wehrmacht Reports 1939–1945 Volume 1, 1 September 1939 to 31 December 1941] (in German). München, Germany: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 978-3-423-05944-2. 

External links


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