| Niels Bätge | |
|---|---|
| File:Niels Bätge.jpg | |
| Born | 19 April 1913 |
| Died | 12 December 1944 (aged 31) |
| Place of birth | Reval |
| Place of death | near the Åland Islands |
| Allegiance |
 Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany |
| Service/branch |
 Reichsmarine Kriegsmarine |
| Years of service | 1931–1944 |
| 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 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
- Iron Cross (1939)
- Destroyer War Badge (12 January 1941)[1]
- Fast Attack Craft War Badge (30 March 1941)[1]
- Wound Badge (1939) (7 October 1940)[1]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (4 January 1942) as chief of the 4. Schnellbootflottille[2]
- Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 25 November 1941
Wehrmachtbericht reference
| 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. |
References
- Citations
- Bibliography
- Dörr, Manfred (1995). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Überwasserstreitkräfte der Kriegsmarine—Band 1:A–K (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio Verlag. ISBN 3-7648-2453-0.
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945 (in German). Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
- Range, Clemens (1974). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Kriegsmarine (in German). Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 3-87943-355-0.
- Scherzer, Veit (2007). 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 (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 (in German). München: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, 1985. ISBN 3-423-05944-3.
