Niels Bätge

Niels Bätge
File:Niels Bätge.jpg
Born	(1913-04-19)19 April 1913 Reval
Died	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

• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (15 September 1940)
  • 1st Class (11 June 1941)
• Destroyer War Badge (12 January 1941)
• Fast Attack Craft War Badge (30 March 1941)
• Wound Badge (1939) (7 October 1940)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (4 January 1942) as chief of the 4. Schnellbootflottille
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 25 November 1941

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.	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.

External links

• Deutsches Marinearchiv
• Ritterkreuzträger Niels Bätge