Years of service 1931–44 Name Niels Batge | Rank Korvettenkapitan | |
 | ||
Born 19 April 1913
Reval ( 1913-04-19 ) Died 12 December 1944(1944-12-12) (aged 31)
near the Aland Islands Allegiance Weimar Republic (to 1933)
Nazi Germany Service/branch Reichsmarine
Kriegsmarine Unit SKS Niobe
light cruiser Karlsruhe
Destroyer Hans Lody (Z-10) | ||
Niels Batge (19 April 1913 in Reval – 12 December 1944 near the Aland 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. Batge was promoted to Kapitanleutnant 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. Batge 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 Aland Islands.
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Awards
Wehrmachtbericht reference
The daily Wehrmachtbericht (Wehrmacht propaganda report) noted the following: