Years of service 1925–45 Battles and wars World War II Role Kapitan zur See | Name Rudolf Petersen Battles/wars World War II Rank Captain at sea | |
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Born 15 May 1905
Atzerballig on Alsen, Germany ( 1905-05-15 ) Buried at Cemetery Adelby in Flensburg Allegiance Weimar Republic (to 1933)
Nazi Germany (to 1945)
West Germany Service/branch Reichsmarine
Kriegsmarine
Bundesnachrichtendienst Commands held 2. Schnellbootflottille Died January 2, 1983, Flensburg, Germany Awards Knight\'s Cross of the Iron Cross | ||
Rudolf Jesper Petersen (15 June 1905 – 2 January 1983) was a German officer in the Kriegsmarine during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves of Nazi Germany.
Petersen, in his role as Kommodore, was the head of the court of what might have been the last desertion-trial of Nazi Germany. Matrose Fritz Wehrmann, age 26 from Leipzig, Funker Alfred Gail, age 20 from Kassel, and Obergefreiter Martin Schilling, age 22 from Ostfriesland were executed on board Buéa on 10 May 1945 two days after the Unconditional surrender of Germany.
The accused had received news of the German capitulation to the British forces on 4 May 1945. On 6 May 1945 they left their stations on Svendborg on Fünen to get to the mainland. They were caught by the Danish Police and handed over to the German authorities on Fünen.