During the Second World War the Kriegsmarine relied heavily on its fleet of Minensuchboote and Räumboote to keep vital sea lanes open against the growing threat of Allied mines, particularly those laid from the air in the North Sea, Baltic, English Channel, Norwegian waters and Mediterranean. The larger ocean-going Minensuchboote, designated by the prefix M and organized into numerous Minensuchflottillen under the Führer der Minensuchboote and later the Sicherungsdivisionen, included the successful Typ 1935 class of which around sixty-nine units were completed; these oil-fired vessels of roughly 870 tons displacement carried a relatively powerful armament of two 10.5-cm guns plus anti-aircraft weapons and could also lay mines or perform escort duties. As oil shortages intensified, the simpler coal-fired Typ 1940 class was mass-produced in greater numbers, exceeding 130 boats, while older First World War veterans continued in secondary roles. Complementing them were the smaller, highly versatile Räumboote, wooden-hulled diesel-powered motor minesweepers of which approximately 424 were built in successive classes from R 1 onward; grouped in Räumbootsflottillen, these craft excelled in inshore and coastal operations, clearing moored and magnetic mines with specialized gear such as the Scherdrachengerät and Ottergerät, and frequently doubled as convoy escorts, Vorpostenboote, anti-submarine hunters and even minelayers. Their maneuverability, sometimes enhanced by Voith-Schneider propellers, allowed effective service from the Arctic to the Black Sea. Together with large numbers of requisitioned fishing vessels converted into Hilfsminensuchboote, these forces formed the backbone of German coastal security, though heavy losses to aircraft, surface attacks and the mines themselves steadily eroded their strength. After the surrender many surviving Minensuchboote and Räumboote continued under the Deutscher Minenräumdienst to clear residual wartime minefields under Allied supervision.
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EICHENLAUBTRÄGER
Kapitän zur See Gerhard von Kamptz (1902-1998) was born on 27 December 1902 in Kopaschütz, Kreis Schroda in the Province of Posen, the son of Paul Wilhelm August von Kamptz, estate owner, and Hedwig Josephine Emilie Schmekel; he entered the Reichsmarine in 1923 and rose steadily through the ranks, becoming Leutnant zur See in 1927, Oberleutnant zur See in 1929, Kapitänleutnant on 1 April 1935, Korvettenkapitän on 1 April 1939, Fregattenkapitän on 1 April 1943 and finally Kapitän zur See on 1 July 1943. Early in his career he commanded the newly recommissioned Zieten as Oberleutnant zur See from October 1933 to September 1935 and later served as company leader in the V. Marineartillerie-Abteilung at Pillau; in November 1938 he was appointed Chef of the newly formed 2. Räumbootsflottille, a post he held until January 1941. During operations in the North Sea and especially in the Norwegian campaign of 1940 his flotilla performed with distinction under his personal leadership, repeatedly exceeding assigned objectives through his courage, skill and determination in overcoming every difficulty; for these achievements he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 6 October 1940 while still Korvettenkapitän and Chef of the 2. Räumbootsflottille. From mid-March 1941, with brief interruptions, until March 1943 he commanded the newly established 8. Räumbootsflottille (also referred to as 8. Minensuchflottille), under whose escort more than 400,000 BRT of shipping reached port without loss; for the outstanding leadership of this unit, which accomplished all its tasks in an exemplary manner, he received the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz (the 225th award) on 14 April 1943 as Fregattenkapitän and Chef of the 8. Räumbootsflottille. He subsequently served as Chef of the short-lived 4. Geleitflottille at La Spezia, directed special operations in Italy, commanded the Sperrschule at Sønderborg from December 1943 to October 1944, and worked as Abteilungschef in the Wehrgeistigen Führungsstab of the OKM before becoming Inselkommandant of Bornholm in March–April 1945 as successor to Robert Moraht. Ordered to surrender only to Western forces, he refused Soviet demands after the partial German capitulation of 4 May 1945, leading to Soviet air attacks on Rønne and Nexø; the island was finally handed over on 9 May, after which he spent nearly nine years in Soviet captivity until his release on 1 January 1954. He settled in Kiel, where he died on 16 May 1998 at the age of 95 and was buried in the Kieler Nordfriedhof.
Source :
https://naval-encyclopedia.com/ww2/germany/raumboote.php
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