Ritterkreuzträger of 2. Schnellbootsflottille

During the Second World War, the 2. Schnellbootsflottille formed an elite tactical component of the Kriegsmarine operating high-speed fast attack craft, commonly known to the Allies as E-boats, executing aggressive nocturnal anti-shipping strikes, minelaying operations, and coastal escort missions across contested European waters including the North Sea, the English Channel, and the Mediterranean theater under the overarching administrative command of the Führer der Schnellboote. Operating specialized vessels such as the S-31, S-33, and S-180, the flotilla was led by distinguished officers such as Korvettenkapitän Rudolf Petersen and later Korvettenkapitän Klaus Feldt, whose leadership fostered a culture of tactical daring that resulted in numerous sailors and Kommandanten earning prestigious military decorations, including the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes and the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold, for exceptional bravery against heavily defended Allied merchant convoys and coastal naval forces.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EICHENLAUBTRÄGER


Korvettenkapitän Klaus Feldt (1912-2010) was born on 14 April 1912 in Kiel and entered the Reichsmarine in 1934 after service in the merchant navy, being promoted to Leutnant zur See in 1937 and Oberleutnant zur See in 1939. He initially served as adjutant in the 6. Torpedoboots-Flottille and later commanded a torpedo boat before transferring to the Schnellbootwaffe in the summer of 1940. As Oberleutnant zur See and Kommandant of S 30 in the 2. Schnellbootsflottille he distinguished himself in operations off Norway, the Dutch coast and the English Channel, sinking an enemy destroyer (HMS Exmoor) and four armed merchant vessels totalling 6100 GRT while demonstrating outstanding seamanship and cold-bloodedness in difficult situations; as acting flotilla commander he also led a successful sortie against the southern English coast that sank 13000 GRT of shipping. For these achievements he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 25 April 1941 and simultaneously promoted to Kapitänleutnant. After recovering from severe wounds sustained when S 43 struck mines and sank on 27 June 1941, he became Chef of the 2. Schnellbootsflottille in October 1941. Promoted to Korvettenkapitän on 1 March 1943, he continued to lead the flotilla with great success despite his earlier injuries, personally participating in numerous sorties that resulted in the sinking of 35 ships totalling 92260 GRT as well as two destroyers and two patrol vessels, often operating close to the English coast and in every naval theatre. For this sustained leadership he received the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 1 January 1944 as the 362nd recipient. His other decorations included the Eisernes Kreuz 2. and 1. Klasse, the Schnellboot-Kriegsabzeichen with Diamonds, the Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz, and the Finnish Freedom Cross 4th Class. From February 1944 he commanded the Schnellboots-Lehrdivision until the end of the war, after which he was held in British captivity until August 1945. He died in Wiesbaden on 7 September 2010, having reached the rank of Korvettenkapitän.

Source :
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gliederungen/Schnellootsflottillen/2Flot.htm
http://www.s-boot.net/englisch/sboats-kriegsmarine-organisation.html