Ritterkreuzträger of 5. Schnellbootsflottille

During the Second World War, the Kriegsmarine formed the 5. Schnellbootsflottille, an elite operational unit consisting of high-speed fast attack craft, commonly known to the Allies as E-boats, which were heavily deployed to execute daring torpedo attacks, mine-laying missions, and coastal patrols across contested European waters ranging from the English Channel and the North Sea to the Baltic and the Gulf of Finland. Operating under the strategic command of the Führer der Schnellboote, the flotilla participated in numerous critical engagements against Allied shipping and invasion forces, earning a formidable reputation for tactical mobility and combat effectiveness under the leadership of notable commanders such as Korvettenkapitän Bernd Klug and later Korvettenkapitän Kurt Johannsen, both of whom were recognized for their leadership with prestigious military decorations like the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes. The fast attack craft of this unit utilized their shallow drafts, powerful engines, and agile maneuverability to strike enemy convoys and coastal escorts under the cover of darkness or foul weather, frequently operating out of heavily fortified French and Dutch ports before shifting operational theaters later in the conflict to support naval operations in northern waters. Despite facing relentless Allied air superiority, radar tracking, and heavily armed coastal defenses as the war progressed, the personnel of the 5. Schnellbootsflottille maintained intensive combat operations until the final capitulation of Nazi Germany, sustaining significant operational demands while cementing a prominent legacy within the wartime history of the German surface naval forces.

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EICHENLAUBTRÄGER


Korvettenkapitän Bernd Klug (1914-1975) was born on 12 December 1914 in Barmen and entered the Reichsmarine in 1933, receiving training as an artillery officer and later serving on Schnellboote. By the outbreak of the Second World War he commanded S 18 and subsequently S 28 in the 1. Schnellbootsflottille. As Kapitänleutnant and Kommandant of S 28 he conducted numerous operations against strongly defended enemy convoys near the English coast and off Norway, sinking a destroyer as well as seven armed merchant vessels totalling 46 500 GRT and damaging several more; for these successes, achieved with consistent courage and combat readiness, he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 12 March 1941. Promoted to Korvettenkapitän on 1 March 1943, he had already taken command of the 5. Schnellbootsflottille in the summer of 1941. While personally leading 56 sorties as flotilla chief, his boats sank sixteen freighters of 36 400 GRT, three destroyers, four patrol vessels and two other warships, with his own command boat contributing a large share of the results. For this outstanding leadership he received the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 1 January 1944 as the 361st recipient, becoming the first Schnellboot officer so honoured. His other awards included the Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse and 1. Klasse, the Schnellboot-Kriegsabzeichen later with Diamonds, the Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz, and the Finnish Vapaudenristin 4. luokka. After serving as 1. Admiralstabsoffizier on the staff of the Führer der Schnellboote from mid-1944, he ended the war in captivity and was released in 1946. He later joined the Bundesmarine, rising to the rank of Flottillenadmiral before retiring, and died in Kiel on 15 June 1975.

Source :
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gliederungen/Schnellootsflottillen/5Flot.htm
http://www.s-boot.net/englisch/sboats-kriegsmarine-organisation.html
https://wwwstatic.wlb-stuttgart.de/seekrieg/km/sboot/sfl5.htm