- Period:
- Second World War (1939-1945)
- Rank:
- Fregattenkapitän (Commander)
- Unit:
- Chef 24. Landungsflottille, Kriegsmarine
- Awarded on:
- December 28th, 1944
Awarded for his achievements as a naval commander in the Baltic Sea. Starting in 1943 he and his unit laid over 15000 naval mines within just 9 months. Later, in April 1944, his formation shot down 6 out of a force of 10 attacking aircraft on one occasion. He was also involved in the sinking of 4 Soviet submarines.
However his most important achievements were within the context of the naval battles and evacuation efforts around Finland and the Baltic Islands, specifically Ösel and Sworbe. His flottille transported the following to/from the island of Sworbe over the course of 1944:
6608 soldiers
3764 wounded
1395 refugees
319 prisoners
71 trucks
35 cars
4 tracked resupply vehicles
10 medical vehicles
40 motorcycles
16 infantry wagons
202 various vehicles
905 horses
1 Sturmgeschütz
44 guns
1942 tons of ammunition
110 tons of fuel
1058 tons of provisions
466 tons of military supplies
37 tons of horse fodder.