Klaus-Degenhard Schmidt

Klaus-Degenhard Schmidt
Born	(1918-01-03)3 January 1918 Kiel
Died	Südhoofden, north of Dunkirk
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Kriegsmarine
Years of service	1937–44
Rank	Kapitänleutnant
Commands held	Schnellboot S-54
Battles/wars	World War II Battle of the Atlantic
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Klaus-Degenhard Schmidt (3 January 1918 in Kiel – 22 December 1944 in Südhoofden, north of Dunkirk) was a German Schnellboot commander in World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. As a commander of S-54 he was credited with the destruction of the Italian destroyer Quintino Sella.

Awards

• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (5 June 1940)
  • 1st Class (10 December 1942)
• Minesweeper War Badge (5 June 1940)
• Fast Attack Craft War Badge (27 September 1941)
• German Cross in Gold on 18 September 1943 as Oberleutnant zur See on Schnellboot S-54/3. Schnellbootflottille
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 22 December 1943 as Oberleutnant zur See and commander of Schnellboot S-54 in the 10. Schnellbootflottille
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 17 September 1943

Wehrmachtbericht reference

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
17 September 1943	Eine Rotte deutscher Schnellboote versenkte unter Führung des Oberleutnants zur See Schmidt im Adriatischen Meer vor einigen Tagen ein Torpedoboot, zwei Minensuchboote und einen Bewacher der Badoglioregierung. Ferner brachten die Boote den auf seiner ersten Fahrt befindlichen Truppentransporter "Leopardi" mit 1000 italienischen Soldaten und drei weitere Dampfer auf. Nach dem Einlaufen in einem großen adriatischen Hafen zwangen sie den dortigen Seebefehlshaber und den Stadtpräfekten zur Waffenstreckung.	A German speedboat pack sunk under the leadership of Lieutenant at Sea Schmidt a few days ago, in the Adriatic Sea, a torpedo boat, two minesweepers and an escort of the Badoglio-government. Furthermore, the boats captured the troopship "Leopardi" on its first voyage with 1,000 Italian soldiers and three other steamers. After arriving in a large Adriatic port they forced the local sea-commander and the city prefect to lay down their arms.

External links

• Deutsches Marinearchiv