Germany - Third Reich: A U-Boat crew members award document grouping awarded to Maschinenmaaten Rudolf Flecke who saw having been a pre-war member of the Hitler Youth would go on to serve with the 23rd U-Boat Flotilla being awarded a U-Boat Badge on 1st December 1942. He would later be awarded the War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords on 30th January 1945, before dying in Bremen on 27th April 1945 at the time of the defence of the city against the advance of the Allies. It is probable that Flecke was killed whilst fighting as infantry at a time that the Wehrmacht were pressing into service every able-bodied man they could find. He is now buried in Bremen-Osterholz Cemetery.
Award Documents:
1) Reich’s Sports Badge in Bronze named to Rudolf Flecke born on 16th July 1921
2) U-Boat Badge awarded on 1st December 1942 as a Maschinengefreiten. Signed in Ink by Donitz as Amdiral and Commander of U-Boats.
3) War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords awarded on board a ship on 30th January 1945 as a Maschinenmaaten. Signed by von Friedeburg as Admiral and Commanding Admiral of U-Boats.
Von Friedeburg was awarded the German Cross in Silver on 6th June 1942 as Kapitan Zur See and 2nd Admiral of the U-Boats and the Knight’s Cross of the War Merit Cross on 17th January 1945.
Certificates:
1) Hitler Youth Participation Certificate for a competition dated Berlin, April 1938
2) Hitler Youth Participation Certificate for taking part in the National Labour Day in 1939.
Rudolf Flecke was born in Dortmund on 16th July 1921 and would be a member of the Hitler Youth before the war being present during a competition in April 1938 and later on National Labour Day in 1939.
Awarded a Reich’s Sports Badge in Bronze, he would go on to serve with the 23rd U-Boat Flotilla being awarded a U-Boat Badge on 1st December 1942 and would later be awarded a War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords on 30th January 1945.
Little is known of Flecke’s overall service but he is noted as having served with the 23rd U-Boat Flotilla which having been formed in September 1941 would see action in the eastern Mediterranean sinking 12 ships for total of 50,820 tons before in May 1942 being merged with the 29th U-Boat Flotilla.
It would be re-founded in September 1943 as a Training Flotilla under the command of Korvettenkapitan Otto von Bulow based at Danzig. It trained new U-Boat commander in attack techniques and was disbanded in March 1945 when the area saw fighting with the advancing Red Army.
Flecke died in Bremen on 27th April 1945 at the time of the Battle of Bremen, towards the end of the war the Wehrmacht was pressing every able bodied man to fight as infantry against the advancing allies and it is probable that Flecke was killed whilst fighting as ground troops during the fighting for the city. He was buried in the Bremen-Osterholz Cemetery.
