Germany – Third Reich: The truly exceptional and rare English Channel Verpostenboote Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross group of decorations and original award certificates awarded to Steuermannsmaaten Karl-Heinz Fischer who was decorated for his outstanding gallantry during an attack on his Vorpostenboote V-722 on 28th April 1943 whilst it was part of the escort force for the Italian tanker ‘Butterfly’. His Commander killed in an attempt to abandon ship and the Second in Command of the ship also put of action, Fischer whilst suffering from a head wound and shell splinters to his back, took over command and extricated the ship from the battle against 2 English Destroyers, 10 Motor Torpedo Boats as well as 24 Spitfires and 4 Whirlwinds from the Royal Air Force and brought it back to port at Brest. One of only three other ranks from the Kriegsmarine to be awarded the Knight’s Cross his acts were heavily pushed by the German media and have been the subject of two books since. He would be decorated by Grand Admiral Raeder on 5th May 1943 whilst recuperating from his wounds in a Naval Hospital in Brittany. His ship would be sunk when it struck an aerial mine the following year, but Fischer was not aboard at the time, and surviving the war was taken prisoner by the Allies. He passed away in Hamburg on 12th April 1993. 1 of only 3 awards of the Knight's Cross to other ranks within the Kriegsmarine. The group is accompanied with his extremely rare Kriegsmarine Combat Clasp in Bronze, with its original award certificate dated for 1st May 1945. Only a handful of these award documents are known.
Medals and Decorations:
1) Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross 1939, Iron core, magnetic with silver frame marked 800, maker marked L/12 for C.E. Juncker, Berlin. Loop in silver and also marked 800. 48.14mm x 48.21mm, weights 35.2g inclusive of loop. The core showing minor paint loss and very minor paint rust on a few spots of the obverse and reverse. With correct original ribbon
2) Iron Cross 1939, 1st Class, without makers mark, flat pin fitting. Minor loss of paintwork to obverse
3) Iron Cross 1939, 2nd Class, without makers mark. Minor wear to paintwork on both sides.
4) Kriegsmarine Minesweeper Badge, good mid-war example, 80 percent original finish with vertical pin fitting, weighing 28.5g and measuring 102mm wide.
5) Kriegsmarine Naval Close Combat Clasp, lead filled pressed out copper clasp with thin brass pin and receiving hook to reverse.
6) Wound Badge 1939, Black Grade, maker marked 126 & E.H. to reverse for Eduard Hahn, Oberstein/Nahe, the highpoints of the obverse worn.
Award Certificates:
1) Iron Cross 2nd Class awarded at Wilhelmshaven as Matrosen on 30th May 1940. Signed by Konteradmiral and Commander of Security in the North Sea
2) Kriegsmarine Minesweeper Badge awarded at Wilhelmshaven as Matrosengefreiten on 1st February 1941. Signed by Kapitan Zur See and Commander of Minesweepers North.
3) Iron Cross 1st Class awarded at Headquarters as Steuermannsmaaten on 29th April 1943. Signed by the Commander of Security West.
4) Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross awarded as Steuermannsmaaten on 3rd May 1943 and issued in Berlin on 18th May 1943 by a Fregattenkapitan at the Oberkommando der Kriegsmarine.
5) Kriegsmarine Combat Clasp in Bronze awarded as Obersteuermann on 1st May 1945. Signed by Fregattenkapitan and Head of 8th Security Division. This is an extremely rare document.
Other Documents:
Fuhrungsbuch belonging to Karl-Heinz Fischer
Telegraph dated 1st May 1943 from Kapitan zu See Breuning which states that he would like to express his appreciation of bringing in of the badly damaged boat despite my own wound and congratulating him on being awarded the Knight’s Cross.
Telegraph dated 4th May 1943 from Grand Admiral Raeder congratulating him on the award of the Knights Cross
Telegraph dated 5th May 1943 confirming that the Fuhrer had awarded him the Knights Cross
Telegraph dated 5th May 1943 from Vice Admiral Ruge confirming the award of the Knights Cross
Newspaper Article showing Fischer in hospital receiving his Knight’s Cross.
Copy of an Article from Kriegsmarine, the German Naval News from the 1st half of August covering the award of the Knight’s Cross to Fischer in hospital in Brittany.
Certificate stating that Fischer had attended an Officer’s Air Raid Course at the Marine-Luftsperrschule from 1st December to 4th December 1944.
Certificate dated 31st January 1946 from the German Naval Control Office at Kiel-Friedrichsort confirming the he had been employed by the 1st German Minesweeping Division from 1st June 1945 until 31st of January 1946
Photographs:
Series of 5 photographs at sea from aboard his ship.
Two photographs of his ship in port.
Small autographed postcard photograph of Fischer in uniform wearing his Knight’s Cross.
Postcard type photograph of Fischer in uniform wearing his Knight’s Cross
3 autographed copy photographs of Fischer wearing his Knight’s Cross
Books:
‘Der Landser Grossband – Erlebsnisberichte Zue Geschichte des Zweiten Weltkrieges’ which covers Karl-Heinz Fischer’s story including the action for which he was awarded his Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross.
‘Der Landser Ritterkreuztrager’ covering the story of Korvettenkapitan Fritz-Otto Busch and Steuermannsmaat Karl-Heinz Fischer and their victory in an unequal battle. (This being the action for which he was awarded the Knights Cross.
Karl-Heinz Fischer was born on 23rd July 1913 in Hamburg, Germany and was recruited on 4th January 1937 and was sworn in on 29th January 1937, his initial wartime service would involve action in Norway and he would be awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class on 30th May 1940 by the Commander of Security in the North Sea. He would also receive the Minesweeper’s Badge on 1st February 1941 by the Commander of Minesweepers North.
His Iron Cross 1st Class would be awarded to him on 29th April 1943 and would be subsequently decorated with the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross for his part in an engagement on 28th March 1943 which led to him becoming one of only three other ranks of the Kriegsmarine to receive the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross during the Second World War.
On 28th April 1943 along the North Brittany coast an action took place between the convoy ‘Butterfly’ and an English formation of destroyers and gunboats. The battle was mentioned in the ‘Wehrmachtbericht’ of 29th April 1943. The Vorpostenboote V-722 was shot up by two large destroyers. The ship being riddled with over 700 strikes. Its captain and 16 men of the crew killed/wounded and the entire first crew with the exception of four men were wounded. Fischer himself was badly wounded by shell spinters in his back. In this situation, as ‘V-722’ threatened to fall into the hands of the destroyers (by now just 200 meters away) or be destroyed by them at close range, Fischer dragged himself to the bridge despite his injury. In the place of the fallen captain he led the ship out of its deadly predicament, and maintained command for 9 hours until the ship was at a secure location. He inspired the hard-pressed crew to give their utmost along with him. Under his leadership ‘V-722’ not only fended off further destroyer attacks, but also successfully defended against an attack by 20 bombers and other aircraft.
The fact that V-722 was neither captured or destroyed by the numerically superior enemy is a testament to Fischer’s devotion to duty, which led him to take the helm when the situation appeared desperate.’
The Butterfly was an Italian tanker being escorted along the French coast of which V-722 commanded by Leutnant zur See Jonni Johannsen was part of the escorting force.
V-722 departed Brest on 27th April 1943 at 1330hrs meeting up with the other ships and submarines of the convoy. Butterfly was an invaluable asset to the Germans and important target for the British who had received sighting of her. During the hours of the darkness the following morning British destroyers HMS Albrighton and Goathland accompanied by ten Motor Torpedo Boats attempted to intercept her.
At 2.45am the Germans caught site of the intercepting vessels but due the presence of vessels of the 24th Minesweeping Flotilla nearby were initially confused as to their intention. However, that confusion was soon ended when the sound of fast Motor Torpedo Boats and cannon fire filled the air.
The V-722 was too far away from the coast for support from shore batteries, leaving the escorts reliant on whatever fire power they could muster themselves. In order to survive the German escort ships would need to rapidly close with the British destroyers enabling them to bring their lighter weapons to bear.
V-8722 was hit astern by a shell which damaged both the rudder and engine and as a result the crew struggled to control her. At the moment the British turned their heavier weapons toward V-722 which was nursing a flagging diesel engine. The Germans attempted to hold them off with their deck mounted 88mm gun and 37mm cannon , but were overwhelmed and when Johannsen ordered his ship to be abandoned, even that was to improve impossible.
As lifeboats were lowered, a burst of machine-gun fire from a Motor Torpedo Boat instantly killed Johannsen and several of his crew. The stored depth charges also being hit, but failing to explode. The Second Officer thus suspended the abandon ship order leaving the remaining crew to attempt to salvage their vessel as gunners returned to all the remaining functioning weapons attempting to buy themselves more time.
An hour later, the nearby German minesweepers M422, M475 and M483 joined the battle and along with V-210 from St. Malo’s Vorpostenflotille they wrested the initiative from the British and attempted to disengage.
At dawn, 24 Spitfire’s from 310 and 313 Squadrons of the Royal Air Force and 4 Whirlwinds from 263 Squadron attacked the convoy including V-722 which came under direct attack from the Whirlwinds. The British sank the UJ1402, a trawler which the crew were trying to salvage, when her depth charges exploded essentially vaporizing it. The big prize, the petrol laden Butterfly was set on fire after being repeatedly hit by shellfire from H.M.S. Goathland, she eventually sank at 6am.
After the Second Officer of the V-722 was added to the casualty list Steuermannsmaat Karl-Heinz Fischer despite blood streaming down his face from a head wound disengaged the ship as the battle finally came to end, with the ship reaching Brest later that day. 148 cannon hits and 600 holes from machine gun fire covered the ship.
Fischer would receive the Knight’s Cross from Donitz for his actions on 6th May 1943.
The ship would be repaired and re-joined the flotilla later in the year. But was sunk on 6th May 1944 when it detonated an aerial mine near the mouth of Anse de Berthaume, the ship sinking in a matter of minutes taking 27 of her 36 crew with her. Fischer was not aboard at the time however and would survive the war being taken prisoner by the Allies and later passing away in Hamburg on 12th August 1993.
1 of only 3 awards of the Knight's Cross to other ranks within the Kriegsmarine.
