Niels Bätge [SEP] conflict
Niels Bätge
Niels Bätge (19 April 1913 in Reval – 12 December 1944 near the Åland Islands) was a German Schnellboot commander with Baltic German origin in World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Bätge was promoted to "Korvettenkapitän" on 1 September 1943. Shortly after his promotion he took command of the destroyer "Z35" on 25 September 1943. The destroyers "Z35" and "Z36" both ran into a German naval mine in the Gulf of Finland on 12 December 1944
number W1005 on 6 June at Deschimag's Bremen shipyard, launched on 2 October 1942 and commissioned on 22 September 1943 under the command of "Korvettenkapitän" (Lieutenant Commander) Niels Bätge. After working up "Z35" was assigned to the "6. Zerstörerflotille" (6th Destroyer Flotilla) in February 1944.
The four destroyers and single torpedo boat of the flotilla were transferred to the Gulf of Finland to support minelaying operations there, "Z35" arriving at Reval, Estonia, on 13 February. The flotilla was