Friedrich Kemnade

Friedrich Kemnade
Friedrich Kemnade
Born	(1911-12-12)12 December 1911 Schwarmstedt, district of Fallingbostel
Died	Hamburg
Allegiance	Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany (to 1945) West Germany
Service/branch	Reichsmarine Kriegsmarine German Navy
Years of service	1931–1945, 1956–1970
Rank	Korvettenkapitän (Kriegsmarine) Konteradmiral (Bundesmarine)
Unit	SKS Niobe cruiser Karlsruhe cruiser Königsberg cruiser Nürnberg cruiser Emden
Commands held	3.Schnellbootflottille
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Great Cross of Merit
Other work	manager at Allianz

Friedrich Walter Karl Kemnade (12 December 1911 – 29 January 2008) was a Korvettenkapitän with the Kriegsmarine during World War II and later served with the Bundesmarine. He was a recipient of the coveted Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuz mit Eichenlaub). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Career

Friedrich Kemnade was born on 12 December 1911 in Schwarmstedt in the dirstrict of Fallingbostel near Hanover, Germany. After he received his Abitur (diploma) he joined the military services of the Reichsmarine on 1 April 1931 as a Naval Officer candidate.

Kemnade joined the newly formed Bundesmarine (Federal Navy) on 1 April 1956 as a Fregattenkapitän (Commander) and became a Naval-Administrator on the staff of the German Military Representative to NATO Military Committee in Washington, D.C.. He received the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Großes Verdienstkreuz des Bundesverdienstordens) for his long service and contributions to the Bundeswehr in September 1970.

Awards

• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (30 April 1940)
  • 1st Class (24 December 1940)
• Olympic Games Decoration (1936)
• Wound Badge in Black (20 September 1940)
• Fast Attack Craft War Badge (11 March 1941)
• German Cross in Gold on 2 February 1942 as Kapitänleutnant in the 3. Schnellbootflottille
• 3 Medaglia d'Argento al Valore Militare
  • 1st time on 21 May 1942
  • 2nd time on 24 January 1943
  • 3rd time in 1943
• High Seas Fleet Badge (2 January 1943)
• Cuffband "Afrika" (12 October 1943)
• Croce di Guerra al Valor Militare (17 March 1943)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 23 July 1942 as Kapitänleutnant and chief of the 3. Schnellbootflottille
  • 249th Oak Leaves on 27 May 1943 as Korvettenkapitän and chief of the 3. Schnellbootflottille
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 18 June 1942
• Great Cross of Merit (September 1970)

Wehrmachtbericht reference

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
Thursday, 18 June 1942	Bei der Zerschlagung des britischen Geleitzuges im östlichen Mittelmeer war eine deutsche Schnellbootflottille unter Führung ihres Flottillenchefs Kapitänleutnant Kemnade beteiligt. Die Flottille torpedierte zwei britische Kreuzer, von denen ein Kreuzer durch zwei Torpedos getroffen wurde und wahrscheinlich untergegangen ist. Schon bei früheren Unternehmungen vor der libyschen Küste versenkten die Schnellboote einen Zerstörer, ein Geleitschiff, einen Unterseebootjäger sowie 15000 BRT Versorgungsschiffraum.	A German fast attack flotilla, under the leadership of their flotilla chief Kapitänleutnant Kemnade, was involved in the defeat of the British convoy in the eastern Mediterranean. The flotilla torpedoed two British cruisers, of which a cruiser was hit by two torpedoes and was most likely sunk. The fast attack crafts already in previous ventures off the Libyan coast sank one destroyer, an escort ship, a submarine hunter and 15 000 tons of shipping supplies.

References

Bibliography

• Kemnade, Friedrich (1978). Die Afrika-Flottille : Chronik und Bilanz. Der Einsatz der 3. Schnellbootflottille im 2. Weltkrieg. (in German). Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch-Verlag. ISBN 3-87943-558-8.

External links

• Friedrich Kemnade in the German National Library catalogue

Military offices
Preceded by Oberleutnant zur See Werner Töniges	Commander of 3. Schnellbootflottille 23 May 1940 – 9 July 1943	Succeeded by Kapitänleutnant Albert Müller
Preceded by —	Commander of Kommando der Schnellboote 1958 – 1960	Succeeded by Carl-Heinz Birnbacher