Bernd Klug

{{Short description|German navy admiral (1914-1975)}} {{Infobox military person |name=Bernd Klug |birth_date={{birth date|1914|12|12|df=y}} |death_date={{death date and age|1975|6|15|1914|12|12|df=y}} |image=1966_FAdm_Klug.jpg |image_size=160px |birth_place=Wuppertal, German Empire |death_place=Kiel, West Germany |nickname= |branch=Kriegsmarine German Navy |allegiance={{flag|Nazi Germany}} {{flag|West Germany}} |service_years=1933–1945, 1956–1968 |rank=Flottillenadmiral |commands= |unit= |battles=Spanish Civil War World War II  |awards=Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves |other_work= }} '''Bernd Klug''' (12 December 1914 – 15 June 1975) was an admiral in the West German Navy. During World War II, he served in the Kriegsmarine and was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves of Nazi Germany.

==Career== Klug joined Nazi Germany's Reichsmarine on 1 April 1933. He received his training aboard the school ship SSS ''Gorch Fock'' and the light cruiser ''Karlsruhe''.<ref name="Dörr p339">Dörr 1995, p. 339.</ref> Klug sailed on ''Karlsruhe''{{'}}s third training cruise. ''Karlsruhe'' left Wilhelmshaven on 14 October 1933 returning to Kiel on 16 June 1934.<ref>Hildebrand, Röhr, & Steinmetz 1993, v. 5., p. 89.</ref> While stationed on ''Karlsruhe'', he advanced in rank to ''Gefreiter'' on 1 April 1934.<ref name="Dörr p340">Dörr 1995, p. 340.</ref>

He was posted to the Naval Academy at Mürwik on 28 June 1934.<ref name="Dörr p339"/> During his vacation he was promoted to Officer Cadet on 1 July 1934.<ref name="Dörr p340"/> The main cadet course lasted until 18 April 1935 and was interrupted by two navigational training cruises, the first on the tender ''Nordsee'' (10–16 October 1934) and the tender ''Saar'' (31 January – 6 February 1935).<ref name="Dörr p339"/>

Klug led E-boats on 28 April 1944 in an attack against Convoy T-4 consisting of LSTs during the Allied large-scale rehearsals for the D-Day invasion of Normandy, dubbed Exercise Tiger. During the attack, German E-boats sank USS ''LST-507'' and ''531'', and damaged ''289'', resulting in the deaths of 749 American servicemen.<ref>Hoyt 1999, p. 97.</ref>

== Awards == * Spanish Cross in Bronze without Swords (6 June 1939)<ref name="Dörr p340"/> * Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (10 April 1940) & 1st Class (7 August 1940)<ref name="Dörr p340"/> * Wound Badge (1939) in Black (25 April 1940)<ref name="Dörr p340"/> * Fast Attack Craft War Badge (16 December 1940); with Diamonds (1 January 1944)<ref name="Dörr p340"/> * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves ** Knight's Cross on 12 March 1941 as ''Kapitänleutnant'' and commander of Schnellboot ''S-28'' in the 1. Schnellbootflottille<ref name="Scherzer p 451">Scherzer 2007, p. 451.</ref> ** Oak Leaves on 1 January 1944 as chief of the 5. Schnellbootflottille<ref name="Scherzer p 451"/> * Commanders Cross of the French Legion of Honour (1960)<ref name="Dörr p340"/>

==References== ;Citation {{Reflist|30em}} ;Bibliography {{Refbegin}} * {{Cite book |last=Dörr |first=Manfred |year=1995 |title=Die Ritterkreuzträger der Überwasserstreitkräfte der Kriegsmarine—Band 1: A–K |trans-title=The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Surface Forces of the Navy—Volume 1: A–K |language=German |location=Osnabrück, Germany |publisher=Biblio Verlag |isbn=978-3-7648-2453-2 }} * {{Cite book |last1=Hildebrand |first1=Hans H. |last2=Röhr |first2=Albert |last3=Steinmetz |first3= Hans-Otto |title=Die Deutschen Kriegsschiffe. Biographien – ein Spiegel der Marinegeschichte von 1815 bis zur Gegenwart. (10 Bände) |trans-title=The German Warships. Biographies - a Mirror of Naval History from 1815 to the Present. (10 Volumes) |volume=3 |language=German |location= |publisher=Mundus Verlag |year=1990 |isbn=3-7822-0211-2 }} * {{Cite book |last=Hoyt |first=Edwin P. |year=1999 |title=The Invasion Before Normandy: The Secret Battle of Slapton Sands |location=Lanham, Md |publisher=Scarborough House |isbn=978-1-4617-0631-1 }} * {{Cite book |last=Lawrence |first=Wendy Susan |year=2013 |title=Exercise Tiger: The Forgotten Sacrifice of the Silent Few |location=Stroud |publisher=Fonthill Media |isbn=978-1-78155-110-3 }} * {{Cite book |last=Scherzer |first=Veit |year=2007 |title=Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives |trans-title=The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives |language=German |location=Jena, Germany |publisher=Scherzers Militaer-Verlag |isbn=978-3-938845-17-2 }} {{Refend}}

==External links== * {{Cite web| work= Der Spiegel |volume= 47 |year= 1987 | title= Kopf unter | url = http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-13526274.html |language=German |accessdate=10 May 2014}}

{{s-start}} {{s-mil}} {{succession box |before=none |after= Kapitänleutnant Kurt Johannsen |title= Commander of 5. Schnellbootflottille |years=15 July 1941 – 1 June 1944 }} {{succession box |before= Carl-Heinz Birnbacher |after= Jens Matzen |title= Commander of ''Kommando der Schnellboote'' |years=1962 – 1964 }} {{succession box |before= Kapitän zur See Karl Schneider-Pungs |after= Kapitän zur See Reinhard Ostertag |title=Commander of the Naval Academy Mürwik |years=1 October 1966 – 31 March 1968 }} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Klug, Bernd}} Category:1914 births Category:1976 deaths Category:Military personnel from Wuppertal Category:Reichsmarine personnel Category:Bundesmarine admirals Category:Kriegsmarine personnel Category:German military personnel of the Spanish Civil War Category:Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Category:Military personnel from the Rhine Province Category:Flotilla admirals of the German Navy Category:Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour