Erich Bey
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Erich Bey | |
|---|---|
North Cape | |
| Allegiance |  German Empire Weimar Republic Nazi Germany |
| Service/ |  Imperial German Navy Reichsmarine Kriegsmarine |
| Years of service | 1916–1943 |
| Rank | Konteradmiral |
| Commands held | Z14 Friedrich Ihn 4. Zerstörerflottille |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Konteradmiral Erich Bey (23 March 1898 – 26 December 1943) was a German admiral during World War II. He served as commander of the Kriegsmarine's destroyer forces and commanded the battleship Scharnhorst in the Battle of the North Cape on 26 December 1943, during which he went down with his ship.
Career
Bey joined the
Bey led the
Bey was awarded with the
Battle of the North Cape
Promoted to Konteradmiral (Rear Admiral), on 1 March 1943, Bey on 26 December led a task force consisting of the battleship Scharnhorst and the destroyers Z29, Z30, Z33, Z34 and Z38 out of Alta Fjord in Operation Ostfront. The first and only surface sortie ordered by Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz, Bey's objective was to intercept the Allied Convoy JW 55B en route to Murmansk.
Bey's initial force of Scharnhorst and five destroyers was superior to the convoy's escorting British cruisers and destroyers in terms of firepower. However, Bey's flagship was outmatched by Admiral Bruce Fraser's battleship HMS Duke of York which led the British Home Fleet shadowing the convoy. Scharnhorst was expected to use her speed to avoid an engagement with the Duke of York.
Poor weather, heavy seas and inadequate Luftwaffe reconnaissance prevented Bey from initially locating the convoy, so he detached his destroyers to fan out and assist in the search. However, the storm meant that Bey's destroyers ended up playing no part in the battle. Bey in the Scharnhorst managed to locate the convoy, but in the first engagement of the ensuing
Awards
- Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939), 2nd Class (16 October 1939)[1]
- Iron Cross (1939), 1st Class (20 November 1939)[1]
- Kapitän zur See and chief of the 4. Zerstörer-Flottille[2]
References
Citations
Bibliography
- Dörr, Manfred (1995). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Überwasserstreitkräfte der Kriegsmarine—Band 1: A–K [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Surface Forces of the Navy—Volume 1: A–K] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2453-2.
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
- Claasen, A.R.A.: Hitler's Northern War: The Luftwaffe’s Ill-Fated Campaign, 1940–1945. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2001. ISBN 0-7006-1050-2pp. 92–93, 230–232
- Range, Clemens (1974). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Kriegsmarine [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Navy]. Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 978-3-87943-355-1.
- Scherzer, Veit (2007). 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 [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] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
