Hello Imad!
The K-Flottille 361 was ordered to move to the Normandy coast on June 13, 1944. This unit was equipped with 60 "Neger" one-man torpedoes. On the night between July 5 and 6, the Neger sailors went into action. The target was the Trout line that protected the allied floating harbours. The actoin was very succesful as several allied ships went down. Walter Gerhold hit and sank the british frigate HMS Trollope and for this action did Gerhold recieve the Knight's Cross.
Der Führer verlieh dem Schreiberobergefreiter , Walther Gerhold aus dem Sauerland das Ritterkreuz. Gerhold versenkte mit seinem Einmanntorpedo einen Kreuzer der Aurora-Klasse aus der Invasionsflotte vor den Ornemündung. Juli 1944.
Source pic/qoute:
http://presentations.uib.no:7778/pls/po ... lues=12079The two british mine clearing(?) (Minensuchboote) ships HMS Magic and HMS Cato were also sunk that night. The seventeen year old Neger sailor Matrose Horst Berger was involved in the sinking of one of those and for this recieved the German Cross in Gold. At the age of just seventeen, I suppose Berger has had to be one of the absolutely youngest recipients of this award.
Source (and a good read) for this information is "Das Kommando der Kleinkampfverbände der Kriegsmarine" by Helmut Blocksdorf (2003).
Regards,
Krollspell
by Imad on 16 Feb 2006 18:10 
