Walter Hennecke

Walter Hennecke
Walter Hennecke (left) and Karl-Wilhelm von Schlieben surrendering to the American forces at Cherbourg
Born	23 May 1898(1898-05-23) Betheln
Died	1 January 1984(1984-01-01) (aged 85) Bad Lippspringe
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Kaiserliche Marine Reichsmarine Kriegsmarine
Years of service	1915–1945
Rank	Konteradmiral
Commands held	cruiser Nürnberg battleship Schleswig-Holstein
Battles/wars	World War I World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Walter Hennecke (23 May 1898 – 1 January 1984) was a Konteradmiral with the Kriegsmarine during World War II and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross by Hitler for "a feat unprecedented in the annals of coastal defense.", when he wrecked Cherbourg's port.

Awards

Iron Cross (1914)
- 2nd Class
Cross of Honor
Iron Cross (1939)
- 2nd Class
- 1st Class
High Seas Fleet Badge
War Merit Cross with Swords
- 2nd Class
- 1st Class
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 26 June 1944 as Konteradmiral and sea commander of Normandy^[1]
Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht (27 June 1944)

Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945. Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
Range, Clemens (1974). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Kriegsmarine. Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 3-87943-355-0.
Scherzer, Veit (2007). 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 (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.