Friedrich Bonte

Friedrich Bonte
Born	(1896-10-19)19 October 1896 Potsdam
Died	10 April 1940(1940-04-10) (aged 43) Narvik
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany
Service / branch	Imperial German Navy Reichsmarine Kriegsmarine
Years of service	1914-1940
Rank	Kapitän zur See
Commands	Führer der Zerstörer und der Kampfgruppe Narvik
Battles / wars	World War I World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (posthumous)

Friedrich Bonte (19 October 1896 – 10 April 1940) was the German naval officer commanding the destroyer flotilla that transported invasion troops to Narvik during the German invasion of Norway (Operation Weserübung) in April 1940.

Naval career

Born in Potsdam, Bonte joined the Imperial Navy as a midshipman in April 1914 and was commissioned Leutnant zur See in July 1916. He was retained in the drastically reduced post-war German navy, where he had a steady career. He was promoted to Oberleutnant zur See in September 1920, Kapitänleutnant in April 1926, Korvettenkapitän (Lieutenant Commander) in September 1933, and Fregattenkapitän (Commander) in April 1937. In November 1938, he was given command of the Second Destroyer Flotilla, and in April 1939 he was promoted to Kapitän zur See (Captain). On 24 October 1939, Bonte was appointed Commander of Torpedoboats (Führer der Torpedoboote) and two days later also Commander of Destroyers (Führer der Zerstörer) of the German Kriegsmarine. He relinquished command of the torpedoboats at the end of November 1939, but held the command over the destroyers until his death. On 10 February 1940 he was promoted to Commodore.

Narvik

During the German invasion of Norway, Bonte commanded the ten destroyers carrying General Dietl's mountain troops to Narvik on 9 April 1940. On the morning of 10 April, the flotilla was attacked in Narvik fjord by British destroyers under the command of Commodore Bernard Warburton-Lee. In the ensuing battle, Bonte's flagship, the destroyer Wilhelm Heidkamp, was hit by a torpedo and exploded. Bonte and most of the crew perished. Bonte was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

Awards

• Iron Cross
  • 2nd class (16 October 1939)
  • 1st class (13 November 1939)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (17 October 1940)
• Mentioned twice in the Wehrmachtbericht

References in the Wehrmachtbericht

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
Sunday, 14 April 1940	Deutsche Zerstörer unter Führung des Kommodore Bonte, die die Landung in Narvik und die erste Einrichtung der Truppen gesichert hatten, bestanden in den letzten Tagen, unterstützt von deutschen Unterseebooten und Flugzeugen, schwere Kämpfe gegen die wiederholten Einbruchsversuche der englischen Streitkräfte.	German destroyers under the leadership of commodore Bonte, which secured the landings and stations of troops at Narvik, prevailed in the passed days, supported by submarines and aircraft, heavy combat against repeating intrusion of English forces.
Wednesday, 17 April 1940	Bei der Verteidigung von Narvik fiel der Führer der Zerstörer, Kapitän zur See und Kommodore Bonte, in heldenmütigem Kampf gegen britische Übermacht. Rund zwei drittel der Besatzungen der beschädigten und nicht mehr gefechtsbereiten Zerstörer, die ihre Munition restlos verschossen haben, wurden in die Verteidigung Narviks zur Verstärkung der im dortigen Raum eingesetzten Heerestruppenteile eingegliedert.	The leader of the destroyers, Captain and Commodore Bonte, was killed in action in a heroic struggle against British supremacy in defense of Narvik. About two-thirds of the crew of the damaged and no longer combat-ready destroyers, their ammunition expended completely, were incorporated in the defense of Narvik to reinforce the army deployed in the vicinity.

References

Citations

Bibliography

• 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.
• Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 1, 1. September 1939 bis 31. Dezember 1941 (in German). Munich: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, 1985. ISBN 3-423-05944-3.