Max-Eckart Wolff

Max-Eckart Wolff (19 December 1902 – 9 November 1988) was a naval commander in the Kriegsmarine of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

Max-Eckart Wolff
Born	19 December 1902 Wernigerode, German Empire
Died	9 November 1988 (aged 85) Bremen, West Germany
Allegiance	Weimar Republic  Nazi Germany  West Germany
Service/branch	Reichsmarine  Kriegsmarine  German Navy
Years of service	1922-1945 1956–1961
Rank	Kapitän zur See Flottillenadmiral
Commands held	destroyer Z2 Georg Thiele
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Wolff as commander of destroyer Z2 Georg Thiele was credited with the sinking of the British destroyers HMS Hardy and HMS Hunter on 10 April 1940. On 13 April 1940 he torpedoed and damaged HMS Eskimo. He later served as the Führer der Zerstörer (Commander of Destroyers) from 1943 to 1944.

In 1956, Wolff became the first commander of the independent post-war West German Bundesmarine.

Awards

• Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (6 November 1939) & 1st Class (12 May 1940)[1]
• Wound Badge in Black (13 May 1940)[1]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 4 August 1940 as Korvettenkapitän and commander of destroyer Z2 Georg Thiele[2]
• Destroyer War Badge (9 October 1940)[1]
• Narvik Shield (10 November 1940)[1]
• Great Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (March 1963)[1]

References

Citations

1. Dörr 1996, p. 356.
2. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 452.

Bibliography

• Dörr, Manfred (1996). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Überwasserstreitkräfte der Kriegsmarine—Band 2: L–Z [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Surface Forces of the Navy—Volume 2: L–Z] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2497-6.
• 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.