Rudolf Petersen (Kapitän zur See)

Infobox Military Person
name=Rudolf Petersen
born=birth date|1905|5|15|df=y
died=dda|1983|1|2|1905|5|15|df=y


placeofbirth=Atzerballig on Alsen, Denmark
placeofdeath=Flensburg
nickname=
allegiance=flagicon|Germany Weimar Republic (to 1933)
flagicon|Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (to 1945)
flagicon|West Germany West Germany
branch=navy|Weimar Republic
navy|Nazi Germany
Bundesnachrichtendienst
serviceyears=1925–1945
rank=Kapitän zur See
commands=2. Schnellbootflottille
unit=
battles=World War II
awards=Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
laterwork=

Rudolf Petersen (15 June 1905 in Atzerballig on Alsen, Denmark; died 2 January 1983 in Flensburg) was a German officer in the Kriegsmarine during World War II.

Petersen, in his role as "Kommodore", was the head of the court of what might have been the last desertion-trial of Nazi Germany. "Matrose" Fritz Wehrmann, age 26 from Leipzig, "Funker" Alfred Gail, age 20 from Kassel, and "Obergefreiter" Martin Schilling, age 22 from Ostfriesland were executed on board "Buéa" on 10 May 1945 two days after the Unconditional surrender of Germany.

The accused had received news of the German capitulation to the British forces on 4 May 1945. On 6 May 1945 they left their stations on Svendborg on Fünen to get to the mainland. They were caught by the Danish Police and handed over to the German authorities on Fünen.

Awards

* Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class
* Fast Attack Craft War Badge with Diamonds (13 June 1944)
* Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
** Knight's Cross (4 August 1940)
** 499. Oak Leaves (13 June 1944)

References

* Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer. "Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945". Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas, 2000. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
* Range, Clemens (1974). "Die Ritterkreuzträger der Kriegsmarine". Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 3-87943-355-0.

;External links
* [http://www.berlinonline.de/berliner-zeitung/archiv/.bin/dump.fcgi/2005/0507/seite3/0001/index.html Berliner Zeitung] Article about the desertion trial