Bernard Warburton-Lee

Warburton-Lee

Bernard Armitage Warburton Warburton-Lee (born September 13, 1895 in Broad Oak, Wrexham ( Wales ), † April 10, 1940 in Narvik ) was a British naval officer who distinguished himself in the Battle of Narvik in April 1940 and was killed . He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross , Britain's highest honor for bravery. Warburton-Lee was the first British soldier in World War II to receive this award.

Life

Warburton-Lee joined the Royal Navy during World War I and was patented as a lieutenant in 1917 . He became Lieutenant-Commander ( corvette captain ) in 1925 , commander ( frigate captain ) in 1930 and captain ( sea captain ) in 1936 .

He commanded the second destroyer flotilla whose five destroyers in the early morning of April 10, 1940 in heavy snowfall in the Ofotfjord and the port of Narvik attacked lying German destroyers, which the day before as part of the company Weserübung 2,000 mountain troops under General Eduard Dietl to Had landed occupation of Narvik.

The surprise attack at around 4 a.m. was successful. The German flagship , the Wilhelm Heidkamp with the German commander Kommodore Friedrich Bonte , and the Anton Schmitt were sunk by torpedo hits in the first minutes of the battle and three other German destroyers were damaged by artillery hits. Warburton-Lee believed to have weakened the German forces decisively, since he assumed the presence of only six German units, and began the march back. In doing so, however, he met three other German destroyers under frigate captain Erich Bey , who had been lying in the Herjangsfjord , as well as two others who came from the direction of Ballangen . These boats had only received reports of the battle after 5 a.m., after which they left and could attack the British association from two sides. Warburton-Lee's flagship HMS Hardy received heavy artillery hits and was disabled. Warburton-Lee was badly wounded and died shortly afterwards. His body was buried in Ballangen. His ship was set on a shoal by the crew . 70 crew members were killed.

Norway honored Warburton-Lee in 1942 with the posthumous award of the highest Norwegian order, the War Cross with Sword .

swell

• David Harvey: Monuments to Courage. Victoria Cross headstones and memorials . 2 volumes. Kevin and Kay Patience, Weybridge 1999.
• The Register of the Victoria Cross . Third edition. This England, Cheltenham Gloucestershire 1997, ISBN 0-906324-27-0 .