Knee attended Cheltenham Grammar School where his father was the headmaster and he spent a summer with a family in Germany which helped him to become fluent in the language.[1] He then read Modern Languages at Christ's College, Cambridge for a year until he was commissioned as an officer in the Dorset Regiment. His language skills led to postings to a course on the interrogation of Prisoners of War and to a censorship unit in London. After D-Day he served at Second Army Headquarters under General Miles Dempsey, identifying German units and estimating their strengths.
German SurrenderEdit
On 2 May 1945 Knee was told to report to Field Marshal Montgomery’s 21st Army Group Tactical Headquarters on Lüneburg Heath the next day where a German delegation arrived with a letter from Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel which he translated for Montgomery. He reported that they did not have the authority to agree to the unconditional surrender terms stipulated by Montgomery and they were provided with a lunch with wine and brandy. The next day they returned with another delegate and signed the surrender document in a carpeted tent witnessed by war correspondents. Knee was later directed to travel to Flensburg to take Karl Dönitz into custody and transport him to the airport. Upon his return to Lüneburg he saw the body of Heinrich Himmler who had committed suicide in British custody.
Later lifeEdit
Upon his return to his studies at Cambridge University Knee switched to an Economics course and he became assistant general secretary at the International Association of Department Stores in Paris and Geneva. Upon his retirement he moved to Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. He was married with two sons.[1][2]
^ abc"Veteran remembers 'war of words'". BBC News. 4 May 2005. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
^Derek Knee Daily Telegraph Obituary retrieved 24 May 2014
August 27, 2023
derek, knee, captain, october, 1922, march, 2014, british, army, intelligence, officer, british, army, during, world, interpreter, translator, field, marshal, bernard, montgomery, commander, anglo, canadian, 21st, army, group, german, surrender, lüneburg, heat. Captain Derek Knee 22 October 1922 18 March 2014 was a British Army intelligence officer of the British Army during World War II He was the interpreter and translator for Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery commander of the Anglo Canadian 21st Army Group at the German surrender at Luneburg Heath in Germany on 3 May 1945 1 Derek KneeCaptain Derek Knee third from left at the arrival of the delegation for the German surrender at Luneburg Heath 3 May 1945 Born 1922 10 22 22 October 1922Cheltenham Gloucestershire EnglandDied18 March 2014 2014 03 18 aged 91 Allegiance United KingdomService wbr branch British ArmyRankCaptainUnitDorsetshire RegimentBattles warsWorld War II Contents 1 Early life and service in World War II 2 German Surrender 3 Later life 4 See also 5 ReferencesEarly life and service in World War II EditKnee attended Cheltenham Grammar School where his father was the headmaster and he spent a summer with a family in Germany which helped him to become fluent in the language 1 He then read Modern Languages at Christ s College Cambridge for a year until he was commissioned as an officer in the Dorset Regiment His language skills led to postings to a course on the interrogation of Prisoners of War and to a censorship unit in London After D Day he served at Second Army Headquarters under General Miles Dempsey identifying German units and estimating their strengths German Surrender EditOn 2 May 1945 Knee was told to report to Field Marshal Montgomery s 21st Army Group Tactical Headquarters on Luneburg Heath the next day where a German delegation arrived with a letter from Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel which he translated for Montgomery He reported that they did not have the authority to agree to the unconditional surrender terms stipulated by Montgomery and they were provided with a lunch with wine and brandy The next day they returned with another delegate and signed the surrender document in a carpeted tent witnessed by war correspondents Knee was later directed to travel to Flensburg to take Karl Donitz into custody and transport him to the airport Upon his return to Luneburg he saw the body of Heinrich Himmler who had committed suicide in British custody Later life EditUpon his return to his studies at Cambridge University Knee switched to an Economics course and he became assistant general secretary at the International Association of Department Stores in Paris and Geneva Upon his retirement he moved to Barry Vale of Glamorgan Wales He was married with two sons 1 2 See also EditGerman surrender at Luneburg HeathReferences Edit a b c Veteran remembers war of words BBC News 4 May 2005 Retrieved 24 May 2014 Derek Knee Daily Telegraph Obituary retrieved 24 May 2014 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Derek Knee amp oldid 1168345725, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
