Deutsches Kreuz in Silber Award date of Konteradmiral (W) Hans Hamelau

[Kriegsmarine Admiral]

Hello,

The award date of his Deutsches Kreuz in Silber is unclear. 

Hildebrand/Henriot (Deutschlands Admirale) says the date is 28.05.1945

Horst Scheibert in the book "Band 2: Die Träger des Deutschen Kreuzes in Gold: Kriegsmarine, Luftwaffe, Waffen-SS und des Deutschen Kreuzes in Silber: Heer, Kriegsmarine, Luftwaffe, Waffen-SS" (published in 1984) also gives the date as 28.05.1945 Excerpt from the book below (first photo).

How is that possible? Even the Flensburg government surrendered by the 23rd of May. How is it possible that the award date is 28th of May? Who awarded Hamelau the medal itself? Did he even receive it? Was there a document? To me this date doesn't make sense.

Talking about this I found a few other examples of officers who were "awarded" the Deutsches Kreuz on 28.05.1945:

Berthold Huljus: Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 28.05.1945 as Oberleutnant z.S. and Kommandant des Räumbootes "R 418", 2. Räumbootsflottille

Kurt Grundke: Deutsches Kreuz in Silber on 28.05.1945 as Kapitänleutnant (MN) in OKM 5 Seekriegsleitung

Searching the book on Google books gives 6 results with the award date of 28.05.1945 (but only 3 are shown, the 2 above + Hamelau's).

See here: https://books.google.hr/books?hl=hr&id=agZWAAAAYAAJ&dq=Die+Träger+des+Deutschen+Kreuzes+in+Gold%3A+Kriegsmarine%2C+Luftwaffe%2C+Waffen-SS+und+des+Deutschen+Kreuzes+in+Silber%3A+Heer%2C+Kriegsmarine%2C+Luftwaffe%2C+Waffen-SS&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=28.05.1945

There is another book by Bernd Gericke called "Die Inhaber des Deutschen Kreuzes in Gold, des Deutschen Kreuzes in Silber der Kriegsmarine und die Inhaber der Ehrentafelspange der Kriegsmarine" published in 1993.
The table of contents in the book has a chapter named "Verleihungen nach dem 08.05.1945" on 4 pages (see the 2nd photo below). If someone has the full book please post these 4 sites (239-243). Perhaps these pages explain the 28.05.1945 award dates. And also please check which award date is written for Hamelau in this book.

On the "Awardholders / unit" thread over on the Axis History Forum it says: https://forum.axishistory.com/search.php?keywords=hamelau&t=4033&sf=msgonly

"German Cross in Silver (2)
Hamelau, Hans, 28.05.1943, Konteradmiral (W), Inspekteur d. Marineabnahme"

I don't know if this info is correct or a typo (i.e. the year 1943 is wrong). What is the source for the year 1943?

1. If the date is indeed 28.05.1943, at that time period Hamelau was still a Kapitän zur See (W), he was promoted to Konteradmiral (W) on 01.06.1944
2. His position on 28.05.1943 was Kommandant des Marineartilleriezeugamts/Marineartilleriearsenals Kiel-Dietrichsdorf, he was the Inspekteur d. Marineabnahme from 05.10.1943
3. If he recevied the Deutsches Kreuz in Silber when he was still a Kapitän zur See (W) then why isn't he wearing it on the photo? On the photo he is already a Konteradmiral (W). If the date really is 28.05.1945 this would explain why he isn't wearing it on the photo.

Please comment on this issue below. Also if anyone knows the correct award date for Hamelau's Deutsches Kreuz in Silber please comment.
I hope someone can explain to me these examples of Deutsche Kreuzes being awarded after the capitulation of the Third Reich.
Thanks

[hucks216]

Could it be linked to Norway in any way? They were still awarding their own EK's after the capitulation for the mine clearance operations? Or maybe the paperwork wasn't completed in time and they have been verified by a post war organisation in the same way some RK's were. 

[Kriegsmarine Admiral]

1 hour ago, hucks216 said:

Could it be linked to Norway in any way? They were still awarding their own EK's after the capitulation for the mine clearance operations? Or maybe the paperwork wasn't completed in time and they have been verified by a post war organisation in the same way some RK's were. 

The book "Deutschlands Admirale" says Hamelau was in Captivity from 08 May 1945 until 21 Feb 1947.