Friedrich Oskar Ruge (24 December 1894 – 3 July 1985) was an officer in the German Navy and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. He served as the first commander (Inspector of the Navy) of the post-war German Navy. Early life and military career Friedrich Ruge was the son and grandson of German educators. Joining the Imperial German Navy as a cadet in March 1914, he was soon a participant in the 1914, 1915, and 1916 Baltic Sea operations. In 1917 and 1918, he sailed with the destroyer raids in the North Sea and English Channel. After the armistice, Ruge was an officer aboard the destroyer , interned at Scapa Flow and in June 1919, he played a role in the scuttling of the German Fleet. Returning to Germany to continue his naval career in the service of the new Weimar Republic, for the next two decades he concentrated on mines and mine warfare. From 1921 to 1923, he commanded a minesweeper. After studies at Berlin Institute of Technology from 1924 and 1926, Ruge was appointed to the minesweeper . From 1928 to 1932, he had staff roles associated with mine and torpedo warfare, and in September 1932 became commanding officer of the 1st Half-Flotilla of minesweepers. Ruge returned to staff duties in 1934. In the UK during the 1930s he met a British ex-sailor at a regatta, Lt Aubrey Grey, whose ship, , was sunk in 1917 by the , the ship that Ruge had been serving on. The V100 was the ship that rescued Grey from the water after the sinking and the pair became friends after meeting, their friendship only interrupted by World War II. On 1 June 1937, Ruge was appointed Führer der Minensuchboot (FdM), (Commander of Minesweepers). World War II In August 1939, on the eve of the outbreak of World War II, Ruge's command was split into two parts, FdM West covering the North Sea and FdM Ost operating in the Baltic Sea. Ruge took command of FdM Ost, which provided minesweeping and escort support to the German Invasion of Poland in September–October 1939. On 17 October 1939, with naval operations against Poland complete, Ruge transferred to command of FDM West. He was a part of the North Sea-English Channel operations during 1940. From 1940 to 1943, he was stationed in France, rising through the upper ranks to