Harald Gelhaus
Harald Gelhaus (24 July 1915 in Göttingen – 2 December 1997 in Bochum) was a German U-boat commander in World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. As commander of U-143 and U-107 Harald Gelhaus is credited with the sinking of 19 ships (including SS Clan Alpine) for a total of 100,373 gross register tons (GRT) and further damaging one ship of 10,068 GRT.
Harald Gelhaus | |
|---|---|
| Born | 24 July 1915 Göttingen |
| Died | 2 December 1997 (aged 82) Bochum |
| Allegiance | .svg.png){kind=small} |
| Service/ | .svg.png){kind=small} |
| Years of service | 1935–45 |
| Rank | Kapitänleutnant |
| Unit | cruiser Karlsruhe battleship Gneisenau |
| Commands held | U-143 U-107 |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Summary of career
Ships attacked
As commander of U-143 and U-107 Gelhaus is credited with the sinking of 19 ships for a total of 100,373 gross register tons (GRT) and further damaging one ship of 10,068 GRT.
| Date | U-boat | Name | Flag | Tonnage (GRT) | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 August 1941 | U-143 | Inger |  |
1,409 | Sunk at 58°58′N 07°50′W |
| 31 January 1942 | U-107 | San Arcadio |  |
7,419 | Sunk at 38°10′N 63°50′W |
| 6 February 1942 | U-107 | Major Wheeler | .svg.png){kind=small} |
3,431 | Sunk at east of Cape Hatteras |
| 21 February 1942 | U-107 | Egda | |
10,068 | Damaged at 41°12′N 52°55′W |
| 29 May 1942 | U-107 | Western Head | |
2,599 | Sunk at 19°57′N 74°18′W |
| 1 June 1942 | U-107 | Bushranger |  |
4,536 | Sunk at 18°15′N 81°25′W |
| 7 June 1942 | U-107 | Castilla | .svg.png){kind=small} |
3,910 | Sunk at 20°15′N 83°18′W |
| 8 June 1942 | U-107 | Suwied | |
3,249 | Sunk at 20°00′N 84°48′W |
| 10 June 1942 | U-107 | Merrimack | |
2,606 | Sunk at 19°47′N 85°55′W |
| 19 June 1942 | U-107 | Cheerio | |
35 | Sunk at 18°02′N 67°40′W |
| 26 June 1942 | U-107 | Jagersfontein |  |
10,083 | Sunk at 31°56′N 54°48′W |
| 3 September 1942 | U-107 | Hollinside | |
4,172 | Sunk at 38°00′N 09°00′W |
| 3 September 1942 | U-107 | Penrose | |
4,393 | Sunk at 38°00′N 09°00′W |
| 7 October 1942 | U-107 | Andalucia Star | |
14,943 | Sunk at 06°38′N 15°46′W |
| 22 February 1943 | U-107 | Roxborough Castle | |
7,801 | Sunk at 38°12′N 26°22′W |
| 13 March 1943 | U-107 | Oporto | |
2,352 | Sunk at 42°45′N 13°31′W |
| 13 March 1943 | U-107 | Marcella | |
4,592 | Sunk at 42°45′N 13°31′W |
| 13 March 1943 | U-107 | Sembilangan | |
4,990 | Sunk at 42°45′N 13°31′W |
| 13 March 1943 | U-107 | SS Clan Alpine | |
5,442 | Sunk at 42°45′N 13°31′W |
| 1 May 1943 | U-107 | Port Victor | |
12,411 | Sunk at 47°49′N 22°02′W |
Awards
- Wehrmacht Long Service Award 4th Class (5 April 1939)[1]
- Iron Cross (1939)
- U-boat War Badge (1939) (31 December 1940)[2]
- U-boat Front Clasp in Bronze (1 October 1944)[2]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 26 March 1943 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-107[3][4]
- War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords (1 September 1944)[2]
Dates of rank
| 1 July 1936: | Fähnrich zur See |
| 1 January 1938: | Oberfähnrich zur See |
| 1 April 1938: | Leutnant zur See |
| 1 October 1939: | Oberleutnant zur See |
| 1 April 1942: | Kapitänleutnant |
gollark: If you instantaneously destroy universe A somehow after operating the drive, then everyone will always be in the "good" universe B where its users don't cease to exist suddenly.
gollark: So the drive can be seen as splitting the universe into two. One of the resulting universes ("A") has the drive's users removed. One of them ("B") has the drive's users in a different place.
gollark: I remember what I was thinking *then*.
gollark: Oh, wait, no, I misread your reply.
gollark: Technically, that was yesterday and I forgot what I was thinking.
References
Citations
- Busch & Röll 2003, p. 328.
- Busch & Röll 2003, p. 329.
- Fellgiebel 2000, p. 193.
- Scherzer 2007, p. 331.
Bibliography
- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (2003). Der U-Boot-Krieg 1939–1945 — Die Ritterkreuzträger der U-Boot-Waffe von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [The U-Boat War 1939–1945 — The Knight's Cross Bearers of the U-Boat Force from September 1939 to May 1945] (in German). Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn Germany: Verlag E.S. Mittler & Sohn. ISBN 978-3-8132-0515-2.
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
- Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
External links
Helgason, Guðmundur. "Harald Gelhaus". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
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