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: Suspicious.
gollark: There are strict rules.
gollark: Amateur radio licenses don't let you just transmit ANYTHING on amateur bands.
gollark: Or at least they don't care much and can't enforce it.
gollark: It's allowed for really low powers, or something.
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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