Rolf Thomsen

Rolf Thomsen (6 May 1915 – 26 March 2003) was a U-boat commander in the Kriegsmarine of Nazi Germany during World War II and later served with the Bundesmarine. He received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves for his command of the German submarine U-1202.

Rolf Thomsen
Born	(1915-05-06)6 May 1915
Died	26 March 2003(2003-03-26) (aged 87)
Allegiance	Nazi Germany  West Germany
Service/branch	Kriegsmarine  German Navy
Years of service	1936–45 1955–72
Rank	Kapitänleutnant (Kriegsmarine) Flottillenadmiral (Bundesmarine)
Unit	battleship Schlesien Kampfgeschwader 26
Commands held	U-1202
Battles/wars	World War II Battle of the Atlantic
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Thomsen served as a naval aviator from 1939 until early 1943. He transferred to the U-boat service on 1 January 1944 and on 27 January 1944 commissioned U-1202. During two patrols, Thomsen reported his ship’s attacks on a destroyer, two corvettes, six freighters and an escort carrier, for which he received the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves. The loss of one of these ships, Dan Beard, was confirmed by the Allies.[1]

Thomsen served in the Bundesmarine of West Germany since 1955, achieving the rank of Flotilla Admiral in 1966.[2]

Awards

• Iron Cross (1939( 2nd Class (25 November 1939) & 1st Class (17 May 1940)[3]
• Wound Badge (1939) in Black (August 1940)[3]
• Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe for reconnaissance pilots in Silver (25 April 1941) & in Gold (26 March 1942)[3]
• German Cross in Gold on 14 October 1943 as Kapitänleutnant on U-1004 in the 11. Unterseeboots-Flottille[4]
• U-boat War Badge (1939) (3 January 1945)[3]
• U-boat Front Clasp in Bronze (27 January 1945)[3]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 4 January 1945 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-1202[5]
  • Oak Leaves on 29 April 1945 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-1202[5]
• Commander's Cross, Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany

References

Citations

1. Neitzel & Welzer 2012, p. 311.
2. Busch & Röll 2003, p. 495.
3. Busch & Röll 2003, p. 494.
4. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 475.
5. Scherzer 2007, p. 743.

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.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Neitzel, Sönke; Welzer, Harald (2012). Soldaten: On Fighting, Killing and Dying. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-84983-949-5.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• 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.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)