| Hans-Diedrich Freiherr von Tiesenhausen | |
|---|---|
| File:Hans-Dietrich von Tiesenhausen.jpg | |
| Born | 22 February 1913 |
| Died | 17 August 2000 (aged 87) |
| Place of birth | Riga, Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire |
| Place of death | Vancouver, Canada |
| Allegiance |
 Nazi Germany |
| Service/branch |
 Kriegsmarine |
| Years of service | 1934–1945 |
| Rank | Kapitänleutnant |
| Unit | U-23 |
| Commands held | U-331 |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
| Other work | Interior designer |
Hans-Diedrich Freiherr von Tiesenhausen[a] (22 February 1913 – 17 August 2000) was a German Kapitänleutnant with the Kriegsmarine during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (German language: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.
Life[]
HMS Barham exploding, 25 November 1941.
Tiesenhausen sailed with the U-23 and U-331. He achieved his greatest success as a U-boat commander by sinking the British battleship HMS Barham on 25 November 1941. On his 3rd patrol U-331 returned to the Egyptian coast. On 17 November she landed seven men of the Lehrregiment Brandenburg[1] east of Ras Gibeisa, on a mission to blow up a railway line near the coast, which failed.[2]
U-331 was sunk on 17 November 1942, north of Algiers, during "Operation Torch". She had been badly damaged after being attacked by a Lockheed Hudson bomber and signalled surrender, but was attacked and sunk by a Fairey Albacore torpedo-bomber from the British aircraft carrier HMS Formidable. Of her crew 32 were killed and 17 survived including Tiesenhausen. He was a prisoner of war in England and Canada until 1947 when he returned to Germany. He worked as a joiner, but in late 1951 he returned to Canada.[3]
Awards[]
- Dienstauszeichnung 4th Class (8 April 1938)[4]
- The Return of Memel Commemorative Medal (25 June 1940)[5]
- The Return of Sudetenland Commemorative Medal of 1 October 1938 (6 September 1940)[5]
- Iron Cross (1939)
- Medaglia di bronzo al Valore Militare (November 1941)[5]
- Medaglia d'Argento al Valor Militare (25 March 1942)[5]
- U-boat War Badge (1939) (26 February 1942)[5]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 27 January 1942 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-331[6]
- Mentioned twice in the Wehrmachtbericht on 26 November 1941 and 27 January 1942
Wehrmachtbericht references[]
| Date | Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording | Direct English translation |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, 26 November 1941 | Wie bereits durch Sondermeldung bekannt gegeben, hat die britische Kriegsmarine in den letzten Tagen wieder schwere Verluste erlitten. Außer der im gestrigen Wehrmachtbericht gemeldeten Beschädigung eines größeren britischen Kriegsschiffes durch Lufttorpedotreffer hat vor Sollum ein deutsches Unterseeboot unter Führung des Kapitänleutnants Freiherr von Tiesenhausen ein britisches Schlachtschiff angegriffen und ihm einen schweren Torpedotreffer beigebracht.[7] | As previously announced by special bulletin, the British Navy in the past few days has again suffered heavy losses. In addition to the damage inflicted to a major British warship by aerial torpedo hits, which was announced in yesterday's armed forces report, a German submarine under the command of Captain Lieutenant Freiherr von Tiesenhausen attacked a British battleship near Sollum and imposed a heavy torpedo hit. |
| Tuesday, 27 January 1942 | Wie im Wehrmachtbericht vom 26. November gemeldet wurde, griff ein deutsches Unterseeboot unter Führung des Kapitänleutnants Freiherr von Tiesenhausen vor Sollum ein britisches Schlachtschiff an und beschädigte es schwer durch Torpedotreffer. Wie inzwischen festgestellt werden konnte, handelt es sich um das Schlachtschiff "BARHAM", das nach drei Torpedotreffern gesunken ist.[8] | As announced in the Army report of 26 November attacked a German submarine, under the leadership of Captain Lieutenant Freiherr von Tiesenhausen before Sollum a British battleship and damaged it severely with torpedo hits. As has been determined by now, it is the battleship "BARHAM", which sank after three torpedo hits. |
Combat career[]
| Date | U-boat | Name of Ship | Nationality | Tonnage | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 October 1941 | U-331 | HMS TLC-18 (A 18) |  British
|
372 | damaged |
| 25 November 1941 | U-331 | HMS Barham | British
|
31,100 | sunk |
| 9 November 1942 | U-331 | USS Leedstown |  American
|
9,135 | sunk |
Footnotes[]
- a Regarding personal names: Freiherr is a former title (translated as Baron), which is now legally a part of the last name. The female forms are Freifrau and Freiin.
References[]
- Citations
- ↑ "Report on the interrogation of survivors from U-331". www.uboatarchive.net. http://www.uboatarchive.net/U-331INT.htm. Retrieved 2010-01-12.
- ↑ "Patrol of U-boat U-331 from 12 Nov 1941 to 3 Dec 1941 - U-boat patrols - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/patrols/patrol_4932.html. Retrieved 2010-01-11.
- ↑ "Freiherr Hans-Diedrich von Tiesenhausen". www.uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/men/tiesenhausen.htm. Retrieved 2010-01-12.
- ↑ Busch & Röll 2003, p. 190.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Busch & Röll 2003, p. 191.
- ↑ Scherzer 2007, p. 745.
- ↑ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 1, p. 732.
- ↑ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 2, pp. 20–21.
- Bibliography
- Busch, Hans-Joachim; Röll (2003) (in German). 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]. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn Germany: Verlag E.S. Mittler & Sohn. ISBN 978-3-8132-0515-2.
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) (in German). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 – Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtsteile [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]. Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
- Kurowski, Franz (1995). Knight's Cross Holders of the U-Boat Service. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 978-0-88740-748-2.
- Range, Clemens (1974). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Kriegsmarine [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Navy]. Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 978-3-87943-355-1.
- Scherzer, Veit (2007) (in German). 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]. Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
- Williamson, Gordon & Bujeiro, Ramiro (2005). Knight's Cross and Oak Leaves Recipients 1941-45. Osprey Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-84176-642-9.
- (in German) Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 1, 1. September 1939 bis 31. Dezember 1941. München: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 3-423-05944-3.
- (in German) Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 2, 1. Januar 1942 bis 31. Dezember 1943. München: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 3-423-05944-3.
External links[]
The original article can be found at Hans-Dietrich von Tiesenhausen and the edit history here.