| Wilhelm Dommes | |
|---|---|
| File:File:Wilhelm Dommes.jpg | |
| Born | 16 April 1907 |
| Died | 23 January 1990 (aged 82) |
| Place of birth | Buchberg |
| Place of death | Hannover |
| Allegiance |
 Nazi Germany |
| Service/branch |
 Kriegsmarine |
| Years of service | 1933–1945 |
| Rank | Fregattenkapitän |
| Commands held |
U-431 U-178 |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Wilhelm Dommes (16 April 1907 in Buchberg, Berent District, West Prussia – 23 January 1990 in Hannover) was a German U-boat commander in World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. He is notable as being the commander of U-boats in the Indian Ocean,[1] whereby German and Japanese forces cooperatively fought for the only time in the war. He was the first commander of the U-boat base, located in the former British seaplane base in Penang.[2]
Summary of career[]
Ships attacked[]
As a U-boat commander of U-431 and U-178 Wilhelm Dommes is credited with the sinking of eight ships for a total of 40,103 gross register tons (GRT), sinking one auxiliary warship of 313 gross register tons (GRT), two warships of 3,548 metric tons (3,492 long tons; 3,911 short tons), and damaging one ship of 3,560 gross register tons (GRT) and one warship of 450 t (440 long tons; 500 short tons).
| Date | U-boat | Ship | Nationality | Tonnage | Fate[3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 October 1941 | U-431 | Hatasu |  United Kingdom |
3,198 | Sunk |
| 13 December 1941 | U-431 | Myriel | United Kingdom |
3,560 | Damaged |
| 29 January 1942 | U-431 | HMS Sotra | United Kingdom |
313 | Sunk |
| 20 May 1942 | U-431 | Eocene | United Kingdom |
4,216 | Sunk |
| 15 June 1942 | U-431 | HMS LCT-119 |  United Kingdom |
450 | Damaged |
| 10 November 1942 | U-431 | HMS Martin | United Kingdom |
1,920 | Sunk |
| 13 November 1942 | U-431 | HNMS Isaac Sweers (G 83) |  Netherlands |
1,628 | Sunk |
| 1 June 1943 | U-178 | SS Salabangka | Netherlands |
6,586 | Sunk |
| 4 July 1943 | U-178 | SS Breiviken |  Norway |
2,669 | Sunk |
| 4 July 1943 | U-178 | SS Michael Livanos |  Greece |
4,774 | Sunk |
| 11 July 1943 | U-178 | SS Mary Livanos | Greece |
4,771 | Sunk |
| 14 July 1943 | U-178 | SS Robert Bacon |  USA |
7,197 | Sunk |
| 17 July 1943 | U-178 | SS City of Canton | United Kingdom |
6,692 | Sunk |
Awards[]
- Wehrmacht Long Service Award 3rd Class (23 January 1937)[4]
- The Return of Sudetenland Commemorative Medal of 1 October 1938 (6 September 1940)[4]
- Iron Cross (1939)
- U-boat War Badge (1939) (10 February 1942)[4]
- Medaglia di bronzo al Valore Militare (27 July 1942)[4]
- Medaglia d'Argento al Valor Militare (29 May 1943)[5]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 2 December 1942 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-431[6]
- War Merit Cross with Swords
- U-boat Front Clasp (5 March 1945)[5]
- Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 21 November 1942
Wehrmachtbericht reference[]
| Date | Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording | Direct English translation |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday, 21 November 1942 | Bei den Kämpfen gegen die feindliche Landungsflotte im Mittelmeer zeichnete sich das Unterseeboot unter Führung von Kapitänleutnant Dommes besonders aus.[7] | The submarine under the leadership of Captain Lieutenant Dommes has particularly excelled itself in the battles against the enemy's invasion fleet in the Mediterranean. |
References[]
- Citations
- ↑ Klemen, L (1999-2000). "The U-Boat War in the Indian Ocean". Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941-1942. http://www.dutcheastindies.webs.com/u-boatindia.html.
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ http://uboat.net/boats/successes/u178/html%7Caccess date 24 January 2013
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Busch & Röll 2003, p. 283.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Busch & Röll 2003, p. 284.
- ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 164.
- ↑ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 2, p. 367.
- 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 (in German). Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn Germany: Verlag E.S. Mittler & Sohn. ISBN 3-8132-0515-0.
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945. Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
- Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 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 (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
- (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[]
- "Wilhelm Dommes". uboat.net. http://uboat.net/men/dommes.htm. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
The original article can be found at Wilhelm Dommes and the edit history here.