Rolf Thomsen

Rolf Thomsen
Born (1915-05-06)6 May 1915
Berlin
Died 26 March 2003(2003-03-26) (aged 87)
Bonn
Allegiance  Nazi Germany (to 1945)
 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

Awards U-boat War Badge
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Rolf Thomsen (6 May 1915 – 26 March 2003) was a Kapitänleutnant with the Kriegsmarine during World War II and later served with the Bundesmarine. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. He sailed on U-1202 sinking one ship of 7,176 gross register tons (GRT) on two patrols.[1]

Military career

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. His first patrol as a U-boat commander took him into the North Atlantic. The first attack was carried out on 10 December 1944. All four torpedoes, which were aimed at merchant vessels of between 6,000 and 7,000 tons, found their mark. Thomsen claimed such as sunk, as corresponding sinking noises were heard. However the enemy only admitted the loss of the 7,176 ton American merchant ship Dan Beard.[1]

From 1 October 1962 to 30 September 1963 he served as adjutant to the Federal Minister of Defence Kai-Uwe von Hassel.

Awards

Promotions

Kriegsmarine
1 May 1937: Fähnrich zur See (Officer Cadet)[8]
1 July 1938: Oberfähnrich zur See (Officer Cadet)[2]
1 October 1938: Leutnant zur See (Second Lieutenant)[2]
1 October 1940: Oberleutnant zur See (First Lieutenant)[2]
1 July 1942: Hauptmann of the Luftwaffe (Captain)[2]
1 March 1943: Kapitänleutnant (Captain Lieutenant) transferred back to the Kriegsmarine on 1 April 1943[2]
Bundesmarine
9 November 1955: Korvettenkapitän (Corvette Captain)[2]
21 March 1957: Fregattenkapitän (Frigate Captain)[2]
26 March 1963: Kapitän zur See (Captain at Sea)[9]
6 January 1966: Flottillenadmiral (Flotilla Admiral)[9]

Notes

  1. ↑ The Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross were awarded without an official sequential number.[5] The sequential number "852" was assigned by the Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (AKCR).

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 Helgason, Guðmundur. "Rolf Thomsen". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Busch & Röll 2003, p. 494.
  3. 1 2 Thomas 1998, p. 376.
  4. ↑ Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 475.
  5. 1 2 Scherzer 2007, p. 743.
  6. ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 422.
  7. ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 103.
  8. ↑ Busch & Röll 2003, p. 493.
  9. 1 2 Busch & Röll 2003, p. 495.

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. 
  • 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. 
  • 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. 
  • Thomas, Franz (1998). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 2: L–Z [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 2: L–Z] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2300-9. 
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