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Revision as of 23:42, 20 November 2014 by Hamish59 (talk | contribs) (→References: fix broken citation)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)| Hans-Georg Hess | |
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| File:Hans-Georg Hess.jpg | |
| Born | (1923-05-06)6 May 1923 Berlin |
| Died | 29 March 2008(2008-03-29) (aged 84) Wunstorf-Idensen |
| Allegiance |  Nazi Germany |
| Service |  Kriegsmarine |
| Years of service | 1940–1945 |
| Rank | Oberleutnant zur See |
| Unit | 3rd U-boat Flotilla 29th U-boat Flotilla 13th U-boat Flotilla 14th U-boat Flotilla |
| Commands | U-995, 10 October 1944 – 8 May 1945 |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Hans-Georg Hess (6 May 1923 – 29 March 2008) was a German U-boat commander of the Second World War. He commanded a single U-boat from September 1944 until the end of the war, and sank five ships for a total of 2,298 gross register tons (GRT), and caused another to be declared a total loss for 7,176 GRT. For this he received the Knight's Cross.
Career
Hess joined the Kriegsmarine as a volunteer in April 1940, when he was 16. He was initially assigned to the surface fleet, where he spent two years on minesweepers before transferring to the U-boat force in April 1942. He was first assigned to U-466 under the command of Captain Gerhard Thäter and was with her for her last five patrols, which were mostly spent in the North Atlantic. She broke into the Mediterranean during her last patrol, but was caught in Toulon during the Allied invasion of the south of France and was scuttled on 19 August 1944. Hess returned to Germany, having been promoted to Oberleutnant zur See on 1 March 1944.
He was appointed to command U-995 and took command on 10 October 1944. He eventually carried out a total of five patrols with her in the Arctic Sea, sinking a number of Soviet ships and causing one American one to be written off. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 11 February 1945. With the end of the war, U-995 surrendered on 8 May 1945 in Trondheim. Hess was imprisoned by the Norwegians, eventually spending a year in captivity.
After his release he returned to Germany, eventually becoming a lawyer in Hannover. He died on 20 March 2008 in Wunstorf-Idensen at the age of 84, and is buried at the village cemetery.
Summary of career
Ships attacked
Map all coordinates using OpenStreetMapDownload coordinates as:
As a U-boat commander of U-995 Hans-Georg Hess is credited with the sinking of 3 merchant ships for a total of 1,560 GRT GRT uses unsupported parameter (help), an auxiliary warships of 633 GRT, a warship of 105 GRT and severely damaging a ship which was later declared a total loss of 7,176 GRT.
| Date | Name of ship | Flag | Tonnage | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 December 1944 | Proletarij |  Soviet Union
|
1,123 | sunk at 69°57′N 32°53′E / 69.950°N 32.883°E / 69.950; 32.883 (Proletarij (ship)) |
| 21 December 1944 | Reshitel'nyj | Soviet Union
|
20 | sunk at 68°44′N 37°49′E / 68.733°N 37.817°E / 68.733; 37.817 (Reshitel'nyj (ship)) |
| 26 December 1944 | RT-52 Som | Soviet Union
|
417 | sunk at 68°41′N 38°58′E / 68.683°N 38.967°E / 68.683; 38.967 (RT-52 Som (ship)) |
| 29 December 1944 | T-883 (No 37) |  Soviet Navy
|
633 | sunk at 68°41′N 38°58′E / 68.683°N 38.967°E / 68.683; 38.967 (T-883 (No 37) (ship)) |
| 2 March 1945 | BO-224 | Soviet Navy
|
105 | sunk at 69°21′N 33°38′E / 69.350°N 33.633°E / 69.350; 33.633 (BO-224 (ship)) |
| 20 March 1945 | Horace Bushnell |  United States
|
7,176 | damaged at 69°23′N 35°17′E / 69.383°N 35.283°E / 69.383; 35.283 (Horace Bushnell (ship)) |
Awards
- Kriegsabzeichen für Minensuch-, U-Boot-Jagd- und Sicherungsverbände (August 1941)
- Iron Cross (1939)
- 2nd Class (September 1941)
- 1st Class (November 1944)
- Wound Badge in Black (August 1943)
- U-boat War Badge (1939) (July 1943)
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 11 February 1945 as Oberleutnant zur See of the Reserves and commander of U-995
References
- Citations
- 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 978-3-8132-0515-2.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help) - Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 – Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtsteile (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help) - 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. Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 978-3-87943-355-1.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help) - 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 (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help)
External links
Template:Knight's Cross recipients of the U-boat service
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