Ernst Kals

Ernst Kals (2 August 1905 – 2 November 1979) was a Kapitän zur See with the Kriegsmarine during World War II. He commanded the Type IXC U-boat GS U-130 (1941) on five patrols, and sank twenty ships, for a total of 145,656 tons of Allied shipping, becoming the sixteenth highest scoring U-Boat ace of World War II. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Career
Kals joined the Reichsmarine in 1924. In October 1940, after a period of service on torpedo boats and light cruisers, he transferred to the Ubootwaffe ("U-boat force"). After one patrol on GS U-37 (1938) under the command of Nicolai Clausen as commander in training, he took command of GS U-130 (1941) in June 1941. He was awarded the Knight's Cross in September 1941.

In April 1942, Kals, in U-130, bombarded the Allied petroleum tank farm on Curaçao, in the Netherlands Antilles. He went on to sink a total of 20 ships on five patrols, for a total of 145,656 tons of Allied shipping. In five minutes he sank three United States troopships, the USS Edward Rutledge (AP-52), USS Hugh L. Scott (AP-43) and USS Tasker H. Bliss (AP-42).

In January 1943 Kals became commander of the 2nd U-boat Flotilla which based in Lorient, France. Promoted to Kapitän zur See in September 1944, he remained in this position until the end of the war.

Later life
Kals was held in French captivity from May 1945 to January 1948. He died at Emden in 1979 at the age of 74.

Ships attacked
As a U-boat commander of GS U-130 (1941) and Ernst Kals is credited with the sinking of 17 merchant ships for a total of, three auxiliary warships for a total of and damaging one further ship of.

Awards

 * Iron Cross (1939)
 * 2nd Class (18 December 1939)
 * 1st Class (18 December 1941)
 * U-boat War Badge (1939) (18 December 1941)
 * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 1 September 1942 as Korvettenkapitän and commander of U-130
 * War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords (30 January 1944)
 * Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 30 January 1942