| Karl Thurmann | |
|---|---|
| Born | 4 September 1909 |
| Died | 20 January 1943 (aged 33) |
| Place of birth | Mühlheim, Ruhr |
| Place of death | North Atlantic |
| Allegiance |
 Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany |
| Service/branch |
 Reichsmarine Kriegsmarine |
| Years of service | 1928–1943 |
| Rank | Korvettenkapitän |
| Unit |
7th U-boat Flotilla 3rd U-boat Flotilla |
| Commands held |
U-553 (23 December 1940–20 January 1943) |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards |
Iron Cross 1st and 2nd Class U-boat War Badge Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Karl Thurmann (4 September 1909—20 January 1943) was a German U-boat commander in World War II and 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.[1]
Life and career
Thurmann was born in Mühlheim, Ruhr. He joined the Reichsmarine in April 1928, serving aboard the light cruisers Emden and Köln.[1]
After training, and sailing on a patrol as Kommandantenschüler (Commander-in-Training") aboard U-29 under Otto Schuhart, Thurmann commissioned the Type VIIC U-boat U-553 on 23 December 1940. Thurmann took U-553 out on nine patrols in 1941 and 1942, and sank 12 merchant ships totalling one warship, and damaged two more.[1]
On 16 January 1943, Thurmann left La Pallice, France, on his tenth patrol. On 20 January, he sent the radio message: Seerohr unklar ("Periscope not clear"). U-553 was never heard from again and her fate remains a mystery.[1]
Summary of career
Ships attacked
As a U-boat commander of U-553 Karl Thurmann is credited with the sinking of 12 ships for a total of 61,390 gross register tons (GRT), further damaging two ships of 15,273 GRT and sinking one warship, the HMS Gladiolus, of 925 metric tons (910 long tons; 1,020 short tons).
| Date | Ship | Nationality | Tonnage | Fate[2] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 June 1941 | Ranella |  Norway |
5,590 | Sunk |
| 12 June 1941 | Susan Maersk |  United Kingdom |
2,355 | Sunk |
| 15 October 1941 | Ila | Norway |
1,583 | Sunk |
| 15 October 1941 | Silvercedar | United Kingdom |
4,354 | Sunk |
| 17 October 1941 | HMS Gladiolus |  United Kingdom |
925 | Sunk |
| 15 January 1942 | Diala | United Kingdom |
8,106 | Damaged |
| 22 January 1942 | Innerøy | Norway |
8,260 | Sunk |
| 12 May 1942 | Leto |  Netherlands |
4,712 | Sunk |
| 12 May 1942 | Nicoya | United Kingdom |
5,364 | Sunk |
| 2 June 1942 | Matawin | United Kingdom |
6,919 | Sunk |
| 3 August 1942 | Belgian Soldier |  Belgium |
7,167 | Damaged |
| 18 August 1942 | Blankaholm |  Sweden |
2,845 | Sunk |
| 18 August 1942 | Empire Bede | United Kingdom |
6,959 | Sunk |
| 18 August 1942 | John Hancock |  United States |
7,176 | Sunk |
| 9 December 1942 | Charles L D | United Kingdom |
5,273 | Sunk |
Awards
- Wehrmacht Long Service Award 4th Class (2 October 1936)[3]
- Iron Cross (1939)
- U-boat War Badge (1939) (23 October 1941)[4]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 24 August 1942 as Korvettenkapitän and commander of U-553[5]
- Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 22 May 1942
Reference in the Wehrmachtbericht
| Date | Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording | Direct English translation |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, 22 May 1942 | Bei den Erfolgen in amerikanischen Gewässern haben sich Boote unter Führung der Kapitänleutnante Thurmann, Würdemann und Folkers besonders ausgezeichnet.[6] | Boats under the commands of the Kapitänleutnants Thurmann, Würdemann und Folkers distinguished themselves in the success in the American Waters. |
References
- Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Korvettenkapitän Karl Thurmann". uboat.net. http://uboat.net/men/thurmann.htm. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
- ↑ http://uboat.net/boats/successes/u553.html
- ↑ Busch and Röll 2003, p. 250.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Busch and Röll 2003, p. 251.
- ↑ Scherzer 2007, p. 744.
- ↑ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939-1945 Band 2, p. 138.
- 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]. Friedberg, 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.
- (in German) Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 2, 1. Januar 1942 bis 31. Dezember 1943 [The Wehrmacht Reports 1939–1945 Volume 2, 1 January 1942 to 31 December 1943]. München, Germany: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 978-3-423-05944-2.
External links
The original article can be found at Karl Thurmann and the edit history here.