Ernst Mengersen

Ernst Mengersen
Born 30 June 1912(1912-06-30)
Bremke
Died 6 November 1995(1995-11-06) (aged 83)
Detmold
Allegiance  Nazi Germany
Service/branch  Kriegsmarine
Years of service 1933–1945
Rank Korvettenkapitän
Unit SSS Gorch Fock
cruiser Karlsruhe
Schleswig-Holstein
Admiral Scheer
Commands held U-18
U-143
U-101
U-607
Battles/wars

Spanish Civil War
World War II
Awards Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Ernst Mengersen (30 June 1912 – 6 November 1995) was German naval officer who reached the rank of Korvettenkapitän with the Kriegsmarine during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Contents

Career

Mengersen joined the Reichsmarine in 1933 and served on the pocket battleship Admiral Scheer and on the torpedo boat Tiger before transferring to the U-boat force in April 1939.[Note 1] He commanded the U-18, U-143, U-101 and U-607, and sank twelve ships, including the SS Gairsoppa[1] and HMS Broadwater, on eleven patrols, for a total of 68,071 gross register tons (GRT) of Allied shipping. The Gairsoppa carried 7,000,000 ounces of silver, which was worth £600,000 at the time of sinking. Two Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross recipients served as watch officers under Mengersen's command. Egon-Reiner von Schlippenbach served as first watch officer on U-101's fourth patrol under Mengerson. Karl-Heinz Marbach was Mengerson's second watch officer on U-101. In June 1943 he became commander of 20th U-boat Flotilla (15 June 1943 – 24 February 1945) in Pillau, and during the last three months of the war Mengersen served with 25th U-boat Flotilla. In April 1945 he was selected to command the new 15th U-boat Flotilla.[2]

Awards

Reference in the Wehrmachtbericht

Date Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording Direct English translation
Tuesday, 3 December 1940 ... An diesem Erfolg ist das unter Führung von Kapitänleutnant Mengersen stehende Unterseeboot mit der Versenkung von fünf Schiffen mit zusammen 41 000 BRT führend beteiligt.[5] ...The submarine led by Lieutenant Mengersen contributed with the sinking of five ships of 41 000 tons as a leading participant to this success.

Notes

  1. ^ The German Reichsmarine which was renamed the Kriegsmarine on 1 June 1935.

References

Notes
  1. ^ C.Michael Hogan. 2011. SS Gairsoppa recovery. Topic ed.P.Saundry. Ed.-in-chief C.J.Cleveland. Encyclopedia of Earth. National Council for Science and the Environment, Washington DC
  2. ^ "Korvettenkapitän Ernst Mengersen". uboat.net. http://uboat.net/men/mengersen.htm. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  3. ^ a b c d e f Busch and Röll 2003, p. 161.
  4. ^ Scherzer 2007, p. 537.
  5. ^ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 1, p. 373
Bibliography
  • Busch, Rainer and 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 (in German). Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
  • Kurowski, Franz (1995). Knight's Cross Holders of the U-Boat Service. Schiffer Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0-88740-748-X.
  • Range, Clemens (1974). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Kriegsmarine (in German). Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 3-87943-355-0.
  • Scherzer, Veit (2007). 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.
  • Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 1, 1. September 1939 bis 31. Dezember 1941 (in German). München: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, 1985. ISBN 3423059443.

External links