Robert Gysae

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Robert Gysae
File:Robert Gysae.jpg
Born (1911-01-14)14 January 1911
Berlin-Charlottenburg, German Empire
Died Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist.
Wilhelmshaven, Germany
Allegiance  Weimar Republic (to 1933)
 Nazi Germany (to 1945)
 West Germany
Service/branch  Reichsmarine
 Kriegsmarine
 German Navy
Years of service 1931–45
1956–70
Rank Korvettenkapitän (Kriegsmarine), Flottillenadmiral (Bundesmarine)
Commands held U-98
U-177
Marinepanzerjagd-Regiment 1
Marinedivision Nordsee
Battles/wars Battle of the Atlantic
Awards Iron Cross 1st Class
Iron Cross 2nd Class
U-boat War Badge
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
U-boat Front Clasp

Robert Gysae (14 January 1911 – 26 April 1989) was a Korvettenkapitän with the Kriegsmarine during World War II. 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. Gysae commanded U-98 and U-177, sinking twenty-five ships on eight patrols, for a total of 146,815 gross register tons (GRT) tons of Allied shipping, to become the fifteenth highest scoring U-Boat ace of World War II.

Career

Gysae joined the Reichsmarine in 1931 and served on torpedo boats before transferring to the U-bootwaffe ("U-boat force") in April 1940. In October 1940 he was appointed commander of the Type VIIC U-boat U-98, unusually without serving any time as either 1.WO (1. Wachoffizier, "1st Watch Officer") or Kommandantenschüler ("Commander-in-Training") on any other U-boats. After six patrols in the north Atlantic in command of U-98, in March 1942 he transferred to the Type IXD2 U-boat U-177 for another two patrols, this time operating off South Africa and Portuguese East Africa. He sank a total of 25 ships, including the armed merchant cruiser HMS Salopian.

On 28 November 1942 off the coast of Natal Province, Gysae sank the 6,796 ton British troop ship RMS Nova Scotia with three torpedoes. She was carrying 780 Italians; a mixture of prisoners of war and civilian internees. Gysae rescued two survivors to identify the ship, who turned out to be Italian merchant sailors. Mindful of the Laconia Order issued two months previously, Gysae radioed the BdU, who ordered him to continue his patrol. The BdU notified the Portuguese authorities, who sent the frigate NRP Afonso de Albuquerque from Lourenço Marques to help. Of 1,052 people from the Nova Scotia only 194 survived: 192 rescued by the frigate and two others in subsequent days. 858 were killed, including 650 Italians.[1]

In January 1944 he became commander of 25th U-boat Flotilla, a training flotilla based at Gotenhafen. In April 1945, during the last month of the war, Gysae commanded the Marinepanzerjagd-Regiment 1, a naval anti-tank regiment. After the war he served in the Deutscher Minenräumdienst ("German Mine Sweeping Administration") for more than two years. In 1956 he joined the Bundesmarine, serving for four years as Navy attaché in the United States, and then three years as commander of Marinedivision Nordsee with the rank of Flottillenadmiral before retiring in 1970. He died in 1989 aged 78.[2]

Summary of career

Ships attacked

During his career Gysae sunk 24 commercial ships for 136,266 GRT, one auxiliary warship of 10,549 GRT, and damaged one ship for 2,588 GRT.[2]

Date U-Boat Name of Ship Nationality Tonnage Fate
27 March 1941 U-98 Koranton  United Kingdom 6,695 Sunk at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
4 April 1941 U-98 Helle  Norway 2,467 Sunk at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
4 April 1941 U-98 Welcombe  United Kingdom 5,122 Sunk at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
9 April 1941 U-98 Prins Willem II  Netherlands 1,304 Sunk at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
13 May 1941 U-98 HMS Salopian  Royal Navy 10,549 Sunk at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
20 May 1941 U-98 Rothermere  United Kingdom 5,356 Sunk at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
21 May 1941 U-98 Marconi  United Kingdom 7,402 Sunk at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
9 July 1941 U-98 Designer  United Kingdom 5,945 Sunk at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
9 July 1941 U-98 Inverness  United Kingdom 4,897 Sunk at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
16 September 1941 U-98 Jedmoor  United Kingdom 4,392 Sunk at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
15 February 1942 U-98 Biela  United Kingdom 5,298 Sunk at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
2 November 1942 U-177 Aegeus  Greece 4,538 Sunk at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
9 November 1942 U-177 Cerion  United Kingdom 2,588 Damaged at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
19 November 1942 U-177 Scottish Chief  United Kingdom 7,006 Sunk at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
20 November 1942 U-177 Pierce Butler  United States 7,191 Sunk at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
28 November 1942 U-177 RMS Nova Scotia  United Kingdom 6,796 Sunk at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
30 November 1942 U-177 Llandaff Castle  United Kingdom 10,799 Sunk at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
7 December 1942 U-177 Saronikos  Greece 3,548 Sunk at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
12 December 1942 U-177 Empire Gull  United Kingdom 6,408 Sunk at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
14 December 1942 U-177 Sawahloento  Netherlands 3,085 Sunk at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
28 May 1943 U-177 Agwimonte  United States 6,679 Sunk at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
28 May 1943 U-177 Storaas  Norway 7,886 Sunk at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
6 July 1943 U-177 Jasper Park  Canada 7,129 Sunk at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
10 July 1943 U-177 Alice F. Palmer  United States 7,176 Sunk at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
29 July 1943 U-177 Cornish City  United Kingdom 4,952 Sunk at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
5 August 1943 U-177 Efthalia Mari  Greece 4,195 Sunk at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

Awards

Wehrmachtbericht references

Date Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording Direct English translation
Friday, 23 May 1941 Bei Angriffen gegen den erwähnten feindlichen Geleitzug zeichneten sich die von Kapitänleutnant Wohlfahrt und Kapitänleutnant Gysae geführten Unterseeboote besonders aus.[8] In attacks against the already mentioned enemy convoy distinguished themselves from the rest the submarines under the leadership of Captain Lieutenant Wohlfahrt (sic) and Captain Lieutenant Gysae.

References

Citations

  1. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. Busch & Röll 2003, p. 182.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 Busch & Röll 2003, p. 183.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Busch & Röll 2003, p. 184.
  6. 6.0 6.1 Thomas 1997, p. 233.
  7. 7.0 7.1 Scherzer 2007, p. 356.
  8. Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 1, p. 537.

Bibliography

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External links

Military offices
Preceded by
Fregattenkapitän Karl Neitzel
Commander of the 25th U-boat Flotilla
5 January 1944 – 21 April 1945
Succeeded by
Korvettenkapitän Georg-Wilhelm Schulz