Fritz Poske

Fritz Poske
File:Fritz Poske.jpg
Born	(1904-10-23)23 October 1904 Berlin-Schöneberg
Died	1 October 1984(1984-10-01) (aged 79) Wachtberg
Allegiance	Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany(to 1945) West Germany
Service/branch	Reichsmarine Kriegsmarine Bundesgrenzschutz German Navy
Years of service	1923–45 1951–63
Rank	Kapitän zur See
Unit	battleship Braunschweig torpedo boat T-151 cruiser Hamburg SSS Niobe cruiser Berlin tender Nordsee survey vessel Panther battleship Schleswig-Holstein tender M-134 torpedo boat Albatross battleship Schlesien cruiser Nürnberg cruiser Königsberg
Commands held	tender Nordsee torpedo boat T-155 Aviso Grille U-504
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Hans-Georg Friedrich "Fritz" Poske (23 October 1904 in Berlin-Schöneberg – 1 October 1984 in Wachtberg) was a German U-boat commander in World War II and 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. He also commanded the Aviso Grille, Adolf Hitler's state yacht.

Summary of career

Ships attacked

As a U-boat commander of U-504 Fritz Poske is credited with the sinking of 15 ships for a total of 78,123 gross register tons (GRT) and further damaging another ship of 7,176 GRT that it had to be considered a total loss.

Date	Name	Nationality	Tonnage	Fate
22 February 1942	Republic	United States	5,287	Sunk
23 February 1942	W.D. Anderson	United States	10,227	Sunk
26 February 1942	Mamura	Netherlands	8,245	Sunk
16 March 1942	Stangarth	United Kingdom	5,966	Sunk
29 May 1942	Allister	United Kingdom	1,597	Sunk
8 June 1942	Rosenborg	United Kingdom	1,512	Sunk
8 June 1942	Tela	Honduras	3,901	Sunk
11 June 1942	American	United States	4,846	Sunk
11 June 1942	Crijnssen	Netherlands	4,282	Sunk
14 June 1942	Regent	Latvia	3,280	Sunk
17 October 1942	Empire Chaucer	United Kingdom	5,970	Sunk
23 October 1942	City of Johannesburg	United Kingdom	5,669	Sunk
26 October 1942	Anne Hutchinson	United States	7,176	Total loss
31 October 1942	Empire Guidon	United Kingdom	7,041	Sunk
31 October 1942	Reynolds	United Kingdom	5,113	Sunk
3 November 1942	Porto Alegre	Brazil	5,187	Sunk

Awards

• Wehrmacht Long Service Award 4th and 3rd Class (2 October 1936)
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (2 October 1939)
  • 1st Class (3 April 1942)
• U-boat War Badge (1939) (2 April 1942)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 6 November 1942 as Korvettenkapitän and commander of U-504
• War Merit Cross
  • 2nd Class with Swords (1 September 1944)
  • 1st Class with Swords (30 January 1945)
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 21 March 1942
• Bundesverdienstkreuz 1st Class (30 March 1963)

Wehrmachtbericht reference

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
Saturday, 21 March 1942	Bei den Operationen deutscher Unterseeboote im Amerikanischen Raum hat sich das Unterseeboot unter Führung von Korvettenkapitän Poske besonders ausgezeichnet.	The submarine, under the command of Korvettenkapitän Poske, particularly distinguished itself in German submarine operations in the American area.

References

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. CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6. CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
• Kurowski, Franz (1995). Knight's Cross Holders of the U-Boat Service. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 978-0-88740-748-2.
• Poske, Fritz (1982). Der Seegrenzschutz 1951–1956. Erinnerung – Bericht – Dokumentation (in German). Koblenz/Bonn, Germany: Bernard & Graefe. ISBN 3-7637-5410-5.
• Range, Clemens (1974). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Kriegsmarine. Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 978-3-87943-355-1.
• 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. CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
• Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 2, 1. Januar 1942 bis 31. Dezember 1943 (in German). München, Germany: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 978-3-423-05944-2. CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)

External links

• Fritz Poske in the German National Library catalogue
• Helgason, Guðmundur. "Fritz Poske". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 16 April 2015.