Gustav Poel

Gustav Poel
Born	(1917-08-02)2 August 1917 Hamburg
Died	Hamburg
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Kriegsmarine
Years of service	1933–45
Rank	Kapitänleutnant
Unit	SSS Gorch Fock cruiser Emden torpedo boat Tiger U-27, U-37
Commands held	U-413
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Gustav Poel (2 August 1917 – 16 January 2009) 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. On 20 February 1944 U-413 under the command of Poel sank the HMS Warwick.

Summary of career

Ships attacked

As a U-boat commander of U-413 Gustav Poel is credited with the sinking of four ships for a total of 34,525 gross register tons (GRT) and sinking one warship of 1,100 metric tons (1,100 long tons; 1,200 short tons).

File:StateLibQld 1 199363 Warwick Castle (ship) on maiden voyage to Cape Town, South Africa in 1931.jpg

Warwick Castle

Date	Name	Nationality	Tonnage (GRT)	Fate
14 November 1942	Warwick Castle	United Kingdom	20,107	Sunk
22 January 1943	Mount Mycale	Greece	3,556	Sunk
5 February 1943	West Portal	United States	5,376	Sunk
21 April 1943	Wanstead	United Kingdom	5,486	Sunk
20 February 1944	HMS Warwick	Royal Navy	1,100	Sunk

Awards

• Spanish Cross in Bronze (6 June 1939)
• Croce di Guerra al Valor Militare (24 October 1941)
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (28 February 1940)
  • 1st Class (27 November 1942)
• U-boat War Badge (1939) (8 November 1939)
• U-boat Front Clasp
  • in Bronze (9 November 1944)
  • in Silver (27 April 1945)
• German Cross in Gold on 22 December 1943 as Kapitänleutnant on U-413/1. Unterseebootsflottille
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 21 March 1944 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-413

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.
• Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8. CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
• 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)

External links

• Helgason, Guðmundur. "Gustav Poel". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
• "Gustav Poel". Lexikon der Wehrmacht (in German). Retrieved 9 January 2014.CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)