Hermann Rasch

Hermann Rasch
Born	(1914-08-26)26 August 1914 Wilhelmshaven
Died	Hamburg
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Kriegsmarine
Rank	Kapitänleutnant
Unit	Schleswig-Holstein Panzerschiff Admiral Scheer SSS Albert Leo Schlageter
Commands held	U-106
Battles/wars	World War II Battle of the Atlantic
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Hermann Rasch (26 August 1914 – 10 June 1974) was a German U-boat commander of U-106 in World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

On 14 May 1942 Reinhard Suhren, commander of U-564, sunk the Mexican oil tanker Potrero del Llano. The sinking of this ship, compounded with U-106's attack on another tanker, the Faja de Oro, would bring Mexico to declare "A State of War" on the Axis powers.

Summary of career

Ships attacked

As a U-boat commander of U-106 Rasch is credited with the sinking of 12 ships for a total of 78,553 gross register tons (GRT), further damaged one ship of 4,639 GRT and damaging one auxiliary warship of 8,246 metric tons (8,116 long tons; 9,090 short tons).

Date	U-boat	Name of Ship	Nationality	Tonnage	Fate
000000001941-10-28-000028 October 1941	U-106	King Malcolm	United Kingdom	5,120	Sunk
000000001941-10-30-000030 October 1941	U-106	USS Salinas	United States Navy	8,246	Damaged
000000001942-01-24-000024 January 1942	U-106	SS Empire Wildebeeste	United Kingdom	5,631	Sunk
000000001942-01-26-000026 January 1942	U-106	Traveller	United Kingdom	3,963	Sunk
000000001942-01-30-000030 January 1942	U-106	Rochester	United States	6,836	Sunk
000000001942-02-03-00003 February 1942	U-106	Amerikaland	Sweden	15,355	Sunk
000000001942-02-06-00006 February 1942	U-106	Opawa	United Kingdom	10,354	Sunk
000000001942-05-05-00005 May 1942	U-106	Lady Drake	Canada	7,985	Sunk
000000001942-05-21-000021 May 1942	U-106	SS Faja de Oro	Mexico	6,067	Sunk
000000001942-05-26-000026 May 1942	U-106	Carrabulle	United States	5,030	Sunk
000000001942-05-27-000027 May 1942	U-106	Atenas	United States	4,639	Damaged
000000001942-05-28-000028 May 1942	U-106	Mentor	United Kingdom	7,383	Sunk
000000001942-06-01-00001 June 1942	U-106	Hampton Roads	United States	2,689	Sunk
000000001942-10-11-000011 October 1942	U-106	Waterton	United Kingdom	2,140	Sunk

Awards

• Wehrmacht Long Service Award 4th Class (8 April 1938)
• Spanish Cross in Bronze without Swords (6 June 1939)
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class
  • 1st Class (11 July 1941)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 29 December 1942 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-106
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 7 February 1942

Wehrmachtbericht reference

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
Saturday, 7 February 1942	An der Ostküste Nordamerikas versenkten deutsche Unterseeboote sechs feindliche Handelsschiffe mit zusammen 30 000 BRT. Dabei zeichnete sich das Unterseeboot des Kapitänleutnants Rasch besonders aus.	On the east coast of North America sank German submarines six enemy merchant vessels with a total of 30,000 GRT. Thereby particularly distinguished itself the submarine of Captain Lieutenant Rasch.

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)
• Hickam, Homer H. (1996). Torpedo Junction: U-Boat War Off America's East Coast, 1942. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-55750-362-6.
• 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. Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 978-3-87943-355-1.
• Salinas, María Emilia Paz (1997). Strategy, Security, and Spies: Mexico and the U.S. as Allies in World War II. University Park, PA: Penn State Press. ISBN 978-0-271-01666-5.
• 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: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 3-423-05944-3.CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)

External links

• Helgason, Guðmundur. "Hermann Rasch". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
• "Hermann Rasch". Der Spiegel (in German). 46. 1960. Retrieved 14 July 2014.CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)