Wilhelm Dommes

Wilhelm Dommes
File:Wilhelm Dommes.jpg
Born	(1907-04-16)16 April 1907 Buchberg
Died	Hannover
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Kriegsmarine
Years of service	1933–45
Rank	Fregattenkapitän
Commands held	U-431 U-178
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Wilhelm Dommes (16 April 1907 in Buchberg, Berent District, West Prussia – 23 January 1990 in Hannover) was a German U-boat commander 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. He is notable as being the commander of U-boats in the Indian Ocean, whereby German and Japanese forces cooperatively fought for the only time in the war. He was the first commander of the U-boat base, located in the former British seaplane base in Penang.

Summary of career

Ships attacked

As a U-boat commander of U-431 and U-178 Wilhelm Dommes is credited with the sinking of eight ships for a total of 40,103 gross register tons (GRT), sinking one auxiliary warship of 313 gross register tons (GRT), two warships of 3,548 metric tons (3,492 long tons; 3,911 short tons), and damaging one ship of 3,560 gross register tons (GRT) and one warship of 450 t (440 long tons; 500 short tons).

Date	U-boat	Ship	Nationality	Tonnage	Fate
2 October 1941	U-431	Hatasu	United Kingdom	3,198	Sunk
13 December 1941	U-431	Myriel	United Kingdom	3,560	Damaged
29 January 1942	U-431	HMS Sotra	Royal Navy	313	Sunk
20 May 1942	U-431	Eocene	United Kingdom	4,216	Sunk
15 June 1942	U-431	HMS LCT-119	Royal Navy	450	Damaged
10 November 1942	U-431	HMS Martin	Royal Navy	1,920	Sunk
13 November 1942	U-431	HNMS Isaac Sweers	Royal Netherlands Navy	1,628	Sunk
1 June 1943	U-178	Salabangka	Netherlands	6,586	Sunk
4 July 1943	U-178	Breiviken	Norway	2,669	Sunk
4 July 1943	U-178	Michael Livanos	Greece	4,774	Sunk
11 July 1943	U-178	Mary Livanos	Greece	4,771	Sunk
14 July 1943	U-178	Robert Bacon	United States	7,197	Sunk
17 July 1943	U-178	City of Canton	United Kingdom	6,692	Sunk

Awards

• Wehrmacht Long Service Award 3rd Class (23 January 1937)
• The Return of Sudetenland Commemorative Medal of 1 October 1938 (6 September 1940)
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (29 November 1939)
  • 1st Class (10 February 1942)
• U-boat War Badge (1939) (10 February 1942)
• Medaglia di bronzo al Valore Militare (27 July 1942)
• Medaglia d'Argento al Valor Militare (29 May 1943)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 2 December 1942 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-431
• War Merit Cross with Swords
  • 2nd Class (30 January 1945)
  • 1st Class (20 April 1945)
• U-boat Front Clasp (5 March 1945)
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 21 November 1942

Wehrmachtbericht reference

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
Sunday, 21 November 1942	Bei den Kämpfen gegen die feindliche Landungsflotte im Mittelmeer zeichnete sich das Unterseeboot unter Führung von Kapitänleutnant Dommes besonders aus.	The submarine under the leadership of Captain Lieutenant Dommes has particularly excelled itself in the battles against the enemy's invasion fleet in the Mediterranean.