Wilhelm Ambrosius

Wilhelm Ambrosius
Born (1903-06-14)14 June 1903
Tuchel, West Prussia
Died 29 September 1955(1955-09-29) (aged 52)
Durban, South Africa
Allegiance  Weimar Republic (to 1933)
 Nazi Germany
Service/branch  Reichsmarine
 Kriegsmarine
Years of service 1921–1945
Rank Fregattenkapitän
Commands held U-43
2nd Minesweeper Flotilla
Battles/wars

World War II

Awards German Cross in Gold

Wilhelm Ambrosius (14 June 1903 in Tuchel, West Prussia – 29 September 1955) was a German U-boat officer in World War II and recipient of the German Cross in Gold (German: Deutsches Kreuz in Gold). The German Cross in Gold was awarded for repeated acts of bravery or achievement in combat. He enlisted in 1921 in the Weimar Republic's small navy and rose through the ranks to become a Mustang officer.

Career

Dates of Rank

3 October 1921 Rekrut (recruit)
3 March 1923 Funkgast (radio operator)
3 October 1923 Oberfunkgast (senior radio operator)
1 May 1925 Obermatrose (career change – able seaman)
1 November 1925 Matrosenobergefreiter (petty officer)
1 April 1926 Offiziersanwärter (officer cadet)
1 April 1928 Fähnrich zur See (ensign)
1 June 1930 Oberfähnrich zur See (senior ensign)
1 October 1930 Leutnant zur See (lieutenant)
1 October 1932 Oberleutnant zur See (senior lieutenant)
1 April 1936 Kapitänleutnant (captain lieutenant)
1 November 1940 Korvettenkapitän (corvette captain)
1 June 1944 Fregattenkapitän (frigate captain)[1][2]

Decorations

6 June 1939 Spanish Cross in Bronze with Swords
21 August 1939 Spanisches Marineverdienstkreuz in Weiß am Bande 1. Klasse
15 December 1939 Iron Cross 2nd Class
April 1940 U-Boot Kriegsabzeichen
September 1940 Iron Cross 1st Class
20 April 1943 War Merit Cross with Swords 2nd Class
1 September 1943 War Merit Cross with Swords 1st Class [1]
8 September 1944 German Cross in Gold as Fregattenkapitän in the 2. Minensuch-Flottille[3]

Patrols

U-Boot Departure Return Days Tonnage
1 U-436 November 1939 Wilhelmshaven 14 December 1939 Wilhelmshaven 3911,772
2 U-4313 March 1940 Wilhelmshaven 6 April 1940 Wilhelmshaven 250
3 U-4312 April 1940 Wilhelmshaven 23 April 1940 Wilhelmshaven 120
4 U-4313 May 1940 Wilhelmshaven 22 July 1940 Wilhelmshaven 7129,456
U-439 September 1940 Wilhelmshaven 12 September 1940 Bergen 40
5 U-4315 September 1940 Bergen 18 October 1940 Lorient 345,802
Total18147,030[1]

Ships attacked

Ambrosius sank eight ships sunk with a total of 47,030 gross register tons (GRT)

Data U-Boat Name of Ship Tonnage Nationality
16 November 1939 U-43 Arlington Court 4,915  United Kingdom
22 November 1939 U-43 Arijon 4,374  France
25 November 1939 U-43 Uskmouth 2,483  United Kingdom
21 June 1940 U-43 Yarraville 8,627  United Kingdom
30 June 1940 U-43 Avelona Star 13,376  United Kingdom
9 July 1940 U-43 Aylesbury 3,944  United Kingdom
17 July 1940 U-43 Fellside 3,509  United Kingdom
25 September 1940 U-43 Sulairia 5,802  United Kingdom
Total 47,030[1]

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 Helgason, Guðmundur. "Wilhelm Ambrosius". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 6 November 2009.
  2. Busch & Röll 1999, p. 20–21.
  3. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 14.

Bibliography

  • Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). German U-boat commanders of World War II : a biographical dictionary. Translated by Brooks, Geoffrey. London, Annapolis, Md: Greenhill Books, Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-186-6. 
  • Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8. 
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