Kurt Dobratz
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Dr. jur.
Kurt Dobratz
|
|
|---|---|
| File:Kurt Dobratz.jpg | |
| Born | 9 April 1904 Stettin |
| Died | 21 December 1996 (aged 92) Bremen |
| Allegiance |  Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany |
| Service/ |
 Reichsmarine 1923–35 Luftwaffe 1935–43 Kriegsmarine 1943–45 |
| Years of service | 1923–45 |
| Rank | Kapitän zur See |
| Unit | Braunschweig SSS Niobe Berlin Hamburg Leipzig Schleswig-Holstein Hannover |
| Commands held | U-1232 |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Dr. jur. Kurt Dobratz[Note 1] (9 April 1904 – 21 December 1996) 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.
From 1 July 1939 until 15 May 1940 Major Dobratz was Gruppenkommandeur of the II.(Kampf)/Lehrgeschwader 1 (LG 1—2nd Bomber Group of the 1st Demonstration Wing) and at the same time commander of the Fliegerhorst (airfield) Schwerin.[1][2] Serving on the staff of the Befehlshaber der U-Boote he succeeded Admiral Hans Georg von Friedeburg as the last Kommandierender Admiral der U-Boote (Commanding Admiral of the U-boats) during the final days of World War II.
Contents
Summary of career
Ships attacked
As a U-boat commander of U-1232 Kurt Dobratz is credited with the sinking of three ships for a total of 17,355 gross register tons (GRT), further damaging a ship of 2,373 GRT and damaging one ship of 7,176 GRT so severely that it had to be considered a total loss.
| Date | Ship | Nationality | Tonnage | Fate[3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 January 1945 | Nipiwan Park |  Canada |
2,373 | Damaged |
| 4 January 1945 | Polarland |  Norway |
1,591 | Sunk |
| 14 January 1945 | Athelviking |  United Kingdom |
8,779 | Sunk |
| 14 January 1945 | British Freedom | United Kingdom |
6,985 | Sunk |
| 14 January 1945 | Martin Van Buren |  United States |
7,176 | Total loss |
Awards
- Combined Pilots-Observation Badge (1 October 1935)[2]
- Wehrmacht Long Service Award (2 October 1936)[2]
- Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe for Bombers in Bronze (15 June 1941)[2]
- Spanish Cruz blanca II. Clase al mérito militar (18 February 1942)[2]
- Finnish Order of the Cross of Liberty 3rd Class (27 February 1942)[2]
- Iron Cross (1939)
- 2nd Class (18 August 1941)
- 1st Class (18 August 1941)[2]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 23 January 1945 as Kapitän zur See and commander of U-1232[4]
- U-boat War Badge (1939) (15 February 1945)
- U-boat Front Clasp (1945)[2]
Notes
- ↑ In German a Doctor of Law is abbreviated as Dr. iur. (Doctor iuris) or Dr. jur. (Doctor juris).
References
Citations
Bibliography
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- Schumann, Ralf (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 des LG 1 (in German). Zweibrücken, Germany: VDM Heinz Nickel. ISBN 978-3-86619-013-9.
External links
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- Pages with broken file links
- Death-date and age transclusions with invalid parameters
- Articles containing German-language text
- 1904 births
- 1996 deaths
- People from Szczecin
- People from the Province of Pomerania
- Kriegsmarine personnel
- U-boat commanders
- Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
- Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Liberty, 3rd Class
- Luftwaffe personnel of World War II
- Reichsmarine personnel
