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Harald Gelhaus (24 July 1915 in
Göttingen – 2 December 1997 in
Bochum
Bochum ( , also , ; wep, Baukem) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia. With a population of 364,920 (2016), is the sixth largest city (after Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen and Duisburg) of the most populous Germany, German federal state o ...
) 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 (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.
The Knight' ...
of
Nazi Germany. As commander of and Gelhaus is credited with the sinking of 19 ships (including ) for a total of and further damaging one ship of .
Awards
*
Wehrmacht Long Service Award 4th Class (5 April 1939)
[Busch & Röll 2003, p. 328.]
*
Iron Cross (1939)
** 2nd Class (31 October 1940)
[Busch & Röll 2003, p. 329.]
** 1st Class (24 February 1941)
*
U-boat War Badge (1939) (31 December 1940)
*
U-boat Front Clasp
The U-boat Front Clasp (german: U-Boot-Frontspange) or U-boat Combat Clasp, was a World War II German '' Kriegsmarine'' military decoration awarded to holders of the U-boat War Badge to recognize continued combat service and valor.
History
The awa ...
in Bronze (1 October 1944)
*
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.
The Knight' ...
on 26 March 1943 as ''
Kapitänleutnant'' and commander of ''U-107''
[Scherzer 2007, p. 331.]
*
War Merit Cross
The War Merit Cross (german: Kriegsverdienstkreuz) was a state decoration of Nazi Germany during World War II. By the end of the conflict it was issued in four degrees and had an equivalent civil award. A " de-Nazified" version of the War Merit ...
2nd Class with Swords (1 September 1944)
References
Citations
Bibliography
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*
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gelhaus, Harald
1915 births
1997 deaths
People from Göttingen
U-boat commanders (Kriegsmarine)
Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Military personnel from the Province of Hanover
Military personnel from Lower Saxony