Karl-Heinz Moehle

Karl-Heinz Moehle (31 July 1910 – 17 November 1996) was a German U-boat commander of the Second World War. From September 1939 until retiring from front line service in June 1941, he sank 21 ships for a total of 93,197 gross register tons (GRT). For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), among other commendations.

Karl-Heinz Moehle
Born(1910-07-31)31 July 1910
Norden, East Frisia
Died17 November 1996(1996-11-17) (aged 86)
Ahrensburg
Allegiance Weimar Republic (to 1933)
 Nazi Germany
Service/branch Reichsmarine
 Kriegsmarine
Years of serviceApril 1930 –
RankKorvettenkapitän
Unit3rd U-boat Flotilla
1st U-boat Flotilla
2nd U-boat Flotilla
5th U-boat Flotilla
Commands heldU-20, 1 October 1937 – 17 January 1940
U-123, 30 May 1940 – 19 May 1941
Battles/warsWorld War II
AwardsU-boat War Badge 1939
Knight's Cross
German Cross in Silver

Early life

Moehle was born on 31 July 1910 in Norden, East Frisia. He entered the navy in April 1930 at the age of 19 and spent his initial training aboard the school ship Schleswig-Holstein.[1] He transferred to the U-boat force in March 1936 and by 1 June was promoted to Oberleutnant zur See. He took command of his first boat, U-20 on 1 October 1937 and commissioned her for sea. On 1 April 1939 he was promoted to Kapitänleutnant and on the outbreak of the Second World War, took U-20 on his first war cruise.[1]

Wartime career

Moehle made six patrols in U-20, operating in the North Sea. He sank eight allied ships. He left U-20 on 17 January 1940 and took command of U-123, which was to become one of the most famous U-boats of the war. He took command on 30 May 1940 and took her on her first patrol on 21 September. His first patrol sank six merchants, including four on 19 October from the ill-fated convoy SC 7.[1] His second patrol was also highly successful, when on the morning of 23 November he attacked convoy OB-244 in the North Atlantic. He sank five ships over a period of five hours, for a combined total of 23,084 GRT. During these operations, U-123 collided with a sunken ship, sustaining damage that forced her to return to base after just 15 days at sea.[1]

Moehle carried out another four patrols, sinking another five ships. On 24 October 1940 he received the Iron Cross 1st Class and on 26 February 1941 he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. He stepped down as commander of U-123 on 19 May 1941, handing over command to Kptlt. Reinhard Hardegen, who would also go on to have success aboard her. Moehle became the commander of 5th U-boat Flotilla and was also appointed to command the U-boat base at Kiel from June 1941, a post he held until the end of the war. On 1 March 1943 he was promoted to Korvettenkapitän.[1]

Post war

After the surrender of Germany, Moehle was arrested. He was tried in late 1946 for passing on the Laconia Order to the U-boat commanders under his command. He was found guilty and sentenced to five years imprisonment, but was released in November 1949. Little is known about his activities after this. Moehle died on 17 November 1996 at the age of 86.[1]

Awards

References

Citations
  1. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Karl-Heinz Moehle". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  2. Busch & Röll 2003, p. 107.
  3. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 313.
  4. Scherzer 2007, p. 547.

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 [The U-Boat War 1939–1945 — The Knight's Cross Bearers of the U-Boat Force from September 1939 to May 1945] (in German). Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn Germany: Verlag E.S. Mittler & Sohn. ISBN 978-3-8132-0515-2.
  • Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
  • 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 [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
  • Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 1, 1. September 1939 bis 31. Dezember 1941 [The Wehrmacht Reports 1939–1945 Volume 1, 1 September 1939 to 31 December 1941] (in German). München, Germany: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 978-3-423-05944-2.
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