Ernst Mengersen

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Ernst Mengersen (born June 30, 1912 in Bremke ; † November 6, 1995 in Dortmund ) was a German naval officer in the Reichsmarine and the Kriegsmarine , most recently in the rank of corvette captain .

Education and pre-war years

Mengersen joined the Reichsmarine on April 1, 1933 as a sea ​​officer candidate and was assigned to the 4th Company of the 2nd Ship Mastery Department of the Baltic Sea in Stralsund . There he got his basic infantry training. He then completed his on-board training from June 30, 1933 to June 27, 1934 on the sailing training ship Gorch Fock and the light cruiser Karlsruhe , where he was appointed midshipman on September 23, 1933 . Mengersen then attended the ensign's main course at the Mürwik Naval School from late June 1934 to April 1935 , where he was promoted to ensign at sea on July 1, 1934 . He had already completed his navigation instruction drives on the tenders North Sea and Saar . Mengersen then completed various ensign courses by November 28, 1935, after which he completed his practical on-board training on board the Schleswig-Holstein . It was here that on April 1, 1936, he was appointed senior midshipman for the sea . On September 21, 1936, he moved to the Saar tender , where he was appointed lieutenant at sea on October 1, 1936 after completing another course . From December 24, 1936 to October 13, 1937, Mengersen worked on the tender as first watch and radio officer.

On October 14, 1937, Mengersen moved to the armored ship Admiral Scheer as adjutant , signaling and listening officer . With him Mengersen was involved in security tasks in Spanish territorial waters in the course of the Spanish Civil War . During his service there, he was promoted to lieutenant at sea on June 1, 1938 . On October 28, 1938, Mengersen was released from his on-board command and was appointed adjutant in the 6th torpedo boat flotilla, where he was also the III. Officer on watch of the torpedo boat Tiger acted. He held this position until April 2, 1939. He then switched to submarine weapons, which he was able to complete before the outbreak of war in July 1939. From July 16, 1939, he was temporarily second officer on watch on U 33 .

Second World War

Patrols

U 18

  1. January 18, 1940 to January 26, 1940 (1 ship with 1,000 GRT sunk)
  2. February 11, 1940 to February 24, 1940

U 101

  1. November 24, 1940 to December 7, 1940 (4 ships with 22,483 GRT sunk)
  2. January 23, 1941 to February 19, 1941 (2 ships with 10,699 GRT sunk, including the SS Gairsoppa with 200 tons of silver)
  3. March 24, 1941 to May 2, 1941
  4. May 28, 1941 to July 4, 1941 (2 ships with 11,644 GRT sunk)
  5. August 7, 1941 to September 4, 1941
  6. October 4, 1941 to November 16, 1941 (1 destroyer with 1,190 ts sunk)

U 607

  1. July 13, 1942 to August 16, 1942 (1 ship with 7,167 GRT sunk)
  2. September 8, 1942 to October 23, 1942 (1 ship with 6,942 GRT sunk)
  3. January 2, 1943 to March 9, 1943 (1 ship with 11,355 GRT sunk)

Mengersen was released from this post on July 31, 1939 and assigned to the sub-tender Erwin Wassner from September 6 to 11 . On September 12, 1939, he became the first officer on watch on U 54 . From October 14, 1939 to September 2, 1940, he was a commandant's student and during this training he was also the commander of the training boat U 18 , whose command he took over on December 10, 1939. With it Mengersen was able to sink a ship with 1,000 GRT on two patrols. On September 3, 1940 he was delegated to the building instruction for the training boat U 143 , of which Mengersen became commander on September 18, 1940. It was here that on October 1, 1940, he was appointed lieutenant captain . However , Mengersen never ran out of patrol with U 143 . On November 3, 1940 he was in command of U 101 and remained so until December 31, 1941. During this time he ran out with U 101 on six patrols, in the course of which he took eight ships with 46,016 GRT and the destroyer Broadwater with 1,190 ts could sink. For this he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on November 18, 1941. It was the 38th holder of this award within the submarine weapon .

On January 1, 1942, another delegation took place to give construction instruction for the U 607 , which is about to be completed in Hamburg , and Mengersen was appointed its commander on January 29, 1942. With U 607 Mengersen ran out to three patrols, where he was able to sink three ships with 25,464 GRT. On April 18, 1943, he finally gave up command and on June 1, 1943, he became head of flight training for the 27th U-Flotilla and, just a few weeks later, on June 15, 1943, he was the flotilla commander of the 20th U-Flotilla in Pillau . Mengersen held this position until February 24, 1945. From February 25 to March 31, 1945 he was a temporary tactics instructor on the staff of the 25th U-Flotilla in Travemünde . From April 1 to May 8, 1945 he acted as the flotilla chief of the 15th U-Flotilla in Kristiansand , where he was captured by the British on May 9, 1945. He was released on February 20, 1946 and returned to Germany.

Mentioned in the Wehrmacht report of December 3, 1940

On December 3, 1940, the Wehrmacht report reported : “On December 2, submarines attacked and blew up a large convoy destined for England with particular success. In spite of the strongest security by cruisers and destroyers and immediate strong defense, 15 ships with over 110,000 GRT and the British auxiliary cruiser "Caledonia" of 17046 GRT belonging to the security of the convoy were shot out of the convoy and sunk. The sinking of two more ships in the convoy, which together totaled 15,000 GRT, is likely. The submarine under the command of Lieutenant Mengersen played a leading role in this success. "

Awards

literature

  • Rainer Busch and Hans-Joachim Röll: The U-Boat War 1939–1945: The knight's cross bearers of the U-boat weapon from September 1939 to May 1945. Mittler and Son, 2003, ISBN 3-8132-0515-0 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The reports of the High Command of the Wehrmacht . Volume I September 1, 1939 to December 31, 1940, Cologne 2004. ISBN 3-89340-063-X . P. 332.
personal data
SURNAME Mengersen, Ernst
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German officer, most recently corvette captain
DATE OF BIRTH June 30, 1912
PLACE OF BIRTH Bremke (Extertal)
DATE OF DEATH November 6, 1995
Place of death Dortmund