Georg Schewe

Georg Schewe
Born	24 November 1909 Ueckermünde
Died	16 September 1989 (aged 79) Hamburg
Allegiance	Weimar Republic (to 1933)  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Reichsmarine  Kriegsmarine
Years of service	1928–45
Rank	Korvettenkapitän
Unit	SSS Niobe Schnellboot "S-5" U-15
Commands held	U-60 U-105
Battles/wars	World War II Battle of the Atlantic
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Georg Schewe (24 November 1909 – 16 September 1989) was a famous Korvettenkapitän with the Kriegsmarine during World War II. He was also a 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.

Schewe sailed with U-60 and U-105, sinking sixteen ships on ten patrols, for a total of 85.779 tons of Allied shipping of which 71,450 tons on one patrol alone. It was the second most successful patrol of World War II, second only to Günther Hessler's patrol on U-107.

Summary of career

Ships attacked

Date	U-boat	Ship	Nationality	Tonnage	Fate
19 December 1939	U-60	City of Kobe	United Kingdom	4,373	Sunk (Mine)
9 January 1941	U-105	Bassano	United Kingdom	4,843	Sunk
26 January 1941	U-105	Lurigethan	United Kingdom	3,564	Sunk
8 March 1941	U-105	Harmodius	United Kingdom	5,229	Sunk
18 March 1941	U-105	Medjerda	United Kingdom	4,380	Sunk
19 March 1941	U-105	Mandalika	Netherlands	7,750	Sunk
21 March 1941	U-105	Benwyvis	United Kingdom	5,920	Sunk
21 March 1941	U-105	Clan Ogilvy	United Kingdom	5,802	Sunk
21 March 1941	U-105	Jhelum	United Kingdom	4,038	Sunk
5 April 1941	U-105	Ena de Larringa	United Kingdom	5,200	Sunk
6 May 1941	U-105	Oakdene	United Kingdom	4,255	Sunk
13 May 1941	U-105	Benyrackie	United Kingdom	6,434	Sunk
15 May 1941	U-105	Benvenue	United Kingdom	5,920	Sunk
16 May 1941	U-105	Rodney Star	United Kingdom	11,803	Sunk
1 June 1941	U-105	Scottish Monarch	United Kingdom	4,719	Sunk
11 September 1941	U-105	Montana	Panama	1,549	Sunk

Awards

• Wehrmacht Long Service Award 4th Class (2 October 1936)^[1]
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (20 December 1939)^[1]
  • 1st Class (13 June 1940)^[1]
• Sudetenland Medal (20 December 1939)^[1]
• U-boat War Badge (1939) (24 January 1940)^[1]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 23 May 1941 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-105^[2][3]
• Mentioned twice in the Wehrmachtbericht (22 March 1941 and 17 May 1941)

Wehrmachtbericht references

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
Saturday, 22 March 1941	Bei dem Angriff auf den feindlichen Geleitzug an der afrikanischen Westküste haben sich die Unterseeboote unter Führung von Kapitänleutnant Oesten und Kapitänleutnant Schewe besonders ausgezeichnet.[4]	In the attack against the enemy convoy on the African West Coast, the submarines under the command of Captain Lieutenant Oesten and Captain Lieutenant Schewe have particularly excellent.
Saturday, 17 May 1941	Ein Unterseeboot unter Führung von Kapitänleutnant Schewe meldet die Versenkung von fünf britischen Handelsschiffen mit zusammen 33 612 BRT.[5]	A submarine under the command of Captain Lieutenant Schewe reports the sinking of five British merchant ships with a total of 33,612 GRT.

References

Citations

1. Busch & Röll 2003, p. 133.
2. Scherzer 2007, p. 660.
3. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 376.
4. Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 1, p. 452.
5. Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 1, p. 532.

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.
• Kurowski, Franz (1995). Knight's Cross Holders of the U-Boat Service. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 978-0-88740-748-2.
• Range, Clemens (1974). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Kriegsmarine [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Navy]. Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 978-3-87943-355-1.
• 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 Miltaer-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.

External links

• Helgason, Guðmundur. "Georg Schewe". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 September 2014.