Hans-Joachim Förster

Hans-Joachim Förster
Born	20 February 1920 Groß Köris near Teltow
Died	24 February 1945 (aged 25) English Channel
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Kriegsmarine
Years of service	1938–45
Rank	Oberleutnant zur See
Unit	SSS Albert Leo Schlageter cruiser Emden destroyer Z29
Commands held	U-348 U-479 U-480
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Hans-Joachim Förster (20 February 1920 in Groß Köris – 24 February 1945 west of the English Channel) was a German U-boat commander in World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes). He is credited with the sinking of two merchant ships for a total of 12,846 gross register tons (GRT) plus two warships for a total of 1,775 GRT, including the HMCS Alberni and HMS Loyalty. He and the entire crew of U-480 were killed when U-480 was sunk between 18 and 24 February 1945 in a minefield in position 50°22′04″N 01°44′10″W / 50.36778°N 1.73611°W.^[1]

Ranks

• Offiziersanwärter - 1 October 1938
• Seekadett - 1 July 1939
• Fähnrich zur See - 1 December 1939
• Oberfähnrich zur See - 1 August 1940
• Leutnant zur See - 1 April 1941
• Oberleutnant zur See - 1 April 1943

Awards

• Minesweeper War Badge (1 February 1941)^[2]
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (17 February 1942)^[2]
  • 1st Class
• U-boat War Badge (1939) (18 May 1943)^[2]
• German Cross in Gold on 12 September 1944 as Oberleutnant zur See on U-480/5. Unterseebootsflottille^[3]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 18 October 1944 as Oberleutnant zur See and commander of U-480^[4][5]

References

Citations

1. Busch & Röll 2003, p. 485.
2. Busch & Röll 2003, p. 484.
3. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 118.
4. Scherzer 2007, p. 313.
5. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 183.

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.
• Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
• 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.

External links

• Helgason, Guðmundur. "Hans-Joachim Förster". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
• "Hans-Joachim Förster". Lexikon der Wehrmacht (in German). Retrieved 12 July 2013.