Reinhart Reche

Reinhart Reche
Born	13 December 1915 Kreuzburg
Died	3 March 1993 (aged 77) Bad Godesberg
Allegiance	Nazi Germany (to 1945)  West Germany
Service/branch	Kriegsmarine  German Navy
Years of service	1934–45 1956–74
Rank	Kapitänleutnant (Kriegsmarine) Kapitän zur See (Bundesmarine)
Unit	SSS Gorch Fock cruiser Emden Schlesien SSS Horst Wessel U-751
Commands held	U-255
Battles/wars	World War II Operation Wunderland
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Reinhart Reche (13 December 1915 in Kreuzburg – 3 March 1993 in Bad Godesberg) was a German U-boat commander in World War II and 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. Prior to taking command of U-255, Reche served as first watch officer on U-751 (31 January 1941 – 30 September 1941), at the time under the command of Gerhard Bigalk. He was credited with sinking four ships from convoy PQ 17.

Summary of career

Ships attacked

As a commander of U-255 Reche sank 9 commercial ships for 47,229 GRT, and damaged another commercial ship for a total loss of 7,191 GRT.^[1]

Date[1]	Ship[1]	Nationality[1]	Tonnage[1]	Fate and location[1]
6 July 1942	John Witherspoon	United States	7,191	Sunk at 72°05′N 40°30′E / 72.083°N 40.500°E
7 July 1942	Alcoa Ranger	United States	5,116	Sunk at 71°38′N 49°35′E / 71.633°N 49.583°E
8 July 1942	Olopana	United States	6,069	Sunk at 72°10′N 51°00′E / 72.167°N 51.000°E
13 July 1942	Paulus Potter	Netherlands	7,168	Sunk at 70°00′N 52°00′E / 70.000°N 52.000°E
20 September 1942	Silver Sword	United States	4,937	Sunk at 75°52′N 00°20′W / 75.867°N 0.333°W
26 January 1943	Krasnyj Partizan	Soviet Union	2,418	Sunk at 73°45′N 17°30′E / 73.750°N 17.500°E
29 January 1943	Ufa	Soviet Union	1,892	Sunk at 73°40′N 24°30′E / 73.667°N 24.500°E
3 February 1943	Greylock	United States	7,460	Sunk at 70°52′N 00°21′W / 70.867°N 0.350°W
5 March 1943	Executive	United States	4,978	Sunk at 72°44′N 11°27′E / 72.733°N 11.450°E
10 March 1943	Richard Bland	United States	7,191	Total loss at 66°53′N 14°10′W / 66.883°N 14.167°W

Awards

• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (7 July 1941)^[2]
  • 1st Class (23 July 1942)^[2]
• U-boat War Badge (1939) (9 September 1941)^[2]
• U-boat Front Clasp (2 November 1944)^[3]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 17 March 1943 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-255^[4][5]
• Cross of Merit on Ribbon (27 August 1973)^[3]

References

Citations

1. Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWII U-boat successes: Ships hit by U-255". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
2. Busch & Röll 2003, p. 322.
3. Busch & Röll 2003, p. 323.
4. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 351.
5. Scherzer 2007, p. 615.

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.

External links

• Helgason, Guðmundur. "Reinhart Reche". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 4 May 2014.