Wirich von Gartzen

Wirich von Gartzen
Born (1909-08-20)20 August 1909
Gut Daudiek at the Lower Elbe
Died 4 December 1993(1993-12-04) (aged 84)
Kochel
Allegiance  Weimar Republic (to 1933)
 Nazi Germany
Service/branch  Reichsmarine
 Kriegsmarine
Years of service 1933–45
Rank Korvettenkapitän
Unit SSS Niobe
Königsberg
cruiser Nürnberg
destroyer Z18 Hans Lüdemann, Z29
Commands held Torpedoboot T-25
10. Torpedobootflottille
Battles/wars

World War II

Awards Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Wirich Giselbert Bruno von Gartzen (20 August 1909 – 4 December 1993) was a Korvettenkapitän with the Kriegsmarine during World War II and a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Von Gartzen took command of torpedo boat T-25 on 15 April 1943.[1]

A sketch from Z27 of T-25 and T-26 being shelled during the battle (National Maritime Museum of Ireland)

Von Gartzen was part of a 4. Torpedo Boat Flotilla, under the command of Franz Kohlauf, task force consisting of five torpedo boats T-23, T-26, T-27, T-22 and T-25 in a night battle on 22/23 October 1943 in which the Germans sunk the British cruiser Charybdis and escort destroyer Limbourne.

On 28 December 1943, Von Gartzen as commander of T-25 fought in the Battle of the Bay of Biscay. The battle, which was fought as part of the Allied Operation Stonewall, intercepted the German blockade runners off the west coast of France. In the confused action that followed the two British cruisers HMS Enterprise and HMS Glasgow respectively sank T-26, together with her sister ship T-25 and the destroyer Z27. On 29 December, U-505 rescued 35 survivors, including Von Gartzen.[1]

Awards

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 Dörr 1995, p. 195.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Dörr 1995, p. 196.
  3. ↑ Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 130.
  4. ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 191.
  5. ↑ Scherzer 2007, p. 327.

Bibliography

  • Dörr, Manfred (1995). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Überwasserstreitkräfte der Kriegsmarine—Band 1: A–K [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Surface Forces of the Navy—Volume 1: A–K] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2453-2. 
  • 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. 
  • 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. 
  • Savas, Theodore P. (2004). Hunt and Kill. New York: Savas Beatie. ISBN 978-1-61121-001-9. 
  • 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. 
Works
  • Von Gartzen, Wirich (1990) [1982]. Die Flottille. Außergewöhnlicher Seekrieg deutscher Mittelmeer-Torpedoboote [The Flotilla. Exceptional Sea War of German Mediterranean Torpedo-Boats]. Herford, Germany: Koehlers Verlagsgesellschaft. ISBN 978-3-7822-0261-9. 

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