Wilhelm Dommes Explained

Wilhelm Dommes
Birth Date:	16 April 1907
Birth Place:	Berent District, West Prussia, German Empire
Death Place:	Hannover, Lower Saxony, West Germany
Serviceyears:	1933–45
Rank:	Fregattenkapitän
Commands:	Southeast Asia U-boat region
Awards:	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Wilhelm Dommes (16 April 1907 in Berent District, West Prussia – 23 January 1990 in Hannover) was a German U-boat commander in World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. He was the commander of U-boats in the Indian Ocean,^[1] whereby German and Japanese forces fought together in the only time in the war. Dommes was the first commander of the U-boat base, in the former British seaplane base in Penang,^[2] where he served as head of the Southeast Asia U-boat region.

Awards

• Wehrmacht Long Service Award 3rd Class (23 January 1937)^[3]
• The Return of Sudetenland Commemorative Medal of 1 October 1938 (6 September 1940)^[3]
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (29 November 1939)^[3]
  • 1st Class (10 February 1942)^[3]
• U-boat War Badge (1939) (10 February 1942)^[3]
• Medaglia di bronzo al Valore Militare (27 July 1942)^[3]
• Medaglia d'Argento al Valor Militare (29 May 1943)^[4]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 2 December 1942 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-431^{[5] [6]}
• War Merit Cross with Swords
  • 2nd Class (30 January 1945)^[4]
  • 1st Class (20 April 1945)^[4]
• U-boat Front Clasp (5 March 1945)^[4]

References

• Book: 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 . German . Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn Germany . Verlag E.S. Mittler & Sohn . 978-3-8132-0515-2.
• Book: Fellgiebel , Walther-Peer . Walther-Peer Fellgiebel

. Walther-Peer Fellgiebel . 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 . German . Friedberg, Germany . Podzun-Pallas . 978-3-7909-0284-6.

• Web site: Helgason . Guðmundur . German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net . Wilhelm Dommes . 12 October 2013 .
• Web site: Klemen . L . 2000 . Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942 . 2021-03-30 . 2011-07-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110726053035/http://www.dutcheastindies.webs.com/index.html . dead .
• Book: 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 . German . Jena, Germany . Scherzers Militaer-Verlag . 978-3-938845-17-2.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Klemen . L . The U-Boat War in the Indian Ocean . 1999–2000 . Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941-1942.
2. Hildebrand H. & Henriot E., Deutschlands Admirale 1849-1945, Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück (1989)
3. Busch & Röll 2003, p. 283.
4. Busch & Röll 2003, p. 284.
5. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 164.
6. Scherzer 2007, p. 278.