Gerhard Bielig
Gerhard Bielig | |
|---|---|
| File:Gerhard Bielig.jpg | |
| Born | 28 April 1916 Berlin |
| Died | 29 September 2004 (aged 88) Neuss |
| Allegiance |  Weimar Republic Nazi Germany |
| Service/ |  Reichsmarine Kriegsmarine |
| Years of service | 1934–45 |
| Rank | Kapitänleutnant (Ing.) |
| Unit | cruiser Emden cruiser Königsberg U-20, U-103 and U-177 |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Gerhard Bielig (28 April 1916 – 29 September 2004) was a German U-boat engineer (Ing.) 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.
Military career
Gerhard Bielig joined the Reichsmarine as a Seekadett on 26 September 1934.[Note 1] He was promoted to Fähnrich (Ing.) on 1 July 1935 and to Oberfähnrich (Ing.) on 1 January 1937. Bielig was transferred to the U-boat service in October 1937. Now a Leutnant (Ing.), he was posted to U-20 as chief engineer (German language: Leitender Ingenieur - LI). Bielig participated on eight patrols onboard of U-20. Oberleutnant (Ing.) Bielig left U-20 in March 1940 and was assigned to U-103 as chief engineer in July 1940. He went on five patrols with this U-boat. He left the boat as Kapitänleutnant (Ing.) in December 1941 only to be transferred to U-177 in March 1942. U-177 at the time was under command of Robert Gysae. Here he was bestowed with the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 10 February 1943 after he saved the U-boat from severe depth charging. After two combat patrols he left U-177 in October 1943 again and became an instructor at the 2. Unterseeboots-Lehr-Division.
On 16 November 1944 he married Marianne Bastian. The marriage produced two sons, Detlef born 1948 and Frank born 1949.[1]
Summary of career
Awards
- Iron Cross (1939)
- U-boat War Badge (1939) (17 October 1939)[2]
- German Cross in Gold on 9 December 1941 as Oberleutnant (Ing.) on U-103/29. Unterseeboots-Flottille[3]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 10 February 1943 as Kapitänleutnant (Ing.) and chief engineer on U-177[4][5]
- U-Boat Front Clasp in Bronze (10 October 1944)[2]
Promotions
| 1 April 1937: | Leutnant (Ing.) (Second Lieutenant)[2] |
| 1 April 1939: | Oberleutnant (Ing.) (First Lieutenant)[2] |
Notes
- ^ The German Reichsmarine which was renamed the Kriegsmarine on 1 June 1935.
References
Citations
- ^ "Gerhard Bielig". Kriegsmarine Crew 34 (in German). Retrieved 9 June 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f Busch & Röll 2003, p. 318.
- ^ Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 42.
- ^ Scherzer 2007, p. 221.
- ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 132.
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 (in German). Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn Germany: Verlag E.S. Mittler & Sohn. ISBN 978-3-8132-0515-2.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help); Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help) - Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help); Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help) - Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help); Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help) - 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 (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help); Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help)
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "Gerhard Bielig". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
- "Gerhard Bielig". Lexikon der Wehrmacht. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
