Wilhelm Dommes

Wilhelm Dommes
Born	(1907-04-16)16 April 1907 Berent District, West Prussia, German Empire
Died	23 January 1990(1990-01-23) (aged 82) Hannover, Lower Saxony, West Germany
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service / branch	Kriegsmarine
Years of service	1933–45
Rank	Fregattenkapitän
Commands	U-431 U-178 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, 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, where he served as head of the Southeast Asia U-boat region.

Awards

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

References

• 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.
• Helgason, Guðmundur. "Wilhelm Dommes". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
• L, Klemen (2000). "Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942".
• 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.