Rudolf Mühlbauer
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Rudolf Mühlbauer | |
|---|---|
| File:Rudolf Mühlbauer.jpg | |
| Born | 23 March 1919 Königsbrück, Saxony, Germany |
| Died | 26 March 2000 (aged 81) Laußnitz, Saxony, Germany |
| Allegiance |  Nazi Germany |
| Service |  Kriegsmarine |
| Years of service | 1939–45 |
| Rank | Oberbootsmannsmaat |
| Unit | Template:GSU-123 Template:GSU-170 |
| Battles / wars | World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Rudolf Mühlbauer (23 March 1919 – 26 March 2000) was a Oberbootsmannsmaat in World War II and 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.
Early life
Mühlbauer was born in Königsbrück, Saxony, Germany. In 1925, his mother and his step-father, who part-owned a quarry, moved to nearby Laußnitz. There Mühlbauer went to elementary school before starting an apprenticeship in his father's business in 1933. After compulsory service in the Reichsarbeitsdienst, he volunteered for service in the Kriegsmarine in April 1939. After basic training in Glückstadt, he received training as a ship's cook on submarines in Neustadt in Holstein.
War service
In early 1940 he formed part of the crew for U-123, to be commissioned 30 May 1940. After two war patrols under the command of Kapitänleutnant Karl-Heinz Moehle, Mühlbauer was awarded the Iron Cross, 2nd class, and the U-Boat Front Clasp on 11 December 1940. Under Kptlt. Reinhard Hardegen, U-123 participated in Operation Drumbeat off the US east coast in 1942. During this time, Mühlbauer received promotion to Matrosenobergefreiter and was presented the Iron Cross, 1st class by Grand Admiral Raeder upon return to Lorient in May 1942. Promoted to Bootsmannsmaat, Mühlbauer attended a training course for gun captains in Swinemünde from September 1942, before joining the crew intended for U-170, still under construction in Bremen, in January 1943. After commissioning, U-170, Kptlt. Günther Pfeffer commanding, underwent work-up training in the Baltic Sea before starting her first war patrol in the Mid-Atlantic in May 1943. Mühlbauer rose to rank of Oberbootsmann, and after the last patrol of U-170, Oberleutnant zur See Hans-Gerold Hauber commanding, was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 10 December 1944 along with the U-boat Front Clasp in Silver.[1] The presentation by Admiral Hans-Georg von Friedeburg took place in Kiel on 18 December 1944.
For the rest of the war, U-170 remained in the Baltic until surrendering to British forces in Horten in May 1945. Mühlbauer, along with most of the crew, became a prisoner-of-war until his release in July 1945.
Mühlbauer had spent 822 days at sea, during which time 309,500 gross register tons (GRT) of Allied shipping had been sunk by the U-boats he served in as look-out. He was the only non-commissioned officer of the U-boat arm to be presented the Knight's Cross.
Later life
Mühlbauer retired to Flensburg in 1987, but return to Laußnitz after German re-unification in 1990, where he died, a day before his 81st birthday, in 2000.
Awards
- Iron Cross (1939)
- U-boat War Badge (1939) (11 December 1940)[1]
- U-boat Front Clasp in Silver[1]
- German Cross in Gold on 10 January 1944 as Bootsmannsmaat on U-170 in the 10. Unterseeboots-Flottille[2]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 10 December 1944 as Oberbootsmannsmaat and Brückenmaat on U-123[3]
References
Citations
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}}: 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}}: 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}}: 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.
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External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "Rudolf Mühlbauer". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
- Hoffmann, Markus. "Rudolf Mühlbauer". Deutsche U-Boote 1935 - 1945 - U-Boot-Archiv.de. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
