Hans-Rudolf Rösing


Hans-Rudolf Rösing was a German U-boat commander in World War II and later served in the Bundesmarine of the Federal Republic of Germany. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, awarded by Nazi Germany to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Early life and pre-war service

Rösing was born on 28 September 1905 in Wilhelmshaven, at the time an exclave of the Province of Hanover, a province of the Kingdom of Prussia. He was the son of Vizeadmiral Bernhard Rösing and his wife Elfriede, née Wünsche. He had three brothers, Wilhelm, Kurt-Wolf and Bernhard, all killed during World War II, and a sister named Elfriede.
He joined the Reichsmarine on 31 March 1924 as a member of "Crew 1924". He underwent basic military training in the 2nd department of the standing ship division of the Baltic Sea in Stralsund. Rösing was then transferred to the , attaining the rank of Seekadett on 1 April 1925. Rösing was then transferred to the training ship Niobe before continuing his training on board . He then underwent a number of cadet training courses at the Naval Academy at Mürwik. These were interrupted by two navigational training cruises on the tender Nordsee and the gunboat . During this training period he advanced in rank to Fähnrich zur See on 1 April 1926.
Rösing then attended more training courses, including a torpedo course, a communication course, both held at Flensburg-Mürwik. He then attended a pathfinder course at Kiel-Wik. He then attended another naval infantry training course with the 2nd department of the standing ship division in Strasund before taking a naval artillery course at Kiel-Wik. Following these land based trainings he was stationed on for 13 months. While stationed on Nymphe he was commissioned as officer and attained the rank Leutnant zur See on 1 October 1928. He then participated in the training course for naval anti-aircraft artillery at Wilhelmshaven before again boarding Nymphe for three weeks.
Rösing was then stationed on before he was appointed company officer with the 2nd department of the standing ship division of the Baltic Sea on 1 November 1929. During this assignment he was promoted to Oberleutnant zur See on 1 April 1930. Germany was forbidden to operate submarines under the Treaty of Versailles and Rösing was one of a small number of chosen personnel who were detached to foreign navies to gain experience in submarines. On 6 February 1931 he was officially assigned to the special task force of the naval command and put on an exchange program with the Swedish Navy. After this special assignment on 10 July 1931 he was transferred back to the 2nd department of the standing ship division. During this posting he also spent one month on board the sailing yacht Asta.
His next assignment placed him on the Admiral's staff at the Baltic Naval Station, while in parallel he attended a technical officers training course at the Naval Academy at Mürwik. Rösing was then transferred to the 1st Schnellboot-Demi-Flotilla where he commanded his first boat, Schnellboot S-15. During this command he attended two more training courses, anti-gas defence and a Spanish language interpreter training vacation. He passed his Spanish interpreter test on 26 October 1932. From 4 November 1932 the end of his assignment with the 1st Schnellboot-Demi-Flotilla on 1 October 1933 he commanded S-3.
After spending two years at the Unterseebootsabwehrschule, Rösing, recently promoted Kapitänleutnant, was given his first submarine command when he commissioned the new. After two years in this small Type IIB coastal submarine, he took command of, a larger Type VIIA ocean-going boat. In 1937 Rösing was given command of another Type IIB,, and assigned to the Torpedoerprobungskommando, responsible for the testing of new torpedo types. After a year in this post he was appointed commander of 5th U-boat Flotilla - Flotille Emsmann - at Kiel.

World War II

July 1939 saw Rösing promoted to Korvettenkapitän. Following a short spell of duty on the staff of the Befehlshaber der U-Boote, Rösing was posted to command 7th U-boat Flotilla at Kiel. This command lasted until 21 May 1940, at which time he took over the Type VIIB boat from her highly successful previous commander, Herbert Schultze. His crew, among others, included the highly experienced 1st Watch Officer Reinhard Suhren, 2nd Watch Officer Otto Ites and chief engineer Erich Zürn. In the course of his two war patrols with U-48, Rösing sank 12 ships totaling over 60,000 tons and led a wolfpack dubbed Rösing's wolfpack. These achievements and earning himself the U-Boat War Badge, Iron Cross First Class and Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
with the Knight's Cross.
Rösing left U-48 in December 1940, and was appointed liaison officer to the Italian submarine force operating out of Bordeaux in occupied France. After some months he was given command of 3rd U-boat Flotilla, but in August 1941 returned to the staff of the Befehlshaber der U-boote. In July 1942, Rösing was appointed as FdU West, with headquarters in both Paris and at Château de Pignerolle near Angers; he was responsible for all boats committed to the Battle of the Atlantic, and thus a great majority of the entire U-boat fleet. In February 1943 he was promoted to Fregattenkapitän, and one month later to Kapitän zur See. He remained as FdU West until autumn 1944, when the Allied liberation of France forced the Kriegsmarine to transfer the remaining boats of 2nd and 7th U-boat flotillas to bases in Norway, Denmark, and northern Germany.

Later life

After the German surrender in May 1945, Rösing spent about a year in British captivity before being released. Serving as a member of the Naval Historical Team he subsequently joined the post-war Navy, and was given command of German naval units operating in the North Sea, and later Military District I, rising to the rank of Konteradmiral. He retired from active service in 1965, having added the Bundesverdienstkreuz to his wartime decorations. He died on 16 December 2004, at the age of 99.

Summary of career

Ships attacked

As commander of Hans-Rudolf Rösing is credited with the sinking of twelve ships for a total of, further damaging one ship of.

DateName of shipNationalityTonnageFate
5 June 1940SS Stancor798Sunk at
7 June 1940SS Frances Massey4,212Sunk at
7 June 1940SS Eros5,888Damaged at
11 June 1940SS Violando N Goulandris2,375Sunk at
19 June 1940MV Tudor6,607Sunk at
19 June 1940SS Baron Loudoun3,164Sunk at
19 June 1940SS British Monarch5,661Sunk at
20 June 1940MV Moerdrecht7,493Sunk at
16 August 1940SS Hedrun2,325Sunk at
19 August 1940SS Ville de Gand7,590Sunk at
24 August 1940SS La Brea6,666Sunk at
25 August 1940SS Empire Merlin5,763Sunk at
25 August 1940MV Athelcrest6,825Sunk at

Awards

Translation notes

Citations