Nickname(s) "Dwarf" Other name "Dwarf" | Years of service 1933–45, 1955–72 | |
 | ||
Born 3 January 1914
Fürth ( 1914-01-03 ) Allegiance Nazi Germany (to 1945)
West Germany Service/branch Kriegsmarine
German Navy Commands held U-120
U-126
27th U-boat Flotilla
26th U-boat Flotilla Awards Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Order of Merit Died 12 March 1988, Westerland, Germany Award Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Rank Corvette captain (Kriegsmarine), Captain at sea (Bundesmarine) | ||
Ernst Bauer (3 January 1914 – 12 March 1988) was a German naval officer and an U-boat commander in World War II. He commanded the U-boats U-120 and U-126, sinking 25 ships on five patrols, for a total of 118,560 gross register tons (GRT) of Allied shipping, to stand 22nd on the list of highest scoring U-Boat aces of World War II. He was also a 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.
Contents
Career
Bauer joined the Reichsmarine on 23 September 1933. He served on the light cruiser Königsberg before transferring to the U-boat arm in 1938. He served as watch officer on U-20 and U-37 before commanding the training U-boat U-120 from April 1940. On 1 March 1941, he was given command of U-126, and conducted 5 combat patrols, sinking 25 merchant ships for a total of 118,560 long tons (120,460 t).
On 22 November, Bauer was aboard the auxiliary cruiser Atlantis in the south Atlantic, when she was sunk by the British heavy cruiser HMS Devonshire. U-126 crash-dived, leaving her captain behind, and after Devonshire left the area, she resurfaced to pick up survivors.
From March 1943, Bauer served as training officer in 27th U-boat Flotilla based at Gotenhafen, becoming commander of the unit in October 1944. During the last month of the war, he was transferred to command of 26th U-boat Flotilla at Warnemünde.
Bauer joined the Bundesmarine in 1955 and held several staff positions, before retiring in 1972 with the rank of Kapitän zur See. He died in 1988.