Years of service 1933–45
1960–70 | Name Helmut Mohlmann | |
Born 25 June 1913
Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein ( 1913-06-25 ) Died 12 April 1977(1977-04-12) (aged 63)
Prien am Chiemsee, Bavaria Allegiance Nazi Germany (to 1945)
West Germany Service/branch Kriegsmarine
German Navy Rank Korvettenkapitan (Kriegsmarine)
Fregattenkapitan (Bundesmarine) Unit SSS Gorch Fock
cruiser Karlsruhe
tender Nordsee
tender Saar
cruiser Nurnberg
torpedo boat Luchs | ||
Helmut Mohlmann (25 June 1913 – 12 April 1977) was a German U-boat commander 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.
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Career
Mohlmann joined the Kriegsmarine on 1 April 1933 as an Offiziersanwarter ("Officer Candidate") as a member of "Crew 1933" (the incoming class of 1933). He served aboard the light cruiser Nurnberg, rising steadily through the junior officer ranks, and during the first months of the war sailed on patrols on the torpedo boat Luchs as Oberleutnant zur See. In April 1940 he transferred to the U-boat force.
He commanded the training U-boats U-143 and U-52, and was promoted to Kapitanleutnant on 1 April 1941, before commissioning the Type VIIC U-boat U-571 in May.
Mohlmann made eight war patrols in U-571, in the Atlantic and the Arctic Sea, sinking seven ships totalling 47,169 tons and damaging one of 11,394 tons. Especially successful was his fourth patrol in March–May 1942, in which during a single week he sank two ships of more than 10,000 tons. He left the U-boat in May 1943, and after a course at the Naval Academy at Berlin he served as a staff officer on the BdU in the Waffenabteilung ("Armaments Department").
In December 1944 Mohlmann was appointed commander of 14th U-boat Flotilla at Narvik, Norway, remaining there until the end of the war. He was promoted to Korvettenkapitan (corvette captain) on 1 April 1945. After the surrender he spent more than four months in captivity.
Mohlmann rejoined the military service of the post World War II Bundeswehr of the Federal Republic of Germany. He entered the Bundesmarine on 1 July 1960 holding the rank of Fregattenkapitan (frigate captain). He served as military attache at the German Embassy in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil from 24 August 1965 to 24 November 1969. His last service position was Wehrbereichskommandant VI in Munich before retiring on 31 March 1970.