Robert Gysae


Robert Karl Friedrich Gysae was a German U-boat commander in the Kriegsmarine during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves of Nazi Germany. Gysae commanded and, being credited with sinking twenty-five ships on eight patrols, for a total of of Allied shipping.

Career

Gysae joined the Reichsmarine in 1931 and served on torpedo boats before transferring to the U-Bootwaffe in April 1940. In October 1940 he was appointed commander of the Type VIIC U-boat U-98, unusually without serving any time as either 1.WO or Kommandantenschüler on any other U-boats. After six patrols in the north Atlantic in command of U-98, in March 1942 he transferred to the Type IXD2 U-boat U-177 for another two patrols, this time operating off South Africa and Portuguese East Africa. He sank a total of 25 ships, including the armed merchant cruiser.
On 28 November 1942 off the coast of Natal Province, Gysae sank the 6,796 ton British troop ship with three torpedoes. She was carrying 780 Italians; a mixture of prisoners of war and civilian internees. Gysae rescued two survivors to identify the ship, who turned out to be Italian merchant sailors. Mindful of the Laconia Order issued two months previously, Gysae radioed the BdU, who ordered him to continue his patrol. The BdU notified the Portuguese authorities, who sent the frigate NRP Afonso de Albuquerque from Lourenço Marques to help. Of 1,052 people from the Nova Scotia only 194 survived: 192 rescued by the frigate and two others in subsequent days. 858 were killed, including 650 Italians.
In January 1944 he became commander of 25th U-boat Flotilla, a training flotilla based at Gotenhafen. In April 1945, during the last month of the war, Gysae commanded the Marinepanzerjagd-Regiment 1, a naval anti-tank regiment. After the war he served in the German Mine Sweeping Administration for more than two years. In 1956 he joined the Bundesmarine, serving for four years as naval attaché in the United States, and then three years as commander of Marinedivision Nordsee with the rank of Flottillenadmiral before retiring in 1970. He died in 1989 aged 78.

Summary of career

Ships attacked

During his career Gysae sunk 24 commercial ships for, one auxiliary warship of, and damaged one ship for.

DateU-BoatName of ShipNationalityTonnageFate
27 March 1941Koranton6,695Sunk at
4 April 1941Helle2,467Sunk at
4 April 1941Welcombe5,122Sunk at
9 April 1941Prins Willem II1,304Sunk at
13 May 1941HMS Salopian10,549Sunk at
20 May 1941Rothermere5,356Sunk at
21 May 1941Marconi7,402Sunk at
9 July 1941Designer5,945Sunk at
9 July 1941Inverness4,897Sunk at
16 September 1941Jedmoor4,392Sunk at
15 February 1942Biela5,298Sunk at
2 November 1942Aegeus4,538Sunk at
9 November 1942Cerion2,588Damaged at
19 November 1942Scottish Chief7,006Sunk at
20 November 1942Pierce Butler7,191Sunk at
28 November 19426,796Sunk at
30 November 1942Llandaff Castle10,799Sunk at
7 December 1942Saronikos3,548Sunk at
12 December 19426,408Sunk at
14 December 1942Sawahloento3,085Sunk at
28 May 1943Agwimonte6,679Sunk at
28 May 1943Storaas7,886Sunk at
6 July 1943Jasper Park7,129Sunk at
10 July 1943Alice F. Palmer7,176Sunk at
29 July 1943Cornish City4,952Sunk at
5 August 1943Efthalia Mari4,195Sunk at

Awards