Herbert Wolfart “Persifal” ( German: Herbert Wohlfarth ; June 5, 1915 , Kanazawa , Japan - August 13, 1982 , Villingen ) - German submarine officer, captain-lieutenant (October 1, 1940), participant of the Second World War II.
| Herbert Wolfart | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | Persifal | |||
| Date of Birth | June 5, 1915 | |||
| Place of Birth | Kanazawa , Japan | |||
| Date of death | August 13, 1982 (67 years old) | |||
| Place of death | Villingen | |||
| Affiliation |  Third Reich | |||
| Type of army |  Kriegsmarine | |||
| Years of service | 1934-1941 | |||
| Rank | lieutenant commander | |||
| Commanded | U-14 , U-137 , U-556 | |||
| Battles / wars | The Second World War | |||
| Awards and prizes |
| |||
Content
Biography
July 1, 1934 entered the fleet by fenrich . October 1, 1936 promoted to lieutenant. He served on the battleship " Admiral Count Spee ." In May 1937 he was transferred to the submarine fleet. He served as an adjutant of the 3rd Flotilla , and in September 1938 he became a watch officer in the U-16 submarine.
World War II
On October 19, 1939 he was appointed commander of the U-14 submarine, on which he made 4 campaigns (having spent a total of 61 days at sea).
In the first 3 trips to the shores of Scotland and Norway, Wolfart sank 9 small ships.
From June 15 to December 14, 1940 the commander of a small submarine U-137 (Type II-B). On it, he made 3 trips (38 days at sea). Operating south of Hebrides, Wolfart sank 7 ships (total displacement of 25,465 gigabytes ) and severely damaged the auxiliary cruiser Cheshire (10,552 gigabytes).
February 6, 1941 Wolfart took command of the submarine U-556 (Type VII-C). In his first expedition to the Atlantic, he sank 4 ships (with a total displacement of 18,583 gross tons) and damaged 2 more.
May 15, 1941 was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
On May 26, by order, at the point where the English ships hunted for the Bismarck, he could not help him because of the lack of torpedoes fired on the previous days.
In the submarine fleet he received the nickname "Persifal."
Nine days after the start of the 2nd campaign, on June 27, 1941, Wolfart's submarine was attacked southwest of Iceland by the British Nestartium, Kylendayn and Gladiolus corvettes. The boat was seriously damaged, and Wolfart ordered surrender.
In total, during the hostilities, Wolfart sank 21 vessels with a total displacement of 66,032 bt. and damaged 3 vessels with a displacement of 20,455 gross.
Contained in various British and Canadian camps. In July 1947, released.
Rewards
- 2nd Class Iron Cross (October 6, 1939)
- Breastplate of the Submariner (December 20, 1939)
- Class 1 Iron Cross (October 1, 1940)
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (May 15, 1941)