| Born | 25 Feb 1922 | Memel | |
| Died | 30 Mar 1944 | (22) | Mediterranean |
|
Ranks
Decorations |
U-boat Commands
| U-boat | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|
| U-37 | 20 Nov 1943 | 8 Jan 1944 | No war patrols |
| U-223 | 12 Jan 1944 | 30 Mar 1944 (+) | 2 patrols (40 days) |
Oblt. Peter Gerlach was one of the youngest U-boat commanders during WWII when he left for his patrol with U-223 from Toulon, France on 19 Jan 1944. He was 21 years old at the time (Busch & Röll, 1999). He brought his boat back to base 25 days later. Peter Gerlach was lost on his second patrol with the boat on 30 Mar 1944, there were 23 dead, including Peter Gerlach, and 27 survivors. (Niestlé, 1998).
Sources
Busch, R. and Röll, H-J. (1999). German U-boat commanders of World War II.
Busch, R. and Röll, H-J. (1997). Der U-Bootkrieg 1939-1945 (Band 2).
Niestlé, A. (1998). German U-boat losses during World War II.
Patrol info for Peter Gerlach
| U-boat | Departure | Arrival | ||||||
| 1. | U-223 | 19 Jan 1944 | Toulon | 12 Feb 1944 | Toulon | Patrol 1, | 25 days | |
| 2. | U-223 | 16 Mar 1944 | Toulon | 30 Mar 1944 | Sunk | Patrol 2, | 15 days | |
| 2 patrols, 40 days at sea | ||||||||
Ships hit by Peter Gerlach
| Date | U-boat | Name of ship | Tons | Nat. | Convoy | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Mar 1944 | U-223 |  | HMS Laforey (G 99) | 1,935 |  | br | |
| 1,935 | |||||||
1 ship sunk (1,935 tons). Legend | |||||||
About ranks and decorations
Ranks shown in italics are our database inserts based on the rank dates of his crew comrades. The officers of each crew would normally have progressed through the lower ranks at the same rate.
Media links
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