Georg Lassen

Korvettenkapitän (Crew 35)


Successes
26 ships sunk, total tonnage 156,082 GRT
5 ships damaged, total tonnage 34,419 GRT

Born  12 May 1915 Berlin-Steglitz
Died  18 Jan 2012(96)Calviá, Mallorca, Spain


Korvettenkapitän Georg Lassen wearing his Knights Cross.

Ranks

5 Apr 1935 Offiziersanwärter
25 Sep 1935 Seekadett
1 Jul 1936 Fähnrich zur See
1 Jan 1938 Oberfähnrich zur See
1 Apr 1938 Leutnant zur See
1 Oct 1939 Oberleutnant zur See
1 Sep 1942 Kapitänleutnant
1 Apr 1945 Korvettenkapitän

Decorations

26 Sep 1939 Iron Cross 2nd Class
18 Jul 1940 Iron Cross 1st Class
18 Jul 1940 U-boat War Badge 1939
10 Aug 1942 Knights Cross
7 Mar 1943 Knights Cross with Oak Leaves
22 Oct 1944 U-boat War Badge with Diamonds

U-boat Commands

U-boatFromTo
U-29 3 Jan 1941 14 Sep 1941   No war patrols 
U-160 16 Oct 1941 14 Jun 1943   4 patrols (328 days) 

For more than a year Georg Lassen was I WO on the very successful U-29 under Kptlt. Otto Schuhart. They sank 12 ships with a total of 80,688 tons as well as the aircraft carrier HMS Courageous. From January to September 1941, Kptlt. Lassen was the commander of U-29, which at this time was a training boat in the 24th (Training) Flotilla U-boat flotilla.

On 16 October 1941 Lassen commissioned the type IXC U-boat U-160, and on his first patrol as commander in March/April 1942 he sank or damaged six ships with a total of 43,560 tons. Also outstanding was his last patrol, in South African waters, where on 3/4 March, 1943 he sank or damaged six ships in less than five hours with a total of 41,076 tons. Three days later he received the Oak Leaves to his Knights Cross.

On 9 March, 1943 the daily Wehrmachtsbericht announced:

Der Oberste Befehlshaber verlieh dem Kapitänleutnant Georg Lassen als 208. Soldaten der deutschen Wehrmacht das Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz. Kapitänleutnant Lassen hat auf 4 Feindfahrten 31 Schiffe mit 212,544 BRT versenkt. Zwei weitere Schiffe wurden von ihm torpediert. Siebzehn Schiffe mit 101,860 BRT schoß er aus stark gesicherten Geleitzügen heraus.

Georg Lassen then became a tactics instructor and the chief of the "Offiziers-kompanie" in the 1st ULD (U-Boot-Lehrdivision, training division).

Georg Lassen died at Calviá, Mallorca, Spain on 18 Jan 2012 after an illness. He was 96 years old. His ashes were scattered in Santa Ponça Bay, with the ashes of his wife.

Sources

Busch, R. and Röll, H-J. (1998). German U-boat commanders of World War II.
Busch, R. and Röll, H-J. (1997). Der U-Bootkrieg 1939-1945 (Band 2).
Rohwer, J. (1998). Axis Submarine Successes of World War Two.

Patrol info for Georg Lassen

 U-boat Departure Arrival  
1. U-160 24 Feb 1942  Wilhelmshaven  24 Feb 1942  Helgoland   1 days
2. U-160 1 Mar 1942  Helgoland  28 Apr 1942  Lorient  Patrol 1,59 days
3. U-160 20 Jun 1942  Lorient  24 Aug 1942  Lorient  Patrol 2,66 days
4. U-160 23 Sep 1942  Lorient  9 Dec 1942  Lorient  Patrol 3,78 days
5. U-160 6 Jan 1943  Lorient  10 May 1943  Bordeaux  Patrol 4,125 days
4 patrols, 328 days at sea

Ships hit by Georg Lassen

Date U-boat Commander Name of ship Tons Nat. Convoy
27 Mar 1942U-160Georg Lassen Equipoise6,210pa
29 Mar 1942U-160Georg Lassen City of New York8,272am
1 Apr 1942U-160Georg Lassen Rio Blanco4,086br
6 Apr 1942U-160Georg Lassen Bidwell (d.)6,837am
9 Apr 1942U-160Georg Lassen Malchace3,516am
11 Apr 1942U-160Georg Lassen Ulysses14,647br
16 Jul 1942U-160Georg Lassen Beaconlight6,926pa
18 Jul 1942U-160Georg Lassen Carmona5,496pa
21 Jul 1942U-160Georg Lassen Donovania8,149br
25 Jul 1942U-160Georg Lassen Telamon2,078nl
29 Jul 1942U-160Georg Lassen Prescodoc1,938ca
2 Aug 1942U-160Georg Lassen Treminnard4,694br
4 Aug 1942U-160Georg Lassen Havsten (d.)6,161nw
16 Oct 1942U-160Georg Lassen Castle Harbour730brTRIN-19
16 Oct 1942U-160Georg Lassen Winona (d.)6,197amTRIN-19
3 Nov 1942U-160Georg Lassen Chr. J. Kampmann2,260caTAG-18
3 Nov 1942U-160Georg Lassen Thorshavet11,015nwTAG-18
3 Nov 1942U-160Georg Lassen Gypsum Empress4,034brTAG-18
3 Nov 1942U-160Georg Lassen Leda8,546paTAG-18
6 Nov 1942U-160Georg Lassen Arica5,431brTRIN-24
11 Nov 1942U-160Georg Lassen City of Ripon6,368br
21 Nov 1942U-160Georg Lassen Bintang6,481nl
 
8 Feb 1943U-160Georg Lassen Roger B. Taney7,191am
3 Mar 1943U-160Georg Lassen Harvey W. Scott7,176amDN-21
3 Mar 1943U-160Georg Lassen Nirpura5,961brDN-21
3 Mar 1943U-160Georg Lassen Tibia (d.)10,356nlDN-21
4 Mar 1943U-160Georg Lassen Empire Mahseer5,087brDN-21
4 Mar 1943U-160Georg Lassen Marietta E.7,628brDN-21
4 Mar 1943U-160Georg Lassen Sheaf Crown (d.)4,868brDN-21
8 Mar 1943U-160Georg Lassen James B. Stephens7,176am
11 Mar 1943U-160Georg Lassen Aelybryn4,986br
 190,501

26 ships sunk (156,082 tons) and 5 ships damaged (34,419 tons).

Legend
We have a picture of this vessel.
(d.) means the ship was damaged.


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


German U-boat Commanders of World War II

Busch, Rainer and Röll, Hans-Joachim

Listing of all U-boat commanders


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