The Men - The Commander listing

Karl-Heinz Moehle

Korvettenkapitän (Crew 30)


Successes
21 ships sunk for a total of 93,197 GRT

Born  31 Jul 1910 Norden,Ostfriesland
Died  17 Nov 1996(86)


Oberfähnrich zur See Karl-Heinz Moehle

Ranks

9 Oct 1930Seekadett
1 Jan 1932Fähnrich zur See
1 Apr 1934Oberfähnrich zur See
1 Oct 1934Leutnant zur See
1 Jun 1936Oberleutnant zur See
1 Apr 1939Kapitänleutnant
1 Mar 1943Korvettenkapitän

Decorations

23 Sep 1939Iron Cross 2nd Class
17 Oct 1939U-boat War Badge 1939
24 Oct 1940Iron Cross 1st Class
26 Feb 1941Knights Cross

U-boat Commands

U-boatFromTo
U-20 1 Oct 1937 17 Jan 1940   5 patrols (72 days) 
U-123 30 May 1940 19 May 1941   4 patrols (126 days) 

Personal information

Karl-Heinz Moehle began his naval career in April 1930. After some months on the line ship Schleswig Holstein, he transferred to the U-boat force in March 1936, and in October 1937 commissioned U-20. He made six patrols, mostly in the North Sea, and sank eight ships.

He left U-20 in January 1940 and four months later commissioned U-123, one of the most famous U-boats of the war.

Moehle's second patrol in the North Atlantic was outstanding. On the morning of 23 November, 1940 he attacked the convoy OB-244 and in five hours sank five ships for a total of 23,084 tons. Due to damage sustained in a submerged collision with a sunken ship, U-123 was then forced to return to base. After four patrols Moehle turned over command of U-123 to Kptlt. Reinhard Hardegen.

From June 1941 to the end of war Moehle was the commander both of the 5th flotilla and of the U-boat base Kiel. In June 1945 he was arrested and in the autumn of 1946 tried for passing on the Laconia order to the U-boat commanders. He was condemned to five years imprisonment, being released in November 1949.

Patrol info for Karl-Heinz Moehle


 U-boat Departure Arrival  
1. U-20 24 Aug 1939  Kiel  31 Aug 1939  Wilhelmshaven  Patrol 1,8 days
2. U-20 1 Sep 1939  Wilhelmshaven  20 Sep 1939  Kiel  Patrol 1,20 days
3. U-20 29 Sep 1939  Kiel  17 Oct 1939  Kiel  Patrol 2,19 days
4. U-20 6 Nov 1939  Kiel  7 Nov 1939  Wilhelmshaven   2 days
5. U-20 18 Nov 1939  Wilhelmshaven  24 Nov 1939  Kiel  Patrol 3,7 days
6. U-20 7 Dec 1939  Kiel  13 Dec 1939  Kiel  Patrol 4,7 days
7. U-20 6 Jan 1940  Kiel  16 Jan 1940  Wilhelmshaven  Patrol 5,11 days
8. U-123 21 Sep 1940  Kiel  23 Oct 1940  Lorient  Patrol 6,33 days
9. U-123 14 Nov 1940  Lorient  28 Nov 1940  Lorient  Patrol 7,15 days
10. U-123 14 Jan 1941  Lorient  28 Feb 1941  Lorient  Patrol 8,46 days
11. U-123 10 Apr 1941  Lorient  11 May 1941  Lorient  Patrol 9,32 days
9 patrols, 198 days at sea

Ships hit by Karl-Heinz Moehle


Date BoatName of shipTonsNat.ConvoyFate *
29 Nov, 1939 U-20 Ionian [Mine]3,114  br  FN-43 
9 Dec, 1939 U-20 Magnus1,339  da  
10 Dec, 1939 U-20 Føina1,674  nw  
10 Dec, 1939 U-20 Willowpool [Mine]4,815  br  HG-9 
 
13 Jan, 1940 U-20 Sylvia1,524  sw  
6 Oct, 1940 U-123 Benlawers5,943  br  OB-221 
10 Oct, 1940 U-123 Graigwen3,697  br  SC-6 
19 Oct, 1940 U-123 Boekelo2,118  nl  SC-7 
19 Oct, 1940 U-123 Clintonia3,106  br  SC-7 
19 Oct, 1940 U-123 Sedgepool5,556  br  SC-7 
19 Oct, 1940 U-123 Shekatika5,458  br  SC-7 
22 Nov, 1940 U-123 Cree4,791  br  SL-53 
23 Nov, 1940 U-123 Anten5,135  sw  OB-244 
23 Nov, 1940 U-123 King Idwal5,115  br  OB-244 
23 Nov, 1940 U-123 Oakcrest5,407  br  OB-244 
23 Nov, 1940 U-123 Tymeric5,228  br  OB-244 
 
24 Jan, 1941 U-123 Vespasian1,570  nw  
4 Feb, 1941 U-123 Empire Engineer5,358  br  SC-20 
15 Feb, 1941 U-123 Alnmoor6,573  br  SC-21 
24 Feb, 1941 U-123 Grootekerk8,685  nl  
17 Apr, 1941 U-123 Venezuela6,991  sw  
 93,197

* Unless otherwise noted the ships listed here were sunk.
[Mine] indicates the vessel was hit by a mine.


Decorations and ranks information is in many cases not complete. If you can help on any of those missing that would be great.

Men who sank over 50,000 tons

Listing of all U-boat commanders