Kurt Dobratz

Kapitän zur See (Crew 22)

Successes
3 ships sunk, total tonnage 17,355 GRT
1 ship damaged, total tonnage 2,373 GRT
1 ship a total loss, total tonnage 7,176 GRT

Born	9 Apr 1904		Stettin
Died	21 Dec 1996	(92)	Bremen, Germany

Kapitän zur See Kurt Dobratz

Ranks

30 Mar 1922		Offiziersanwärter
1 Apr 1924		Fähnrich zur See
1 Apr 1926		Oberfähnrich zur See
1 Oct 1926		Leutnant zur See
1 Jul 1928		Oberleutnant zur See
1 Jul 1934		Kapitänleutnant
1 Oct 1935		Hauptmann der Luftwaffe
1 Apr 1937		Major der Luftwaffe
1 Dec 1940		Oberstleutnant der Luftwaffe
1 Jun 1942		Oberst der Luftwaffe
1 Jun 1943		Kapitän zur See

Decorations

15 Jun 1941		Luftwaffe Combat clasp in Bronze
18 Aug 1941		Iron Cross 2nd Class
18 Aug 1941		Iron Cross 1st Class
18 Feb 1942		Spanischer Verdienstkreuz in Weiß, 2. Klasse "Cruz blanca Espanhola 2. Clase al mérito militar"
27 Feb 1942		Finnisches Freiheitskreuz 3. Klasse
23 Jan 1945		Knights Cross
15 Feb 1945		U-boat War Badge 1939
15 Feb 1945		U-boat Front Clasp

U-boat Commands

U-boat	From	To
U-1232	8 Mar 1944	31 Mar 1945	1 patrol (97 days)

Kurt Dobratz after his patrol.

Kurt Dobratz began his naval career in March 1922. After over ten years sea time on the cruisers Hamburg and Leipzig and the battleships Schleswig-Holstein and Hannover, he was transferred to the Luftwaffe on September 1935. During the next eight years he served in several staff positions, but also commanded combat units, flying 11 combat sorties in 1941.

In April 1943 he rejoined the Kriegsmarine to undergo eight months of training before commissioning the type IXC/40 U-1232 in March 1944.

In November 1944 he sailed from Horten, Norway on his first and only patrol, one of the most successful in the final year of the war. In January 1945 he sank four ships in Canadian waters with a total of 24,531 tons.

One of the oldest commanders
At 40, Kapitän zur See Dobratz was one of the oldest U-boat commanders of WWII to see active service when he took U-1232 out from Horten on 10 Nov 1944. The patrol lasted 97 days. It may be that his time in the Luftwaffe stood him in good stead while on patrol. His unusual success and survival rate for this stage of the war is shared by other U-boat commanders with aviation experience (Hardegen, Hechler, Thomsen).

After returning to base in February 1945 he left U-1232 to became chief of staff at Bdu. He was the last Kommandierender Admiral der U-Boote (Admiral of U-boats) during the final days of the war. He then spent nine months in captivity. When he returned to Germany he studied law, eventually earning a doctorate.

Kapitän zur See Kurt Dobratz with his crew.

(Taken only ten weeks before Germany's capitulation, the cheerful faces of the men in this photograph speak volumes for the morale of the U-bootwaffe.)

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).

Patrol info for Kurt Dobratz

	U-boat	Departure		Arrival
1.	U-1232	28 Oct 1944	Kiel	31 Oct 1944	Horten		4 days
2.	U-1232	10 Nov 1944	Horten	14 Feb 1945	Marviken	Patrol 1,	97 days

Ships hit by Kurt Dobratz

Date	U-boat	Name of ship	Tons		Convoy
4 Jan 1945	U-1232	Nipiwan Park (d.)	2,373	ca	SH-194
4 Jan 1945	U-1232	Polarland	1,591	nw	SH-194
14 Jan 1945	U-1232	Athelviking	8,779	br	BX-141
14 Jan 1945	U-1232	British Freedom	6,985	br	BX-141
14 Jan 1945	U-1232	Martin Van Buren (t.)	7,176	am	BX-141
			26,904
4 ships sunk (24,531 tons) and 1 ship damaged (2,373 tons). Legend We have a picture of this vessel. (d.) means the ship was damaged. (t.) means the ship was a total loss (included in ships & tonnage lost).