| Born | 6 May 1915 | Berlin | |
| Died | 27 Mar 2003 | (87) | Bonn-Bad Godesberg, Germany |
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Ranks
Decorations
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U-boat Commands
| U-boat | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|
| U-1202 | 27 Jan 1944 | 9 May 1945 | 2 patrols (118 days) |
 Fähnrich Rolf Thomsen in 1938 |
For more than three years he served in several air squadrons, including Kampfgeschwader 26, the only air group in the Luftwaffe which was equipped with air torpedoes.
In April 1943 Thomsen left the Luftwaffe and went through standard training to become a U-boat commander.
On 27 January, 1944 Kptlt. Rolf Thomsen commissioned U-1202. The boat made two patrols in the North Atlantic. Thomsen attacked many ships on these patrols, but most of his reported hits and sinkings could not be confirmed after the war, and he is only credited with one ship sunk.
Following Germany's surrender in May 1945 he spent eight months in British captivity. After the war he joined the Bundesmarine (Federal German Navy) and retired with the rank of Flottillenadmiral (one-star admiral).
The newly decorated Kptlt. Rolf Thomsen with the FdU West Kapitän z. See
Rösing (middle) and the commander of the 11th Flotilla
Flotilla Fregkpt. Lehmann-Willenbrock on the right.
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.
Rohwer, J. (1998). Axis Submarine Successes of World War Two.
Patrol info for Rolf Thomsen
| U-boat | Departure | Arrival | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | U-1202 | 21 Oct 1944 | Kiel | 24 Oct 1944 | Horten | 4 days | ||
| 2. | U-1202 | 26 Oct 1944 | Horten | 28 Oct 1944 | Kristiansand | 3 days | ||
| 3. | U-1202 | 30 Oct 1944 | Kristiansand | 1 Jan 1945 | Bergen | Patrol 1, | 64 days | |
| 4. | U-1202 | 4 Mar 1945 | Bergen | 26 Apr 1945 | Bergen | Patrol 2, | 54 days | |
| 2 patrols, 118 days at sea | ||||||||
Ships hit by Rolf Thomsen
| Date | U-boat | Commander | Name of ship | Tons | Nat. | Convoy | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Dec 1944 | U-1202 | Rolf Thomsen | Dan Beard | 7,176 |  | am | ||
| 7,176 | ||||||||
1 ship sunk (7,176 tons). | ||||||||
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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