Hans-Dietrich von Tiesenhausen
Encyclopedia
Commander
Hans-Diedrich Freiherr von Tiesenhausen
(22 February 1913 – 17 August 2000) was a German
Kapitänleutnant with the Kriegsmarine
during World War II
. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.
Tiesenhausen sailed with the and . He achieved his greatest success as a U-boat commander by sinking the British battleship on 25 November 1941.
U-331 was sunk on 17 November 1942, north of Algiers, during "Operation Torch
". She had been badly damaged after being attacked by a Lockheed Hudson
bomber and signalled surrender, but was attacked and sunk by a Fairey Albacore
torpedo-bomber from the British aircraft carrier
. Of her crew 32 were killed and 17 survived including Tiesenhausen. He was captured and held as a prisoner of war, first in England, and then for three years in Canada until 1947, when he returned to Germany. He worked as a joiner, but in late 1951 he returned to Canada. He lived in the Vancouver
area for the rest of his life, working as an interior designer, and achieving some note as a nature photographer.
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
Hans-Diedrich Freiherr von Tiesenhausen
Tiesenhausen
Tiesenhausen is the name of a Baltic German nobility family. The origins of the family are in Lower Saxony. During the Baltic crusades they settled in Livonia in the first half of the 12th century where they became one of the wealthiest and most important noble lineages between the 14th and 16th...
(22 February 1913 – 17 August 2000) was a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Kapitänleutnant with the Kriegsmarine
Kriegsmarine
The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.
Life
U-331 was sunk on 17 November 1942, north of Algiers, during "Operation Torch
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942....
". She had been badly damaged after being attacked by a Lockheed Hudson
Lockheed Hudson
The Lockheed Hudson was an American-built light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built initially for the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and primarily operated by the RAF thereafter...
bomber and signalled surrender, but was attacked and sunk by a Fairey Albacore
Fairey Albacore
The Fairey Albacore was a British single-engine carrier-borne biplane torpedo bomber built by Fairey Aviation between 1939 and 1943 for the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm and used during the Second World War. It had a three-man crew and was designed for spotting and reconnaissance as well as delivering...
torpedo-bomber from the British aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
. Of her crew 32 were killed and 17 survived including Tiesenhausen. He was captured and held as a prisoner of war, first in England, and then for three years in Canada until 1947, when he returned to Germany. He worked as a joiner, but in late 1951 he returned to Canada. He lived in the Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
area for the rest of his life, working as an interior designer, and achieving some note as a nature photographer.
Awards
- DienstauszeichnungWehrmacht Long Service AwardThe Wehrmacht Long Service Award was a military service decoration of Nazi Germany issued for satisfactory completion of a given years of military service...
4th Class (8 April 1938) - The Return of Memel Commemorative MedalMemel MedalThe Return of Memel Commemorative Medal was a decoration of Nazi Germany awarded in the interwar period, and the last of the series of Occupation Medals.-Description:...
(25 June 1940) - The Return of Sudetenland Commemorative Medal of 1 October 1938Sudetenland MedalThe The Sudetenland Commemorative Medal was a decoration of Nazi Germany awarded in the interwar period.-Description:...
(6 September 1940) - Iron CrossIron CrossThe Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
(1939)- 2nd Class (30 January 1940)
- 1st Class (7 December 1941)
- Medaglia di bronzo al Valore MilitareBronze Medal of Military ValorThe Bronze Medal of Military Valor is an Italian medal for gallantry.It was established by Charles Albert of Sardinia on March 26, 1833, along with the higher ranking Gold and Silver Medals for Military valor...
(November 1941) - Medaglia d'Argento al Valor MilitareSilver Medal of Military ValorThe Silver Medal of Military Valor is an Italian medal for gallantry.Italian medals for valor were first instituted by Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia on May 21, 1793, with a gold medal, and, below it, a silver medal...
(25 March 1942) - U-boat War BadgeU-boat War BadgeThe U-Boat War Badge was a German war badge that was awarded to U-boat crew members during World War I and World War II.-History:The U-boat War Badge was originally instituted during the First World War on February 1, 1918. It was awarded to recognize U-boat crews who had completed three war patrols...
(1939) (26 February 1942) - Knight's Cross of the Iron CrossKnight's Cross of the Iron CrossThe Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
on 27 January 1942 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-331 - Mentioned twice in the WehrmachtberichtWehrmachtberichtThe Wehrmachtbericht was a daily radio report on the Großdeutscher Rundfunk of Nazi Germany, published by the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht regarding the military situation on all fronts of World War II....
on 26 November 1941 and 27 January 1942
Combat career
| Date | U-boat | Name of Ship | Nationality | Tonnage | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 October 1941 | HMS TLC-18 (A 18) |  British |
372 | damaged | |
| 25 November 1941 | U-331 | British |
31,100 | sunk | |
| 9 November 1942 | U-331 |  American |
9,135 | sunk | |