Hermann Rasch

Hermann Rasch
Born	(1914-08-26)26 August 1914 Wilhelmshaven
Died	Hamburg
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Kriegsmarine
Rank	Kapitänleutnant
Unit	Schleswig-Holstein Panzerschiff Admiral Scheer SSS Albert Leo Schlageter
Commands held	U-106
Battles/wars	World War II Battle of the Atlantic
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Hermann Rasch (26 August 1914 – 10 June 1974) was a German U-boat commander of U-106 in World War II and 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.

On 14 May 1942 Reinhard Suhren, commander of U-564, sunk the Mexican oil tanker Potrero del Llano. The sinking of this ship, compounded with U-106's attack on another tanker, the Faja de Oro, would bring Mexico to declare "A State of War" on the Axis powers.

Summary of career

Ships attacked

As a U-boat commander of U-106 Rasch is credited with the sinking of 12 ships for a total of 78,553 gross register tons (GRT), further damaged one ship of 4,639 GRT and damaging one auxiliary warship of .

Date	U-boat	Name of Ship	Nationality	Tonnage	Fate
28 October 1941	U-106	King Malcolm	United Kingdom	5,120	Sunk
30 October 1941	U-106	USS Salinas	United States Navy	8,246	Damaged
24 January 1942	U-106	SS Empire Wildebeeste	United Kingdom	5,631	Sunk
26 January 1942	U-106	Traveller	United Kingdom	3,963	Sunk
30 January 1942	U-106	Rochester	United States	6,836	Sunk
3 February 1942	U-106	Amerikaland	Sweden	15,355	Sunk
6 February 1942	U-106	Opawa	United Kingdom	10,354	Sunk
5 May 1942	U-106	Lady Drake	Canada	7,985	Sunk
21 May 1942	U-106	SS Faja de Oro	Mexico	6,067	Sunk
26 May 1942	U-106	Carrabulle	United States	5,030	Sunk
27 May 1942	U-106	Atenas	United States	4,639	Damaged
28 May 1942	U-106	Mentor	United Kingdom	7,383	Sunk
1 June 1942	U-106	Hampton Roads	United States	2,689	Sunk
11 October 1942	U-106	Waterton	United Kingdom	2,140	Sunk

Awards

• Wehrmacht Long Service Award 4th Class (8 April 1938)
• Spanish Cross in Bronze without Swords (6 June 1939)
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class
  • 1st Class (11 July 1941)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 29 December 1942 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-106
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 7 February 1942

Wehrmachtbericht reference

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
Saturday, 7 February 1942	An der Ostküste Nordamerikas versenkten deutsche Unterseeboote sechs feindliche Handelsschiffe mit zusammen 30 000 BRT. Dabei zeichnete sich das Unterseeboot des Kapitänleutnants Rasch besonders aus.	On the east coast of North America sank German submarines six enemy merchant vessels with a total of 30,000 GRT. Thereby particularly distinguished itself the submarine of Captain Lieutenant Rasch.