Gerd Kelbling German submarine officer, captain-lieutenant Date of Birth: 12.06.1915 Country: Germany

1. Early Life and Naval Career
2. Submarine Warfare
3. Notable Victories
4. Final Mission and Capture
5. Wartime Record and Imprisonment

Early Life and Naval Career

Karl-Heinz Kelbling was born in Germany on September 1, 1941. He joined the German Navy in 1935 as a midshipman and became a lieutenant in 1937. He initially served on minesweepers before transferring to the submarine service in January 1941.

Submarine Warfare

After training as a combat officer, Kelbling made his first patrol on the submarine U-557. In October 1941, he was appointed commander of U-593, leading it on 16 patrols over 338 days at sea. He made three patrols in the Atlantic before passing through Gibraltar into the Mediterranean in October 1942.

Notable Victories

Among the vessels sunk by U-593 under Kelbling's command were two British escort destroyers, HMS Holcombe (1,087 tons) and HMS Tynedale (1,000 tons), and the American minesweeper USS Skill (815 tons). For his achievements, Kelbling was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on August 18, 1943.

Final Mission and Capture

On December 13, 1943, U-593 was sunk by depth charges dropped by American and British destroyers. The entire crew, including Kelbling, was captured.

Wartime Record and Imprisonment

Throughout his wartime career, Kelbling sank 14 ships and vessels totaling 51,243 gross registered tons and damaged two more totaling 6,478 tons. He was held in a Canadian prisoner-of-war camp until September 1947, when he was released.