Rolf Manke (21 December 1915 – 1 March 1944) was the commander of which was responsible for the sinking of four Allied ships and one neutral ship.

Early life

Rolf Manke was born on 21 December 1915.
uboat.net Retrieved 31 October 2015.

Career

Manke entered the ''

Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official military branch, branche ...

'' in 1935 and was commissioned as ''

Leutnant zur See is a military rank, used in a number of navies. Belgium Germany (''Lt zS'' or ''LZS'') is the lowest officer rank in the German Navy, grouped as OF1 in NATO. The rank was introduced in the German Imperial Navy by renaming the former ...

'' in 1938. From September 1938 until August 1941 he served with the ''

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

''. He was in charge of training on before becoming commander of . In 1943–44, Manke made five patrols in ''U-358'' from his base in St. Nazaire, during which he sank three Allied ships and one neutral ship (and fatally damaged another allied ship so that she had to be scuttled) with a total of . According to a sailor who served on ''U-358'', Manke was disliked by the crew as they thought him overly strict. The last patrol of ''U-358'' sailed from St. Nazaire on 14 February 1944. According to the same sailor, the boat came under sustained attack from depth charges on 29 February/1 March and was eventually forced to surface due to foul air, but submerged again when it came under further attack.PART V - U.358.
British Interrogation Reports Manke was awarded the

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...

1st and 2nd class, the

U-boat Front Clasp The U-boat Front Clasp () or U-boat Combat Clasp, was a World War II German ''Kriegsmarine'' military decoration awarded to holders of the U-boat War Badge to recognize continued combat service and valor. History The award was instituted on 15 Ma ...

, the

U-boat War Badge The 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 ...

and the

German Cross in Gold The War Order of the German Cross (), normally abbreviated to the German Cross or ''Deutsches Kreuz'', was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 28 September 1941. It was awarded in two divisions: in gold for repeated acts of bravery or military leade ...

Death

Manke died on 1 March 1944 in the sinking of U-358.

References

Bibliography

* 1915 births 1944 deaths Luftwaffe personnel killed in World War II Recipients of the Gold German Cross U-boat commanders (Kriegsmarine) People lost at sea Kriegsmarine personnel killed in World War II Military personnel from Berlin People from Lichterfelde (Berlin) {{Germany-mil-bio-stub