Ernst Kals

Ernst Kals
Ernst Kals
Born	(1905-08-02)2 August 1905 Glauchau, Saxony, German Empire
Died	2 November 1979(1979-11-02) (aged 74) Emden
Allegiance	Weimar Republic (to 1933)  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Reichsmarine  Kriegsmarine
Years of service	1924–45
Rank	Kapitän zur See
Unit	Braunschweig SSS Niobe Berlin Schlesien torpedo boat Luchs cruiser Köln cruiser Emden cruiser Admiral Scheer cruiser Leipzig U-37
Commands held	U-130 2nd U-boat Flotilla
Battles/wars	World War II Battle of the Atlantic Battle of the Caribbean Bombardment of Curaçao Battle of Casablanca
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Ernst Kals (2 August 1905 – 2 November 1979) was a Kapitän zur See with the Kriegsmarine during World War II. He commanded the Type IXC U-boat U-130 on five patrols, and sank twenty ships, for a total of 145,656 tons of Allied shipping. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Kals joined the Reichsmarine in 1924. In October 1940, after a period of service on torpedo boats and light cruisers, he transferred to the Ubootwaffe ("U-boat force"). After one patrol on U-37 under the command of Nicolai Clausen as commander in training, he took command of U-130 in June 1941. He was awarded the Knight's Cross in September 1941.

In April 1942, Kals, in U-130, bombarded the Allied petroleum tank farm on Curaçao, in the Netherlands Antilles. He went on to sink a total of 20 ships on five patrols, for a total of 145,656 tons of Allied shipping. In five minutes he sank three United States troopships, the Edward Rutledge, Hugh L. Scott and Tasker H. Bliss.

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