Robert Gysae
| Robert Gysae | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
14 January 1911 Berlin-Charlottenburg, German Empire |
| Died | 26 April 1989 (aged 78) Wilhelmshaven, Germany |
| Allegiance |
 Weimar Republic Nazi Germany West Germany
|
| Service/branch |
 Reichsmarine Kriegsmarine German Navy
|
| Years of service | 1931–45 1956–70 |
| Rank | Korvettenkapitän (Kriegsmarine), Flottillenadmiral (Bundesmarine) |
| Commands held |
U-98 U-177 |
| Battles/wars | Battle of the Atlantic |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves |
Robert Gysae (14 January 1911 – 26 April 1989) was a German U-boat commander in the Kriegsmarine during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves of Nazi Germany. Gysae commanded U-98 and U-177, being credited with sinking twenty-five ships on eight patrols, for a total of 146,815 gross register tons (GRT) of Allied shipping.
Gysae joined the Reichsmarine in 1931 and served on torpedo boats before transferring to the U-Bootwaffe ("U-boat force") in April 1940. In October 1940 he was appointed commander of the Type VIIC U-boat U-98, unusually without serving any time as either 1.WO (1. Wachoffizier, "1st Watch Officer") or Kommandantenschüler ("Commander-in-Training") on any other U-boats. After six patrols in the north Atlantic in command of U-98, in March 1942 he transferred to the Type IXD2 U-boat U-177 for another two patrols, this time operating off South Africa and Portuguese East Africa. He sank a total of 25 ships, including the armed merchant cruiser HMS Salopian.
On 28 November 1942 off the coast of Natal Province, Gysae sank the 6,796 ton British troop ship RMS Nova Scotia with three torpedoes. She was carrying 780 Italians; a mixture of prisoners of war and civilian internees. Gysae rescued two survivors to identify the ship, who turned out to be Italian merchant sailors. Mindful of the Laconia Order issued two months previously, Gysae radioed the BdU, who ordered him to continue his patrol. The BdU notified the Portuguese authorities, who sent the frigate NRP Afonso de Albuquerque from Lourenço Marques to help. Of 1,052 people from the Nova Scotia only 194 survived: 192 rescued by the frigate and two others in subsequent days. 858 were killed, including 650 Italians.
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