Hans-Joachim Förster

Oberleutnant zur See (Crew 38)

Successes
2 ships sunk, total tonnage 12,846 GRT
2 warships sunk, total tonnage 1,775 tons

Born	20 Feb 1920		Gross-Köris, Teltrow
Died	29 Jan 1945	(24)	Channel south-west of Land's End

Ranks

1 Oct 1938		Offiziersanwärter
1 Jul 1939		Seekadett
1 Dec 1939		Fähnrich zur See
1 Aug 1940		Oberfähnrich zur See
1 Apr 1941		Leutnant zur See
1 Jan 1943		Oberleutnant zur See

Decorations

12 Sep 1944		German Cross in Gold
18 Oct 1944		Knights Cross

U-boat Commands

U-boat	From	To
U-348	Jul, 1943	Aug, 1943	No war patrols
U-479	Aug, 1943	Aug, 1943	No war patrols
U-480	6 Oct 1943	29 Jan 1945 (+)	3 patrols (118 days)

Oblt. z. See Hans-Joachim Förster

Hans-Joachim Förster joined the Kriegsmarine in October 1938. He rode on the destroyer Z-29 in 1941 and 1942 for 7 patrols, before he was attached in July 1942 to the U-boat force.

After the usual training he was for three patrols first watch officer on board of U-380 operating in the Mediterranean. He left U-380 in May 1943 and commissioned 5 months later the type VIIC U-boat U-480.

Very successful became his second patrol in where he sunk 4 ships sunk with a total of 14,646 tons including the Canadian corvette HMCS Alberni and the British minesweeper HMS Loyalty.

U-480 was lost with all hands, 48 men, when she was sunk between 29 January and about 20 February 1945 in minefield Brazier D2 in position 50°22'04"N/001°44'10"W (Niestlé, 2001).

Sources

Busch, R. and Röll, H-J. (1998). German U-boat commanders of World War II.
Niestlé, A. (2001). Re-assessment of fate of U-480.
Rohwer, J. (1998). Axis Submarine Successes of World War Two.

Patrol info for Hans-Joachim Förster

	U-boat	Departure		Arrival
1.	U-480	18 May 1944	Kiel	19 May 1944	Arendal		2 days
2.	U-480	7 Jun 1944	Arendal	7 Jul 1944	Brest	Patrol 1,	31 days
3.	U-480	3 Aug 1944	Brest	4 Oct 1944	Trondheim	Patrol 2,	63 days
4.	U-480	6 Jan 1945	Trondheim	29 Jan 1945	Sunk	Patrol 3,	24 days
3 patrols, 118 days at sea

Ships hit by Hans-Joachim Förster

Date	U-boat	Commander	Name of ship	Tons		Convoy
21 Aug 1944	U-480	Hans-Joachim Förster	HMCS Alberni (K 103)	925	ca
22 Aug 1944	U-480	Hans-Joachim Förster	HMS Loyalty (J 217)	850	br
23 Aug 1944	U-480	Hans-Joachim Förster	Fort Yale	7,134	br	ETC-72
25 Aug 1944	U-480	Hans-Joachim Förster	Orminster	5,712	br	FTM-74
				14,621
4 ships sunk (14,621 tons). Legend We have a picture of this vessel.

About ranks and decorations
Ranks shown in italics are our database inserts based on the rank dates of his crew comrades. The officers of each crew would normally have progressed through the lower ranks at the same rate.