GQM help

[Brian Bines]

Seeking help with a name on GQM dated 2nd-Aug.1941 page 4 what is the full name and the unit for the Batterie-Chef Oblt Hans-Christoph ?? reported as missing with his men on 21st May . I believe the losses inccured with the sinking of ship 101 off Crete ,

Brian Bines

[Rottler]

Hello Brian,

the name is Obltn Hans-Christoph Becker von Sothen, unit: Fallschirm-Artillerie-Abteilung.

Regards
Leo

[Brian Bines]

Hello Leo

Thanks for the info. on von Sothen I was able to look him up on the Luftwaffe Officers Careers and saw he was picked up by the Royal Navy and made a POW . I had not realised till I saw the GQM report that Luftwaffe paras were on the convoy . I had heard the story of the attack on the Maleme convoy in a rather blood thirsty account when I was a kid from an uncle who was on one of the attacking destroyers he gave the impression all of the Caiques/Vessels were sunk with few survivors . Later while in BAOR I got matey with a former Fallschirmjager the landlord of a gasthaus who gave an angry view on the action of the Navy in attacking the men in the water . There is an online account of the attack 'The German Convoys to Crete' by Aris Bilatis which identifies S101 as a steel hulled vessel set on fire by a British bomb ('shell'?)
I see Capitan Mimbelli of the Italian torpedo boat Lupo got a medal for his attempts to defend the convoy and for picking up survivors ,

Regards
Brian Bines