LEHMANN-WILLENBROCK, Heinrich. Fregattenkapitän der Kriegsmarine, Kommandant "U 96" (Das Boot), Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub. 1911-1986. MERTEN, Karl-Friedrich. Kapitän zur See, Kommandant "U 68", Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub. 1905-1993. RAEDER, Erich, Dr.h.c. Großadmiral u. Oberbefehlshaber der Kriegsmarine, Ritterkreuz. 1876-1960.
SCHOLTZ, Klaus. Fregattenkapitän der Kriegsmarine, Kommandant "U 108", Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub. 1908-1987.
Albrecht Brandi Fregattenkapitän (Crew 35) Successes 8 ships sunk for a total of 25.879 GRT 1 auxiliary warship sunk for a total of 810 GRT 3 warships sunk for a total of 5.000 tons Born 20 Jun, 1914 Dortmund Died 6 Jan, 1966 Dortmund, Germany Albrecht Brandi Ranks25 Sep, 1935 Seekadett 1 Jul, 1936 Fähnrich zur See 1 Jan, 1938 Leutnant zur See 1 Oct, 1939 Oberleutnant zur See 1 Oct, 1942 Kapitänleutnant 8 Jun, 1944 Korvettenkapitän 18 Dec, 1944 Fregattenkapitän Decorations21 Jan, 1943 Knights Cross 11 Apr, 1943 Knights Cross with Oak Leaves 19 May, 1944 Knights Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords 24 Nov, 1944 Knights Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds U-boat CommandsU-617 9 Apr, 1942 - 12 Sep, 1943 7 patrols (178 days) U-380 Dec, 1943 - 11 Mar, 1944 1 patrol (32 days) U-967 Apr, 1944 - 1 Jul, 1944 1 patrol (36 days) Albrecht Brandi began his career in the Navy as Seeoffiziersanwärter on 1 April, 1935. Other well known members of Crew 35 were: Frkpt. Reinhard Suhren, Krvkpt. Georg Lassen and Kptlt. Engelbert Endrass Brandi spent six months on board the cruiser Karlsruhe for basic naval training before he completed the usual course of instruction in the Marine-schule Flensburg-Mürvik from June 1936 to March 1937. After some further training he was WO on several minesweepers. Brandi was on board M-1 as part of the 1.Minensuchflottille when it took part in the September 1939 attack on the Polish Westerplatte as cover ship for the German battleship Schleswig Holstein. At this time Brandi made a first attempt to transfer to U-boats, but his application was refused. In May 1940 he became commander of the minesweeper M-1. In April 1941 Brandi began submarine training in Neustadt/Holstein. It was his second attempt to transfer to submarines. He completed the necessary courses of instruction and then waited for orders. Finally he was ordered to the St. Nazaire base, from where he started his first U-boat patrol. The first U-boat patrol At the end of 1941, Brandi embarked on his first submarine patrol as commander-in-training ("Kommandantenschüler", also known in German as "Konfirmand") on board U-552, the well known "Red Devil Boat" commanded by Kptlt. Erich Topp. The first area of operations was to be the Azores, but at sea they received new orders to head for the Canadian coast. With neither winter equipment nor good maps, they arrived at their new operational area off Cape Race, where Topp sank two ships of some 7,000 tons. There were many problems on this patrol, including stormy weather and difficulties with the torpedoes and engines. But it seems that this patrol with one of the best commanders was a good experience for the U-boat novice Brandi. On 9 April, 1942 Brandi commissioned the VIIC U-boat U-617. Only five crewmembers apart from Brandi had any U-boat experience to speak of. From April to August 1942 Brandi completed the usual training with the new boat in the 5. U-Flotilla. (The 5. U-Flotilla was located in Kiel and was a training flotilla.) In the first patrol with U-617, they left Kiel and arrived a month later in the port of St. Nazaire. On this patrol Brandi sank four ships. In November 1942 Brandi left St. Nazaire with U-617 for a second patrol. During this patrol Brandi claimed one destroyer damaged and one ship sunk, but there is no confirmation of this claim. The Gibraltar dash While at sea on 4 November, 1942 Brandi received the order to enter a new operational area, namely the Mediterranean. While navigating the heavily guarded Straits of Gibraltar, U- 617 was attacked by a British Sunderland aircraft which dropped two bombs but missed. On 19 November, Brandi attacked a British convoy, but the results were uncertain. After the attack U-617 spent four hours under depth charge attack, during which time some 80 depth charges were dropped. From November 1942 to September 1943, U-617 was registered in the 29. U-Flotilla (located in La Spezia/Toulon, and Commanded by Krvkpt. Frauenheim). 1943 Albrecht Brandi and Konteradmiral Scheer after one of U-617's patrols. After leaving base on the boat's fourth patrol, Brandi had a 3-hour encounter with an enemy submarine. Both commanders attempted to close in for a good firing position, but after three hours Brandi went deep and continued his patrol. After returning from this patrol, Brandi received the Knights Cross on 21 January, 1943 in La Spezia. During his fifth patrol with U-617, on 1 February, 1943 Brandi sank the minelayer HMS Welshman. That sinking was a great success for Brandi. Captain Roskill wrote in his book Royal Navy that HMS Welshman made a vital contribution in saving Malta. On 11 April, 1943 during his sixth patrol, Brandi received the Oak Leaves to his Knights Cross. Brandi announced as sunk one cruiser (HMS Uganda?) and one ship of 23,500 tons (but there is no confirmation of these claims). This was generally a problem for U-boats operating in the Mediterranean, and especially for Brandi it seems. Rohwer shows many unconfirmed successes for Brandi. But particularly in the Mediterranean it was not so easy for the U-boat commanders to identify their successes accurately, since as a rule they had to dive immediately after firing their torpedoes. In August 1943, Brandi set out from Toulon on his eighth and last patrol with U-617. On 6 September, 1943 he sank the destroyer HMS Puckeridge 40 nautical miles east of Gibraltar. In the first days of the patrol the boat came across the two British aircraft carriers HMS Illustrious and HMS Formidable, but there was no opportunity to fire a torpedo. During the night of 11 September, 1943 U-617 was located near the Moroccan coast and was attacked by an aircraft. Before it was shot down by the U-boat's crew, it damaged the boat so severely with three close-falling bombs that Brandi had to give up his boat. The crew blew up their boat and reached the shore, where they were interned by Spanish troops. Brandi was held in the officers' camp near Cadiz (Spain). From there he succeeded in escaping back to Germany. Later he informed Admiral Dönitz, in Berlin, about his adventures. 1944 In January 1944 Brandi returned to Toulon and took command of U-380, a Type VIIC boat. Brandi completed one patrol with U-380, but then the boat was destroyed on 13 March, 1944 in Toulon by a bombing raid of the 9th USAAF. In April 1944 Brandi became commander of U-967, also a Type VIIC boat. After (or during?) patrol, on 9 May, 1944 Brandi received the Swords to his Knights Cross with Oak Leaves. During the next patrol with U-967 in June 1944, Brandi became seriously ill and had to return to base. There he turned the boat over to Oblt. Eberbach, but she was scuttled soon after on 8 August, 1944 in Toulon. One month later KrvKpt. Brandi became the Chief of U-boats operating in the eastern Baltic Sea. On 24 November, 1944 Brandi received the Diamonds to his Knights Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (awarded for his accomplishments as U-boat commander). He was the second of only two Kriegsmarine officers to receive that award. Only 27 men from all services were awarded this decoration. 1945 In January 1945 Fregkpt. Brandi became the Chief of the Marinekleinkampfverbände (the unit comprised of small U-boats such as the Biber and the Seehund) . After the War Brandi was released from Canadian captivity in September 1945. He worked for some time as a mason before going on to study architecture. Later he was a successful architect in his hometown of Dortmund, as well as in other countries, including Saudi Arabia. For three years Brandi was chairman of the Bund Deutscher Architekten in Dortmund. In 1964, as member of the Rotary Club, he became the governor of the district of Westfalen On 6 January, 1966 Albrecht Brandi died of an illness in Dortmund. Officers from the Bundesmarine (German postwar Navy) stood as honor guard at his funeral. Some crewmates from U-617 were also present. The final words were spoken by his crewmate Frkpt. Reinhard Suhren (Crew 35 ). He described Brandi as a "Ritter ohne Furcht und Tadel" (Knight without fear or failings).
Freiherr Hans-Diedrich von Tiesenhausen Kapitänleutnant (Crew 34) Successes 1 auxiliary warship sunk for a total of 9.135 GRT 1 warship sunk for a total of 31.100 tons 1 warship damaged for a total of 372 tons Born 22 Feb, 1913 Riga, Latvia Died 17 Aug, 2000 Vancouver, Canada Kapitänleutnant Hans-Diedrich Freiherr von Tiesenhausen wearing his Knights Cross. Ranks26 Sep, 1934 Seekadett 1 Jul, 1935 Fähnrich zur See 1 Jan, 1937 Oberfähnrich zur See 1 Apr, 1937 Leutnant zur See 1 Apr, 1939 Oberleutnant zur See 1 Jan, 1942 Kapitänleutnant Decorations30 Jan, 1940 Iron Cross 2nd Class 26 Feb, 1940 U-boat War Badge 7 Dec, 1941 Iron Cross 1st Class 27 Jan, 1942 Knights Cross U-boat CommandsU-331 31 Mar, 1941 - 17 Nov, 1942 10 patrols (232 days) Freiherr von Tiesenhausen began his U-boat career in December 1939 on U-23, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Otto Kretschmer. Together they completed three successful patrols and sank five ships for a total of 27,000 tons, as well as one destroyer. After his fourth patrol on U-23, under Commander Beduhn, he transferred to the new U-93 (Kapitänleutnant Klaus Korth). In April 1941 Freiherr von Tiesenhausen took command of U-331. He led the boat on nine patrols, and on 25 November, 1941 he scored his greatest success by sinking the British battleship HMS Barham. He spent time as a prisoner, first in England and then for three years in Canada. In 1947 he returned to Germany and worked as a joiner. During the autumn of 1951 he left Germany and went back to Canada. He lived in the Vancouver area for the rest of his life, working as an interior designer, and achieving some note as a nature photographer.
Günther Prien Korvettenkapitän (Crew 33) Successes 30 ships sunk for a total of 162.769 GRT 1 warship sunk for a total of 29.150 tons 8 ships damaged for a total of 62.751 GRT Born 16 Jan, 1908 Osterfeld, Thüringen Died 7 Mar, 1941 North Atlantic Kapitänleutnant Günther Prien Ranks1 Mar, 1933 Fähnrich zur See 1 Jan, 1935 Oberfähnrich zur See 1 Apr, 1935 Leutnant zur See 1 Jan, 1937 Oberleutnant zur See 1 Feb, 1939 Kapitänleutnant 1 Mar, 1941 Korvettenkapitän Decorations25 Sep, 1939 Iron Cross 2nd Class 17 Oct, 1939 Iron Cross 1st Class 18 Oct, 1939 Knights Cross 20 Oct, 1940 Knights Cross with Oak Leaves U-boat CommandsU-47 17 Dec, 1938 - 7 Mar, 1941 (+) 10 patrols (228 days) Günther Prien joined the Reichsmarine in January 1931 after sailing some years on trade ships. After a year on the light cruiser Königsberg, he transferred in October 1935 to the U-boat force. In 1938 he was on U-26 under Kptlt. Hartmann patrolling in Spanish waters during the Civil War. With his own boat U-47 he became famous for his 14 October, 1939 sinking of the British battleship HMS Royal Oak in the heavily defended British North Fleet main harbor at Scapa Flow. Churchill himself wrote about this outstanding feat of arms of a German U-boat commander. Prien was the first U-boat commander to win the Knights Cross. Günther Prien was described after Scapa Flow by a US journalist: Berlin, October 18 The place where the German U-boat sank the British battleship Royal Oak was none other than the middle of Scapa Flow, Britain's greatest naval base! It sounds incredible. A World War submarine commander told me tonight that the Germans tried twice to get a U-boat into Scapa Flow during the last war, but both attempts failed and the submarines were lost. Günther Prien during the press conference on 18 October. Captain Prien, commander of the submarine, came tripping into our afternoon press conference at the Propaganda Ministry this afternoon, followed by his crew - boys of eighteen, nineteen, twenty. Prien is thirty, clean-cut, cocky, a fanatical Nazi, and obviously capable. Introduced by Hitler's press chief, Dr. Dietrich, who kept cursing the English and calling Churchill a liar, Prien told us little of how he did it. He said he had no trouble getting past the boom protecting the bay. I got the impression, though he said nothing to justify it, that he must have followed a British craft, perhaps a minesweeper, into the base. British negligence must have been something terrific. * Prien welcomes another U-boat to base. Behind him is Otto Kretschmer. During the next 18 months Prien proved that he was one of the best German commanders. On his sixth patrol in June 1940 he sank eight ships for a total of 51,483 tons. In convoy battles Prien often was the first who found the convoys and vectored in other boats. For example, he took part in the convoy battle against HX-79, which he discovered and shadowed. U-47 brought in the other boats and sank four ships. Admiral Dönitz suggested to Prien at that time that Prien should transfer to a training unit, but Prien decided to remain on his boat. The death of Günther Prien U-47 left St. Nazaire (France) for her tenth patrol on 20 February, 1941. Just four days later they attacked convoy OB-290 and sank four ships for a total of 16,310 tons. The last radio message from U-47 was received in the morning of 7 March. Günther Prien was killed when U-47 was lost with all hands (45 men) on 7 or 8 March, 1941. Günther Prien went aboard for his last patrol on 20 February, 1941. This incident is now being questioned, as the traditional credit for U-47's sinking has always been attributed to the British destroyer HMS Wolverine, but new data suggests that the destroyer was actually attacking Eckermann's UA which had to withdraw from the battle with heavy damage. It is now speculated that U-47 was hit by one of her own circling torpedoes. (Two US submarines in the Pacific are also believed to have been lost to the same sort of equipment failure.) * Shirer, William L. : Berlin Diary 1934 - 1941
