Carl Emmermann

Carl Emmermann
Carl Emmermann
Born (1915-03-06)6 March 1915
Hamburg
Died 25 March 1990(1990-03-25) (aged 75)
Celle
Allegiance  Nazi Germany
Service/branch  Kriegsmarine
Years of service 1934–45
Rank Korvettenkapitän
Unit SSS Gorch Fock
light cruiser Karlsruhe
6th U-boat Flotilla
10th U-boat Flotilla
Commands held U-172, November 5, 1941 – October 31, 1943
U-3037, March 3, 1945 – April 22, 1945
Battles/wars Battle of the Atlantic
Awards Iron Cross First Class
U-boat War Badge with Diamonds
U-boat Front Clasp
Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves
Other work Engineer
Businessman

Carl Emmermann (6 March 1915 – 25 March 1990) was a German U-boat commander during World War II. In his time as commander, he succeeded in sinking 27 ships for a total tonnage of 152,080 gross register tons (GRT).

Career

Emmermann began his naval career in 1934. For some years he was training officer on the Naval Academy Mürwik, where future officers got their training.

In 1939 Emmermann joined the U-boat force and in November 1940 became the first Watch officer on UA under the command of Hans Eckermann. On her first patrol UA only damaged the British steamer SS Empire Attendant.

In November 1941 Emmermann took over his own boat, U-172. He completed five patrols with this boat, in the Caribbean Sea, with the wolf pack Eisbär in South African waters, and in the North and South Atlantic.

His greatest success was the sinking of the British liner-troopship SS Orcades. His fifth patrol with U-172 was dramatic, in that the boat brought back half the crew of U-604 which had been so heavily damaged during two air attacks that she had to be scuttled. After that patrol Emmermann became the commander of the 6th U-boat Flotilla in November 1943.

In August 1944 Emmermann became the chief of the Erprobungsgruppe Typ XXIII. There in late 1944 he wrote the battle instructions for the new Type XXIII U-boat.

In March 1945 he was commander of U-3037 for one month, and in the last month of the war he commanded the 31st U-boat Flotilla in Hamburg. Along with some other U-boat men he took part in infantry duty around Hamburg as commander of Marine-Battalion Emmermann.

Emmermann survived the war and later returned to Germany, studied engineering and prospered in business.

Summary of career

Ships attacked

As commander of U-172, Emmermann is credited with the sinking of 26 merchant ships totaling 152,080 gross register tons (GRT).

DateShipNationalityTonnageFate[1]
27 May 1942Athelknight United Kingdom8,490Sunk
3 June 1942City of Alma United States5,446Sunk
5 June 1942Delfina United States3,480Sunk
8 June 1942Sicilien United States1,654Sunk
14 June 1942Lebore United States8,289Sunk
15 June 1942Bennestvet Norway2,438Sunk
18 June 1942Motorex United Kingdom1,958Sunk
23 June 1942Resolute * Colombia35Sunk
9 July 1942Santa Rita United States8,379Sunk
7 October 1942Chicksaw City United States6,196Sunk
7 October 1942Firethorn Panama4,700Sunk
8 October 1942Orcades United Kingdom23,456Sunk
31 October 1942Aldington Court United Kingdom4,891Sunk
2 November 1942Llandilo United Kingdom4,996Sunk
23 November 1942Benlomond United Kingdom6,630Sunk
28 November 1942Alaskan United States5,364Sunk
4 March 1943City of Pretoria United Kingdom6,049Sunk
13 March 1943Thorstrand Norway3,041Sunk
13 March 1943Keystone United States5,565Sunk
16 March 1943Benjamin Harrison United States7,191Sunk
29 March 1943Moanda Belgium4,621Sunk
28 June 1943Vernon City United Kingdom4,748Sunk
12 July 1943African Star United States6,507Sunk
15 July 1943Harmonic United Kingdom4,558Sunk
24 July 1943Fort Chilcotin United Kingdom7,133Sunk
* Sailing ship

Awards

Promotions

26 September 1934:Seekadett (Midshipman)[2]
1 July 1935:Fähnrich zur See (Officer Cadet)[2]
1 January 1937:Oberfähnrich zur See (Senior Ensign)[2]
1 April 1937:Leutnant zur See (Second Lieutenant)[2]
1 April 1939:Oberleutnant zur See (First Lieutenant)[2]
1 October 1941:Kapitänleutnant (Captain Lieutenant)[3]
16 July 1943:Kapitänleutnant (Captain Lieutenant), new rank age dated 1 November 1940[3]
1 December 1944Korvettenkapitän (Corvette Captain)[3]

References

Citations

  1. "U-172". uboat.net. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Busch & Röll 2003, p. 276.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Busch & Röll 2003, p. 277.
  4. 1 2 Thomas 1997, p. 154.
  5. 1 2 Scherzer 2007, p. 294.
  6. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 172.
  7. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 70.

Bibliography

  • Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (2003). Der U-Boot-Krieg 1939–1945 — Die Ritterkreuzträger der U-Boot-Waffe von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [The U-Boat War 1939–1945 — The Knight's Cross Bearers of the U-Boat Force from September 1939 to May 1945] (in German). Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn Germany: Verlag E.S. Mittler & Sohn. ISBN 978-3-8132-0515-2.
  • Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
  • Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
  • Thomas, Franz (1997). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1: A–K [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 1: A–K] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2299-6.
  • Helgason, Guðmundur. "Carl Emmermann". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 15 April 2007.
Military offices
Preceded by
Korvettenkapitän Georg-Wilhelm Schulz
Commander of the 6th U-boat Flotilla
November 1942 – August 1944
Succeeded by
disbanded
Preceded by
Kapitän zur See Bruno Mahn
Commander of the 31st U-boat Flotilla
April – May 1945
Succeeded by
disbanded
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