Erich Würdemann
Erich Würdemann | |
|---|---|
| Commands held | U-506 |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Erich Würdemann (15 January 1914 – 14 July 1943) was a German submarine commander in World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany.
Career
In April 1933, Würdemann joined the
Würdemann's most successful patrol (his second) took him into the Gulf of Mexico in May 1942, where he sank nine ships and damaged three.[2] His next patrol took him to the waters off West Africa, where he sank another five ships and was involved in the Laconia incident.[1] After U-156 sank the passenger liner RMS Laconia, which was carrying 450 British and Polish soldiers and about 1,800 Italian prisoners of war, the U-boat commenced rescue operations, and was joined by others in the area, including U-506; but the U-boats were later attacked by an American aircraft, which resulted in Admiral Dönitz issuing an order to the Navy not to pick up survivors.
Würdemann sailed to the waters off South Africa in early 1943 and sank two more ships.[1] Finally, on 14 July 1943, six days into his fifth patrol, Würdemann was killed, along with all but six of his crew, when U-506 was sunk in the Atlantic west of Vigo, Spain by depth charges dropped from a Consolidated B-24 Liberator of the United States Army Air Forces' 1st Antisubmarine Squadron.[3]
Awards
- Wehrmacht Long Service Award 4th Class (1 April 1937)[4]
- Iron Cross (1939)
- Destroyer War Badge (23 October 1940)[4]
- U-boat War Badge (1939) (26 March 1942)[4]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 14 March 1943 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-506[5]
References
Notes
- ^ a b c Helgason, Guðmundur. "Kapitänleutnant Erich Würdemann". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol of U-boat U-506 from 6 Apr 1942 to 15 Jun 1942". U-boat patrols - uboat.net. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC U-boat U-506". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
- ^ a b c d e Busch & Röll 2003, p. 320.
- ^ Scherzer 2007, p. 799.
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.
- 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.
- Tougias, Michael (2016). So Close to Home: The True Story of an American Family's Fight for Survival During WWII. New York: Pegasus Books. ISBN 978-1681771304.
