Viktor Schütze
Viktor Schütze | |
---|---|
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Born | Flensburg | 16 February 1906
Died | 23 September 1950 Frankfurt am Main | (aged 44)
Allegiance | ![]() ![]() |
Service/ | ![]() ![]() |
Years of service | 1925–45 |
Rank | Kapitän zur See |
Unit | SSS Niobe Hamburg tender Nordsee Meteor Hessen torpedo boat T-155, G-10 cruiser Admiral Scheer destroyer Erich Steinbrinck 1st U-boat Flotilla U-Bootschulflottille 2nd U-boat Flotilla |
Commands | U-19, 1936-01-16 – 1937-09-30 U-11, 1938-08-13 – 1939-09-04 |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Awards | Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub |
Viktor Hermann Otto Ludwig Paul Ferdinand Schütze (16 February 1906 – 23 September 1950), was a Kriegsmarine U-boat ace, sinking a total of 35 allied ships totalling 180,053 gross register tons (GRT) during the Second World War. He is in fifth place among top-scoring U-boat aces. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.
Biography
Schütze was born in Flensburg, and started his naval career in the Reichsmarine aboard German torpedo boats in April 1925, before transferring to the new U-boat division ten years later in October 1935. There he commanded U-19 for two years, before being relieved to take destroyer training - before returning to the U-boat arm in command of U-11. When war broke out he commanded U-25, with which he sailed on three patrols, mainly in the Bay of Biscay and off the Portuguese coast.
In July 1940 he assumed command over the Type IXB U-103, and commanded for four patrols in North Atlantic and African waters. In December he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his successes. In August 1941 he retired from front service, taking up positions as Flottillenchef of 2nd U-boat Flotilla. In March 1943 he became the FdU Ausbildungsflottillen (Commander of the training flottillas in the Baltic Sea) in Flensburg-Kappeln, in which position he served until the end of the war.
He died in Frankfurt am Main in 1950.
Summary of career
Ships attacked
As commander of U-25 and U-103 Schütze is credited with the sinking of 35 ships for a total of 180,073 gross register tons (GRT), further damaging two ships of 14,213 GRT.
Date | U-boat | Name of Ship | Nationality | Tonnage | Fate[1][2] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
31 October 1939 | U-25 | Baoulé | ![]() |
5,874 | Sunk |
17 January 1940 | U-25 | Enid | ![]() |
1,140 | Sunk |
17 January 1940 | U-25 | Polzella | ![]() |
4,751 | Sunk |
18 January 1940 | U-25 | Pajala | ![]() |
6,873 | Sunk |
22 January 1940 | U-25 | Songa | ![]() |
2,589 | Sunk |
3 February 1940 | U-25 | Armanistan | ![]() |
6,805 | Sunk |
13 February 1940 | U-25 | Chastine Mærsk | ![]() |
5,177 | Sunk |
6 October 1940 | U-103 | Nina Borthen | ![]() |
6,123 | Sunk |
9 October 1940 | U-103 | Delphin | ![]() |
3,816 | Sunk |
9 October 1940 | U-103 | Graigwen | ![]() |
3,697 | Damaged |
9 October 1940 | U-103 | Zannes Gounaris | ![]() |
4,407 | Sunk |
13 October 1940 | U-103 | Nora | ![]() |
1,186 | Sunk |
15 October 1940 | U-103 | Thislegarth | ![]() |
4,747 | Sunk |
21 November 1940 | U-103 | Daydawn | ![]() |
4,768 | Sunk |
21 November 1940 | U-103 | Victoria | ![]() |
6,085 | Sunk |
27 November 1940 | U-103 | Glenmoor | ![]() |
4,393 | Sunk |
28 November 1940 | U-103 | Mount Athos | ![]() |
3,578 | Sunk |
28 November 1940 | U-103 | St. Elwyn | ![]() |
4,940 | Sunk |
8 December 1940 | U-103 | Calabria | ![]() |
5,186 | Sunk |
13 February 1941 | U-103 | Arthur F. Corwin | ![]() |
10,516 | Damaged |
17 February 1941 | U-103 | Edwy R. Brown | ![]() |
10,455 | Sunk |
18 February 1941 | U-103 | Seaforth | ![]() |
5,459 | Sunk |
19 February 1941 | U-103 | Benjamin Franklin | ![]() |
7,034 | Sunk |
25 April 1941 | U-103 | Polyana | ![]() |
2,267 | Sunk |
1 May 1941 | U-103 | Samsø | ![]() |
1,494 | Sunk |
3 May 1941 | U-103 | Wray Castle | ![]() |
4,253 | Sunk |
6 May 1941 | U-103 | Dunkwa | ![]() |
4,752 | Sunk |
6 May 1941 | U-103 | Surat | ![]() |
5,529 | Sunk |
9 May 1941 | U-103 | City of Winchester | ![]() |
7,120 | Sunk |
11 May 1941 | U-103 | City of Shanghai | ![]() |
5,828 | Sunk |
22 May 1941 | U-103 | British Grenadier | ![]() |
6,857 | Sunk |
25 May 1941 | U-103 | Radames | ![]() |
3,575 | Sunk |
25 May 1941 | U-103 | Wangi Wangi | ![]() |
7,789 | Sunk |
8 June 1941 | U-103 | Elmdene | ![]() |
4,853 | Sunk |
29 June 1941 | U-103 | Erani | ![]() |
6,619 | Sunk |
Awards
- Spanisches Marineverdienstkreuz in Weiß (21 August 1939)[3]
- Iron Cross (1939)
- Italienisches Kriegskreuz mit Schwertern (1 November 1941)[3]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
- Knight's Cross on 11 December 1940 as Korvettenkapitän and commander of U-103[5][6]
- 23rd Oak Leaves on 14 July 1941 as Korvettenkapitän and commander of U-103[5][7]
- War Merit Cross
- Mentioned four times in the Wehrmachtbericht on 4 December 1940, 10 December 1940, 27 May 1941 and 13 July 1941
Promotions
16 November 1925: | Seekadett (Midshipman)[8] |
1 April 1927: | Fähnrich zur See (Officer Cadet)[8] |
1 June 1928: | Oberfähnrich zur See (Senior Ensign)[8] |
1 October 1929: | Leutnant zur See (Second Lieutenant)[8] |
1 July 1931: | Oberleutnant zur See (First Lieutenant)[8] |
1 October 1935: | Kapitänleutnant (Captain Lieutenant)[3] |
1 February 1940: | Korvettenkapitän (Corvette Captain), effective as of 1 February 1940 with a rank age date on 1 August 1939[3] |
1 March 1943: | Fregattenkapitän (Frigate Captain)[3] |
1 March 1944: | Kapitän zur See (Captain at Sea)[3] |
References
Citations
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-25". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-103". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Busch & Röll 2003, p. 99.
- ^ a b Thomas 1998, p. 295.
- ^ a b Scherzer 2007, p. 688.
- ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 391.
- ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 55.
- ^ a b c d e Busch & Röll 2003, p. 98.
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 (in German). Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn Germany: Verlag E.S. Mittler & Sohn. ISBN 978-3-8132-0515-2.
{{cite book}}
: Invalid|ref=harv
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suggested) (help) - Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
{{cite book}}
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suggested) (help) - 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 (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
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suggested) (help) - Thomas, Franz (1998). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 2: L–Z (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2300-9.
{{cite book}}
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suggested) (help) - Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 1, 1. September 1939 bis 31. Dezember 1941 (in German). München, Germany: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 978-3-423-05944-2.
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External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "Viktor Schütze". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 3 April 2007.
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