Otto Westphalen
Otto Westphalen | |
|---|---|
| File:Otto Westphalen.jpg | |
| Born | 12 March 1920 Hamburg |
| Died | 9 January 2008 (aged 87) Hamburg |
| Allegiance |  Nazi Germany |
| Service/ |  Kriegsmarine |
| Years of service | 1938–45 |
| Rank | Oberleutnant zur See |
| Unit | 21st U-boat Flotilla 13th U-boat Flotilla |
| Commands | U-121 (16 May 1942 – 8 February 1943) U-968 (18 March 1943 – 8 May 1945) |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Otto Westphalen (12 March 1920 in Hamburg – 9 January 2008) was a German U-boat commander in World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, awarded by Nazi Germany to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.
Career
Westphalen joined the Kriegsmarine in October 1938, and took part in the invasion of Poland aboard the battleship Schlesien a year later. He then served on the torpedo boat Kondor for six months before joining the U-boat force in October 1940.[1]
He sailed on four patrols as watch officer of U-566 in 1941, and in May 1942 took command of the school boat U-121. In March 1943 he commissioned the Type VIIC U-boat U-968, and was attached to 13th U-boat Flotilla, based at Trondheim, Norway, for operations against convoys in the Arctic Sea.[1]
Westphalen sailed on seven combat patrols between March 1944 and May 1945, though all his victories were made in February and March 1945;[2] he sank three merchant ships, damaged another, and sank the British sloops HMS Lark and HMS Lapwing.[3] On 29 April 1945 he attacked but missed HMS Goodall which was sunk an hour later by U-286.
In January 1944 Westphalen served on the military court which sentenced Oskar Kusch, the commander of U-154, to death on charges of "defeatism".[4]
Westphalen surrendered in May 1945 in Narvik.[1]
Summary of career
Ships attacked
| Date | Ship | Tons | Nationality | Convoy | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 February 1945 | Horace Gray | 7,200 |  United States
|
BK-3 | Total loss |
| 14 February 1945 | Norfjell | 8,129 |  Norway
|
BK-3 | Damaged |
| 17 February 1945 | HMS Lark | 1,350 |  Royal Navy
|
RA-64 | Total loss |
| 17 February 1945 | Thomas Scott | 7,176 | United States
|
RA-64 | Sunk |
| 20 March 1945 | HMS Lapwing | 1,350 | Royal Navy
|
JW-65 | Sunk |
| 20 March 1945 | Thomas Donaldson | 7,210 | United States
|
JW-65 | Sunk |
Awards
- U-boat War Badge (1939) (8 October 1941)[5]
- Iron Cross (1939)
- German Cross in Gold on 18 February 1945 as Oberleutnant zur See on U-968/13th U-boat Flotilla[6]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 23 March 1945 as Oberleutnant zur See and commander of U-968[7]
- Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 24 March 1945
References
- ^ a b c d Helgason, Guðmundur. "Oberleutnant zur See Otto Westphalen". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by U-boat U-968". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-968". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
- ^ "The Case of Oskar Kusch and the Limits of U-boat Camaraderie in World War II: Reflections on a German Tragedy". ijnhonline.org. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
- ^ a b c Busch & Röll 2003, p. 507.
- ^ Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 509.
- ^ Scherzer 2007, p. 782.
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}}: Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=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}}: Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help) - Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=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.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help)
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "Otto Westphalen". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
