Stan.J
08-01-2008, 20:48
During the 2nd World war the most successful and best known U-Boat ace was Otto Kretschmer. He sank during a period of 18 months over a quarter of a million tons of enemy shipping. Second only to him was Kapitan zur See Wolfgang Luth. He sank almost 50 ships. approximately 230,000 tons.
he was the first of two Officers to receive the highest award. The Knights Cross with Diamonds.
During the war he took command of 4 U-Boats Including U9 the number of the Boat which the famous Otto Weddigen commanded during the first world war.
This U9 was built in 1935 and had on its conning tower a the shape of the Iron Cross which they dedicated to Weddigen.
Wolfgang was a dedicated adherent to the NAZI cause and followed this line throughout his service. He seemed to have no compunction to the crews of any of the ships he sank. However he was idolised by his crew. They were alsways backed up by him at all times.
In 1944 he was made Commandant of the German Naval Acadamy. He was only thirty years old- The youngest Captain on the Books.
However the end of Wolfgang Luth took a different path to many of the U-Boat Captains. In May 1945 when the War was over He was in Flensburg which was in the British area of occupation.British forces allowed Luth, as the Area Commander at the time, to post German Sentries because of the possible threat to the generak welfare of the area.. Luth took the sentries fromAdmiral Donitz`s Guard Battalion, a unitformed for the protection of the Government.They were composed of Submariners and Commanded By Korvettenkapitan Peter Cremer. "Ask once for the password" Luth had put in written orders,"and if no answer, Shoot".
After midnight .the weather being dark, rainy, windy and cold.A youngster of 18 years Matthias Gottlob was the sentry on duty. At half midnight he heard footsteps "Halt!" he shouted. "Wer da?"(who is there)
Nobody answered. Gottlob called again "Wer da?" still no answer. The stranger has stopped. a third time he cried "Wer da?". No answer. Gottlob shoots his rifle and heard the fall of a body. Another guard came up and asked "What happened?" "I shot someone" replied Gottlob. The other guard peers at the body on the ground "Its a senior Officer.One of ours"
The sentry looked down closely at the body on the ground.
"God," he said "Its Wolfgang Luth, The Commandant."
I wonder what Wolfgang Luth would have done if he had survived the war? I suspect he would still have been involved in The New German navy when it was restarted later on. Or would he had been incarcerated in prison? We can only surmise.
Thanks to Jordan Vause and "The U-Boat Ace."
he was the first of two Officers to receive the highest award. The Knights Cross with Diamonds.
During the war he took command of 4 U-Boats Including U9 the number of the Boat which the famous Otto Weddigen commanded during the first world war.
This U9 was built in 1935 and had on its conning tower a the shape of the Iron Cross which they dedicated to Weddigen.
Wolfgang was a dedicated adherent to the NAZI cause and followed this line throughout his service. He seemed to have no compunction to the crews of any of the ships he sank. However he was idolised by his crew. They were alsways backed up by him at all times.
In 1944 he was made Commandant of the German Naval Acadamy. He was only thirty years old- The youngest Captain on the Books.
However the end of Wolfgang Luth took a different path to many of the U-Boat Captains. In May 1945 when the War was over He was in Flensburg which was in the British area of occupation.British forces allowed Luth, as the Area Commander at the time, to post German Sentries because of the possible threat to the generak welfare of the area.. Luth took the sentries fromAdmiral Donitz`s Guard Battalion, a unitformed for the protection of the Government.They were composed of Submariners and Commanded By Korvettenkapitan Peter Cremer. "Ask once for the password" Luth had put in written orders,"and if no answer, Shoot".
After midnight .the weather being dark, rainy, windy and cold.A youngster of 18 years Matthias Gottlob was the sentry on duty. At half midnight he heard footsteps "Halt!" he shouted. "Wer da?"(who is there)
Nobody answered. Gottlob called again "Wer da?" still no answer. The stranger has stopped. a third time he cried "Wer da?". No answer. Gottlob shoots his rifle and heard the fall of a body. Another guard came up and asked "What happened?" "I shot someone" replied Gottlob. The other guard peers at the body on the ground "Its a senior Officer.One of ours"
The sentry looked down closely at the body on the ground.
"God," he said "Its Wolfgang Luth, The Commandant."
I wonder what Wolfgang Luth would have done if he had survived the war? I suspect he would still have been involved in The New German navy when it was restarted later on. Or would he had been incarcerated in prison? We can only surmise.
Thanks to Jordan Vause and "The U-Boat Ace."