Carl Emmermann

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).

Carl Emmermann
Carl Emmermann
Born(1915-03-06)6 March 1915
Hamburg
Died25 March 1990(1990-03-25) (aged 75)
Celle
AllegianceGermany
Service/branch Kriegsmarine
Years of service1934–45
RankKorvettenkapitän
UnitSSS Gorch Fock
light cruiser Karlsruhe
6th U-boat Flotilla
10th U-boat Flotilla
Commands heldU-172, 5 November 1941 – 31 October 1943
U-3037, 3 March 1945 – 22 April 1945
Battles/warsBattle of the Atlantic
AwardsIron Cross First Class
U-boat War Badge with Diamonds
U-boat Front Clasp
Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves
Other workEngineer
businessman

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 1942AthelknightUnited Kingdom8,490Sunk
3 June 1942City of AlmaUnited States5,446Sunk
5 June 1942DelfinaUnited States3,480Sunk
8 June 1942SicilienUnited States1,654Sunk
14 June 1942LeboreUnited States8,289Sunk
15 June 1942BennestvetNorway2,438Sunk
18 June 1942MotorexUnited Kingdom1,958Sunk
23 June 1942Resolute *Colombia35Sunk
9 July 1942Santa RitaUnited States8,379Sunk
7 October 1942Chicksaw CityUnited States6,196Sunk
7 October 1942FirethornPanama4,700Sunk
8 October 1942OrcadesUnited Kingdom23,456Sunk
31 October 1942Aldington CourtUnited Kingdom4,891Sunk
2 November 1942LlandiloUnited Kingdom4,996Sunk
23 November 1942BenlomondUnited Kingdom6,630Sunk
28 November 1942AlaskanUnited States5,364Sunk
4 March 1943City of PretoriaUnited Kingdom6,049Sunk
13 March 1943ThorstrandNorway3,041Sunk
13 March 1943KeystoneUnited States5,565Sunk
16 March 1943Benjamin HarrisonUnited States7,191Sunk
29 March 1943MoandaBelgium4,621Sunk
28 June 1943Vernon CityUnited Kingdom4,748Sunk
12 July 1943African StarUnited States6,507Sunk
15 July 1943HarmonicUnited Kingdom4,558Sunk
24 July 1943Fort ChilcotinUnited 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. Busch & Röll 2003, p. 276.
  3. Busch & Röll 2003, p. 277.
  4. Thomas 1997, p. 154.
  5. 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.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • 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.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • 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.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • 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.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • 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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