Heinrich Bleichrodt

After training, Bleichrodt spent a period aboard the small training boat U-8 followed by a single patrol with later Knight's Cross winner Kapitänleutnant Wilhelm Rollmann aboard U-34 during June and July 1940. This was a highly successful cruise, sinking eight ships for a total of 22,434 GRT, with Bleichrodt receiving the Iron Cross 2nd Class on 25 July. He was then given command of his own U-boat, U-48 on 4 September 1940. He began his first war patrol aboard her on 8 September, going on to sink eight ships for a total of 36,189 tons.

On 15 September he sank HMS Dundee. He went on to torpedo and sink SS City of Benares on 18 September before returning to port on 25 September. Unknown to Bleichrodt, there were 90 children on board the liner being evacuated to Canada under the Children's Overseas Reception Board's initiative in order to escape the effects of the Blitz. 258 people, including 77 of the evacuees, died in the disaster.[2] The sinking was controversial, but the ship was not marked as being an evacuation transport, and it is unlikely that Bleichrodt would have been aware that children were amongst the passengers. He was also limited in what aid he could have provided even if he had been aware. He had been awarded the U-boat War Badge 1939 on 24 September, and on his arrival in port on 25 September he received the Iron Cross 1st Class.

He put to sea again on 5 October and undertook another highly successful patrol, sinking eight ships, including three merchantmen from the ill-fated convoys SC 7 and HX 79. He returned to Kiel on 27 October having sunk 43,106 tons of shipping. Three days before returning, U-48 was radioed and Bleichrodt was informed that he was to be awarded the Knight's Cross. Bleichrodt refused to wear it until his IWO Oberleutnant zur See Reinhard 'Teddy' Suhren was also awarded one. Bleichrodt pointed out that Suhren had overseen all surface shooting on previous missions and was also entitled. Suhren duly received the Knight's Cross in November that year.

Bleichrodt left U-48 on 16 December 1940 and briefly took command of U-67 on 22 January 1941 until 4 June 1941. He did not carry out any war cruises before being moved to take command of U-109 on 5 June 1941. He carried out six patrols with her, not achieving the same degree of success he had had with U-48, but still sinking 13 ships for a total of some 80,000 tons. He received the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross on 23 September 1942, followed by the U-boat War Badge with Diamonds in October. He was promoted to Korvettenkapitän on 1 November 1943.

Bleichrodt appears to have suffered a breakdown whilst at sea on 26 December 1943.[3] He radioed U-boat headquarters to request an immediate return to port, but this was initially denied. On 31 December Bleichrodt insisted that he return, and handed command to his 1WO, who brought U-109 back to Saint Nazaire.[3] He was transferred to a training job with the 27th U-boat Flotilla, spending five months there followed by a year in the 2nd ULD (U-boat training division) as tactical instructor for the officers. He received a final promotion to Korvettenkapitän (corvette captain) on 1 November 1943, and in July 1944 he was appointed as Chief of the 22nd U-boat Flotilla, a post he held until the end of the war.[1]

As commander of U-48 and U-109, Bleichrodt is credited with the sinking of 24 ships for a total of 151,260 gross register tons (GRT), further damaging two ships of 11,684 GRT and sinking one warship, HMS Dundee, of 1,060 long tons (1,080 tonnes).

Date	U-boat	Ship	Nationality	Tonnage GRT	Fate
15 September 1940	U-48	Alexandros	Greece	4,343	Sunk at 56°30′N 16°30′W [4]
15 September 1940	U-48	HMS Dundee	Royal Navy	1,060	Sunk at 56°45′N 14°14′W[4]
15 September 1940	U-48	Empire Volunteer	United Kingdom	5,319	Sunk at 56°43′N 15°17′W[4]
18 September 1940	U-48	City of Benares	United Kingdom	11,081	Sunk at 56°43′N 21°15′W [5]
18 September 1940	U-48	Marina	United Kingdom	5,088	Sunk at 56°46′N 21°15′W [5]
18 September 1940	U-48	Magdalena	United Kingdom	3,118	Sunk at 57°20′N 20°16′W [5]
21 September 1940	U-48	Blairangus	United Kingdom	4,409	Sunk at 55°18′N 22°21′W[5]
21 September 1940	U-48	Broompark	United Kingdom	5,136	Damaged at 49°02′N 40°26′W[4]
11 October 1940	U-48	Brandanger	Norway	4,624	Sunk at 57°10′N 17°42′W [6]
11 October 1940	U-48	Port Gisborne	United Kingdom	8,390	Sunk at 56°38′N 16°40′W
12 October 1940	U-48	Davanger	Norway	7,102	Sunk at 57°00′N 19°10′W [6]
17 October 1940	U-48	Languedoc	United Kingdom	9,512	Sunk at 59°14′N 17°51′W [7]
17 October 1940	U-48	Scoresby	United Kingdom	3,843	Sunk at 59°14′N 17°51′W [7]
18 October 1940	U-48	Sandend	United Kingdom	3,612	Sunk at 58°12′N 21°29′W [7]
20 October 1940	U-48	Shirak	United Kingdom	6,023	Damaged by U-47, sunk by U-48 at 57°00′N 16°53′W[8]
23 January 1941	U-109	Thirlby	United Kingdom	4,877	Sunk at 43°20′N 66°15′W[9]
1 February 1941	U-109	Tacoma Star	United Kingdom	7,924	Sunk at 38°46′N 64°17′W[10]
5 February 1941	U-109	Montrolite	Canada	11,309	Sunk at 35°14′N 60°05′W[10]
6 February 1941	U-109	Halcyon	Panama	3,531	Sunk at 34°20′N 59°16′W [10]
20 April 1941	U-109	La Paz	United Kingdom	6,548	Damaged at 28°15′N 80°20′W
3 May 1941	U-109	Laertes	Netherlands	5,825	Sunk at 28°21′N 80°23′W [11]
7 August 1941	U-109	Arthur W. Sewall	Norway	6,030	Sunk at 8°28′N 34°21′W[12]
11 August 1941	U-109	Vimeira	United Kingdom	5,728	Sunk at 10°03′N 28°55′W [13]
3 September 1941	U-109	Ocean Might	United Kingdom	7,173	Sunk at 0°57′N 4°11′W [14]
6 September 1941	U-109	Tuscan Star	United Kingdom	11,449	Sunk at 1°34′N 11°39′W [14]
17 September 1941	U-109	Peterton	United Kingdom	5,221	Sunk at 18°45′N 29°15′W

• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (25 July 1940)[15]
  • 1st Class (25 September 1940)[15]
• U-boat War Badge with Diamonds (1939)
  • U-boat War Badge (24 September 1940)[15]
  • U-boat War Badge with Diamonds (September 1942)[16]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 24 October 1940 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-48[17]
  • 125th Oak Leaves on 23 September 1942 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-109[17]
• Croce di Guerra Italiana al Valore Militare (1 November 1941)[15]
• War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords (1 January 1945)[18]