captain august october second successful german boat ace world war career record merchant ships plus french submarine sunk war patrols total displacement gross register tons grt second lieutenant commander totaled grt joined period training surface vessels transferred boat service december received command took war patrols june took command patrols october transferred time ocean going submarine war patrols patrols second longest war awarded knight oak leaves swords diamonds boat commanders honored world war recipient service position commander naval academy accidentally shot killed german night given state funeral boat commander commemorated early life career baltic german born russian_empire went received school leaving certificate studied law parents approval joined april underwent basic military training 2nd department standing ship division baltic_sea april june transferred training ship june september attaining rank september initially served surface fleet going month training tour world light cruiser september june advanced rank july served year aboard light cruiser march january attaining rank april ensign october february transferred boat arm promoted junior grade june july appointed 2nd watch officer july october sailed patrol spanish waters civil war country boat tender april october appointed 1st watch officer command lieutenant course world war earn knight oak leaves patrol august september war started september boats command december took command type boat went patrols boat achieving steady success victim following premature smoke float swedish sank january surface attack carried bridge filled crew members included surfaced french submarine seven merchant ships total gross register tons grt officers awarded knight chief engineer decorated chief engineer 1st watch officer january april received award time commander june took command type sank ships patrol totalling grt october having returned second patrol fired torpedo missed norwegian merchant steamer grt sank british merchant steamer grt damaged british motor tanker grt mentioned time daily report military situation fronts september received knight achievements october october took command long range type boat carried patrols boat totaling days sea sinking ships adding grt january promoted experience like commanders tasked training future boat commanders came single war patrols exercise received command sailed onboard april july awarded knight commander killed action july sinking depart war patrol area west africa early february sank tied old sailing ship floating pier previous day noticed slow steady water matters worse contrary der boat command headquarters directive hatch left open allowing water pour torpedo room petty officers found fault captain ultimately responsible record punishment survived career appear affected given command long range type boat left patrol september departing kiel indian_ocean waters south_africa october reached sea lanes outside cape_town spent month patrolling area sinking ships grt returning france january november received knight oak leaves january kriegsmarine officers traveled wolf hitler headquarters present day poland presentation following presentation hitler met private meeting hitler appointed der marine commander chief kriegsmarine following resignation january return flight berlin informed officers present change command march set second patrol south_africa indian_ocean particular waters mauritius patrol lasted days march october making second longest war longest combat patrol world war days length achieved commander sank ships totaling grt patrol turned sea promoted april april received news awarded knight oak leaves swords supply ship east mauritius refuel june present command commanders exchanged experiences discussed problem torpedo failures august year patrol awarded knight oak leaves swords diamonds july sunk british noted men left floating piece wreckage high sea mile distance land probably saved nominated crew members patrol chief engineer august received knight cross achievements ashore years operational boat service including war patrols days sea took command 22nd boat flotilla stationed january training unit boat commanders july took command promoted commander august commander entire september promoted commander september death occupied initially changed daily routine returning drunk night failed respond challenge shot head year old german guard day officer charge immediately informed grand admiral adjutant accepted initially thought bad joke informed brother siblings staying informed wife children died contacted british city commander colonel roberts asking permission conduct formal state funeral roberts approved funeral held adolf_hitler successor head state grand admiral delivering eulogy ordered board inquiry court martial clarify circumstances shooting officers command navy judge conducted court martial stated accordance orders asked times response person visually identify darkness aiming fired rifle hip chain events confirmed leading watch time court ruled guilty cleared fault popular culture subject account german author pen commemorating successful boat commandant second world war according subtitle admission author given work typically reserved works fiction book count dead popular image german submarine canadian historian panned works pulp trade focused hero making summary career awards bronze june return commemorative medal october september boat october boat war badge diamonds january november 2nd class january 1st class des october knight oak leaves swords diamonds knight cross october commander november commander 29th swords april commander 7th diamonds august commander twice ships attacked career sank commercial ships grt warship grt damaged ships grt patrol saw sea days patrolling waters cape_town madagascar making second longest patrol war promotions
Wolfgang Lüth