Hans Heidtmann
| Hans Heidtmann | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
8 August 1914 Lübeck |
| Died |
5 April 1976 (aged 61) Hamburg |
| Allegiance |
.svg.png){kind=small} Nazi Germany  West Germany |
| Service/branch |
.svg.png){kind=small} Kriegsmarine German Navy |
| Years of service |
1934–45 1958–72 |
| Rank |
Kapitänleutnant (Kriegsmarine) Kapitän zur See (Bundesmarine) |
| Unit |
SSS Gorch Fock cruiser Emden Panzerschiff Deutschland U-14 |
| Commands held |
U-14 U-2 U-559 |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Hans Heidtmann (8 August 1914 – 5 April 1976) was a German U-boat commander in World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany
U-559 under the command of Heidtmann came under attack by several British warships and an aircraft on 30 October 1942. Fatally damaged and forced to the surface, the U-boat was abandoned after scuttling herself in the Mediterranean. A British boarding party, consisting of Lieutenant Francis Anthony Blair Fasson, Able Seaman Colin Grazier, and Canteen Assistant Tommy Brown, from destroyer HMS Petard recovered the cryptographic materials, but the U-boat sank before the Enigma cipher machine could be brought out. Eight German crewmen and two British seamen were lost, and 37 German survivors were taken prisoner of war.
Awards
- Wehrmacht Long Service Award 4th Class (8 April 1938)[1]
- Spanish Cross in Bronze with Swords (6 June 1939)[2]
- Sudetenland Medal (16 September 1939)[2]
- U-boat War Badge (1939) (26 November 1939)[2]
- Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (27 November 1939) & 1st Class (23 September 1941)[2]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 12 April 1943 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-559[3]
- Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 12 June 1942
References
Citations
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.
- 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.
- Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 2, 1. Januar 1942 bis 31. Dezember 1943 (in German). München: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 3-423-05944-3.
External links
- "Marinestützpunktkommandos". Das Bundesarchiv (in German). Retrieved 10 March 2014.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Fregattenkapitän Gerd Schreiber |
Commander of the Marinestützpunktkommando Wilhelmshaven April 1964 – September 1965 |
Succeeded by Kapitän zur See Karl-Heinz Wünn |