Reinhard Suhren

Reinhard Suhren

Reinhard Suhren
Nickname Teddy
Born 16 April 1916(1916-04-16)
Langenschwalbach, Taunus
Died 25 August 1984(1984-08-25) (aged 68)
Halstenbek, Hamburg
Allegiance Nazi Germany
Service/branch  Kriegsmarine
Years of service 1935 – 1945
Rank Fregattenkapitän
Unit destroyer Z3 Max Schultz
1st U-boat Flotilla
27th U-boat Flotilla
Commands held U-564, 3 April 1942 – 1 October 1942
F.d.U. Nordmeer
Battles/wars

World War II
Awards Iron Cross 1st Class
U-boat War Badge
Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
Relations Gerd Suhren
Other work Petroleum industry

Commander Reinhard "Teddy" Suhren (16 April 1916 – 25 August 1984) was a German U-boat commander in World War II and younger brother of Korvettenkapitän (Ing.) and Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) recipient Gerd Suhren. Suhren began his U-boat career in March 1938. He spent a year as 1st watch officer on U-48 where he received the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross. In April 1941 he took command of U-564. He is credited with the sinking of 18 merchant vessels of 95,544 gross register tons (GRT), 1 war ship of 900 tons and damaged 4 merchant vessels of 28,907 GRT for which he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub mit Schwertern).

Suhren left the boat and became an instructor in October 1942. He then served in the 27th U-boat flotilla along with Korvettenkapitän Erich Topp. During the last year of the war Fregattenkapitän Suhren was the Führer der U-Boote Norwegen (Leader of U-boats in Norwegian waters) and from September 1944 the Commander-in-Chief of U-boats of the North Sea.

Contents

Biography

Suhren was born on 16 April 1916 in Langenschwalbach in the Taunus and joined the Reichsmarine[a] on 5 April 1935 after he had received his Abitur from the Landständischen Oberschule in Bautzen. He received his military basic training in the 2nd company (2. Kompanie) in the 2nd department (II. Abteilung) of the standing ship division (Schiffsstammdivision) of the Baltic Sea in Stralsund (5 April 1934–17 June 1935). He was then transferred to the school ship Gorch Fock (18 June 1935–26 September 1935) attaining the rank of Seekadett on 25 September 1935.

World War II

He spent a year as first Watch Officer on U-48, where he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for assisting in the sinking of 200,000 GRT of allied shipping. In April 1941 he took command of U-564, and in August 1941 he sank the British corvette HMS Zinnia. In May 1942 he sunk the Mexican oil tanker Potrero del Llano. The sinking of this ship, compounded with U-106's attack on another tank, the Faja de Oro, would bring Mexico to declare war on the Axis powers.

In October 1942 he left the boat and became an instructor. Later he served in the 27th U-boat Flotilla along with Korvettenkapitän Erich Topp. During the last year of the war the newly appointed Fregattenkapitän Suhren was Führer der U-Boote in Norwegian waters and from September 1944 for the North Sea.

His parents and sister committed suicide in 1945, after failing to escape from the Sudetenland.[1]

Summary of career

Reinhard Suhren is credited with the destruction of 18 merchant ships for a total of 95,544 GRT, 1 warship sunk for a total of 900 GRT and damaged 4 ships for a total of 28,907 GRT.

Date U-boat Name of Ship Nationality Tonnage Fate
27 June 1941 U-564 Kongsgaard Norwegian 9,467 damaged at
27 June 1941 U-564 Maasdam Netherlands 8,812 sunk at
27 June 1941 U-564 Malaya II British 8,651 sunk at
29 June 1941 U-564 Hekla Icelandic 1,215 sunk at
22 August 1941 U-564 Clonlara Irish 1,203 sunk at
22 August 1941 U-564 Empire Oak British 484 sunk at
23 August 1941 U-564 HMS Zinnia (K98) British 900 sunk at
24 October 1941 U-564 Alhama British 1,352 sunk at
24 October 1941 U-564 Ariosto British 2,176 sunk at
24 October 1941 U-564 Carsbreck British 3,670 sunk at
11 February 1942 U-564 Victolite Canadian 11,410 sunk at
16 February 1942 U-564 Opalia British 6,195 damaged at
3 May 1942 U-564 Ocean Venus British 7,174 sunk at
4 May 1942 U-564 Eclipse British 9,767 damaged at
5 May 1942 U-564 Delisle American 3,478 damaged at
8 May 1942 U-564 Ohioan American 6,078 sunk at
9 May 1942 U-564 Lubrafol Panaman 7,138 sunk at
14 May 1942 U-564 Potrero del Llano Mexican 4,000 sunk at
19 July 1942 U-564 Empire Hawksbill British 5,724 sunk at
19 July 1942 U-564 Lavington Court British 5,372 sunk at
19 August 1942 U-564 SS British Consul British 6,940 sunk at
19 August 1942 U-564 SS Empire Cloud British 5,969 sunk at
30 August 1942 U-564 Vardaas Norwegian 8,176 sunk at

Awards

Quotes

After returning from his last and longest mission, when U-564 came to the port of Brest, Suhren greeted his friend Hein Uphoff with the words "Hein, Hein, sind die Nazis noch am Ruder?" Literally translating to "Hein, Hein, are the Nazis still at the rudder?" This made news in the entire U-Boat service.[6]

Notes

Footnotes

Citations

  1. ^ Brustal-Naval & Suhren 1999, p. 15-16.
  2. ^ a b c d Busch & Röhn 2003, p. 93.
  3. ^ Brustal-Naval & Suhren 1999, p. 97.
  4. ^ Busch & Röhn 2003, p. 94.
  5. ^ a b c Scherzer 2007, p. 735.
  6. ^ Brustal-Naval & Suhren 1999, p. 123.

References

  • Berger, Florian (2000). Mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern. Die höchstdekorierten Soldaten des Zweiten Weltkrieges (in German). Wien, Austria: Selbstverlag Florian Berger. ISBN 3-9501307-0-5.
  • Brustal-Naval, Fritz and Teddy Suhren, Teddy (1999). Nasses Eichenlaub: als Kommandant und F.d.U. im U-Boot-Krieg (in German). Frankfurt/Main, Berlin Germany: Ullstein. ISBN 3-548-23537-9.
  • Busch, Rainer & Röll, Hans-Joachim (2003). Der U-Boot-Krieg 1939-1945 - Die Ritterkreuzträger der U-Boot-Waffe von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 (in German). Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn Germany: Verlag E.S. Mittler & Sohn. ISBN 3-8132-0515-0.
  • Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945 (in German). Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
  • Kurowski, Franz (1995). Knight's Cross Holders of the U-Boat Service. Schiffer Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0-88740-748-X.
  • Range, Clemens (1974). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Kriegsmarine (in German). Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 3-87943-355-0.
  • 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 (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
  • Helden der Wehrmacht - Unsterbliche deutsche Soldaten (in German). München, Germany: FZ-Verlag GmbH, 2004. ISBN 3-924309-53-1.

External links