Peter Zschech

Kapitänleutnant (Crew 36)


Successes
1 ship sunk for a total of 7,173 GRT

Born  1 Oct 1918 Constantinople, Turkey
Died  24 Oct 1943(25)North Atlantic


Ranks

3 Apr 1936Offiziersanwärter
10 Sep 1936Seekadett
1 May 1937Fähnrich zur See
1 Jul 1938Oberfähnrich zur See
1 Oct 1938Leutnant zur See
1 Oct 1940Oberleutnant zur See
1 Apr 1943Kapitänleutnant

Decorations

21 Dec 1939Iron Cross 2nd Class
19 Oct 1940Destroyer War Badge
31 Dec 1941U-boat War Badge 1939
12 Apr 1942Iron Cross 1st Class

U-boat Commands

U-boatFromTo
U-505 6 Sep 1942 24 Oct 1943  (+)  7 patrols (118 days, * died during this patrol) 

Personal information

Peter Zschech was of crew 1936. He was a watch officer on the destroyer Z 7 Hermann Schoemann from July 1939 through April 1940 and then served on the Z 14 Friedrich Ihn from April 1940 to October 1940. He began his U-boat training in Oct 1940 and after completing his courses was sent to the U-124 as a watch officer in August 1941.

He served on U-124 during Mohr’s first 4 very successful patrols sinking 22 ships and damaging 3 more. With this valuable experience he went to Commander Training at the 24th U-boat flotilla at Memel during August – early Sept 1942 before being assigned to the U-505 on 6 Sept 1942.

Peter Zschech’s background was thus ideal and great things were expected of him. He never really lived up to that and was, according to many accounts, not well liked by his crew. Repeated sabotage on the boat forced to return to port on several occasions when just starting his next patrol and this surely did not help his morale.

During his almost 14 month command he spent only 96 days at sea during 6 patrols (3 of them abortive 1 day attempts during August 1943). Only his first patrol, 69 days, was a normal one and during it he sank his only ship, the 7.173 ton British merchant Ocean Justice sunk without casualties off South America.

While outbound east of the Azores on 24 Oct, 1943 the boat was severely attacked by depth charges. Peter Zschech apparently broke down and took his own life with a handgun in the control room of the boat. The IWO, Oblt. Paul Mayer (26), then took command, evaded the pursuers and returned the boat to Lorient on 7. Nov, 1943.


The approximate location of the boat during the attack

1936 crew

Peter Zschech was one of the famous Olympia class of the Kriegsmarine. The 1936 class chose the Olympic rings as their symbol (Olympic games being held in Berlin during 1936). This class trained the most U-boats commanders – 140 from their ranks took command during the war.

Sources

Busch, R. & Röll, H. (1999). German U-boat Commanders of World War II.

Patrol info for Peter Zschech


 U-boat Departure Arrival  
1. U-505 4 Oct 1942  Lorient  12 Dec 1942  Lorient  Patrol 1,70 days
2. U-505 1 Jul 1943  Lorient  13 Jul 1943  Lorient  Patrol 2,13 days
3. U-505 1 Aug 1943  Lorient  2 Aug 1943  Lorient  Patrol 3,2 days
4. U-505 14 Aug 1943  Lorient  15 Aug 1943  Lorient  Patrol 4,2 days
5. U-505 21 Aug 1943  Lorient  22 Aug 1943  Lorient  Patrol 5,2 days
6. U-505 18 Sep 1943  Lorient  30 Sep 1943  Lorient  Patrol 6,13 days
7. U-505 9 Oct 1943  Lorient  7 Nov 1943  Lorient  Patrol 7,16 days*
7 patrols, 118 days at sea
* Peter Zschech died during this patrol on 24 Oct 1943

Ships hit by Peter Zschech

Date U-boat Name of ship Tons Nat. Convoy
7 Nov 1942U-505 Ocean Justice7,173br
 7,173

1 ship sunk (7,173 tons).



Verdammter Atlantik

Herlin, Hans


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Books dealing with this subject include:

Verdammter Atlantik. Herlin, Hans, 1994. (transl.)


About ranks and decorations
Ranks shown in italics are our database inserts based on the rank dates of his crew comrades. The officers of each crew would normally have progressed through the lower ranks at the same rate.

Special thanks to Fernando Almeida for data on ranks and decorations.

Listing of all U-boat commanders