Paul Büchel

Fregattenkapitän (Crew 25)


Successes
3 ships sunk, total tonnage 6,697 GRT
2 ships damaged, total tonnage 17,525 GRT

Born  3 Aug 1907 Greifenberg, Pomerania


If you can help with photo or any information on this Officer please contact us at gummi@uboat.net.

Ranks

1 Apr 1925Offiziersanwärter
1 Apr 1927Fähnrich zur See
1 Jun 1928Oberfähnrich zur See
1 Oct 1929Leutnant zur See
1 Jul 1931Oberleutnant zur See
1 Oct 1935Kapitänleutnant
1 Jan 1940Korvettenkapitän
1 Oct 1943Fregattenkapitän

Decorations

6 Jun 1939Spanish Cross in Bronze without Swords
1 Oct 1939Iron Cross 2nd Class
Jan 1940Iron Cross 1st Class
23 Jan 1940U-boat War Badge 1939

U-boat Commands

U-boatFromTo
U-32 16 Aug 1937 11 Feb 1940   3 patrols (58 days) 
U-860 12 Aug 1943 15 Jun 1944   1 patrol (66 days) 

Paul Büchel joined the German Navy (Reichsmarine) in 1925. He began his U-boat training in May 1937. Upon completing the training in late August he took command of U-32.

During the second patrol of U-32, a mine-laying in Bristol Channel, during Sept 1939 Büchel sank 2 vessels by torpedoes and two large freighters were damaged in the otherwise unproductive minefield.

On completing the third patrol with U-32, a planned mine-laying in the dangerous waters of Firth of Clyde, on 22 Jan 1940 Chief of U-boats Dönitz was unhappy with Korvettenkapitän Paul Büchel's decision to abandon the intended destination just a few miles off and putting his 8 mines in deeper waters (where they did not explode). This mission had been designed to sink a capital ship with the new and powerful TMC mines (Blair, 1996). Dönitz wrote that the explanation from the commander had been "unconvincing" and the mission had been "a difficult one - too difficult for this commanding officer" (BdU War diary).

Büchel was thus relieved of command from U 32 on 11 Feb 1940 and served in several training staff positions until taking command of the larger U-860 on 12 August 1943. On 15 June 1944, 66 days into his first patrol, en route to the Far East as a Monsun boat, the boat was sunk by aircraft from the escort carrier USS Solomons. Büchel and 19 of his men survived but 42 died.

Sources

BdU War diary (22 Jan 1940). 16 - 30 Jan 1940. PG number 30256.
Blair, C. (1996). Hitler’s U-boat War. The Hunters, 1939-1942.
Busch, R and Röll, H-J. (1998). German U-boat commanders of World War II.

Patrol info for Paul Büchel


 U-boat Departure Arrival  
1. U-32 27 Aug 1939  Memel  1 Sep 1939  Kiel  Patrol 1,6 days
2. U-32 5 Sep 1939  Kiel  30 Sep 1939  Wilhelmshaven  Patrol 2,26 days
3. U-32 28 Dec 1939  Wilhelmshaven  22 Jan 1940  Wilhelmshaven  Patrol 3,26 days
4. U-860 11 Apr 1944  Kiel  15 Jun 1944  Sunk  Patrol 4,66 days
4 patrols, 124 days at sea

Ships hit by Paul Büchel

Date U-boat Name of ship Tons Nat. Convoy
18 Sep 1939U-32 Kensington Court4,863br
28 Sep 1939U-32 Jern875nw
5 Oct 1939U-32 Marwarri (d.) [Mine]8,063br
6 Oct 1939U-32 Lochgoil (d.) [Mine]9,462br
31 Dec 1939U-32 Luna959nw
 24,222

3 ships sunk (6,697 tons) and 2 ships damaged (17,525 tons).

Legend
We have a picture of this vessel.
(d.) means the ship was damaged.
[Mine] indicates the vessel was hit by a mine laid by said U-boat.


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

Media links


German U-boat Commanders of World War II

Busch, Rainer and Röll, Hans-Joachim

Listing of all U-boat commanders