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

Decorations

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

U-boat Commands

U-boat	From	To
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
18 Sep 1939	U-32	Kensington Court	4,863	br
28 Sep 1939	U-32	Jern	875	nw
5 Oct 1939	U-32	Marwarri (d.) [Mine]	8,063	br
6 Oct 1939	U-32	Lochgoil (d.) [Mine]	9,462	br
31 Dec 1939	U-32	Luna	959	nw
			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.