| Born | 30 May 1905 | Berlin-Schöneberg |
|
|
Ranks
Decorations
|
U-boat Commands
| U-boat | From | To | |
| U-20 | 1 Feb 1936 | 30 Sep 1937 | No war patrols |
| UA | 1 Nov 1940 | 14 Feb 1942 | 5 patrols (193 days) |
Personal information
Hans Christian Franz Eckermann joined the German Navy in 1925. He commanded the small U-20 from 1 Feb 1936 to 30 Sep 1937. In Oct 1937 Eckermann became the first commander of the Lohs flotilla, later renamed to 3rd flotilla, holding the commanded until Dec 1939. He then became commander of the 1st U-boat flotilla from Jan to Oct 1940.
Eckermann took command of the boat U-A on 1 Nov 1940, taking the boat on 5 patrols of almost 200 days, sinking one ship. He left the boat on 14 Feb 1942 to take command of the 8th U-boat flotilla (training), holding the post until Jan 1943. Until the end of the war he served in several staff positions, including 11 months with U-boat command in Norway.
Upon the German surrender Eckermann was briefly detained by the Allies, being released on 20 July 1945.
Sources
Busch, R & Röll, H-J. (1998). German U-boat commanders of World War II.
Patrol info for Hans Eckermann
| U-boat | Departure | Arrival | ||||||
| 1. | UA | 25 Feb 1941 | Kiel | 18 Mar 1941 | Lorient | Patrol 1, | 22 days | |
| 2. | UA | 14 Apr 1941 | Lorient | 26 Apr 1941 | Lorient | Patrol 2, | 13 days | |
| 3. | UA | 3 May 1941 | Lorient | 30 Jul 1941 | Lorient | Patrol 3, | 89 days | |
| 4. | UA | 7 Oct 1941 | Lorient | 9 Oct 1941 | Lorient | Patrol 4, | 3 days | |
| 5. | UA | 21 Oct 1941 | Lorient | 25 Dec 1941 | Lorient | Patrol 5, | 66 days | |
| 5 patrols, 193 days at sea | ||||||||
Ships hit by Hans Eckermann
| Date | U-boat | Name of ship | Tons | Nat. | Convoy | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Mar 1941 | UA |  | Dunaff Head | 5,258 |  | br | OB-293 |
| 5,258 | |||||||
1 ship sunk (5,258 tons). Legend | |||||||
Books dealing with this subject include: |
About ranks and decorations
Special thanks to Fernando Almeida for data on ranks and decorations.