Jost Metzler

Korvettenkapitän (Crew 32)


Successes
10 ships sunk for a total of 50,873 GRT
1 ship damaged for a total of 4,887 GRT
1 ship a total loss for a total of 5,445 GRT

Born  26 Feb 1909 Altshausen, Württemberg
Died  29 Sep 1975(66)Bavendorf-Ravensburg


Jost Metzler

Ranks

1 Apr 1932Offiziersanwärter
1 Jan 1934Fähnrich zur See
1 Sep 1935Oberfähnrich zur See
1 Jan 1936Leutnant zur See
1 Oct 1937Oberleutnant zur See
1 Oct 1939Kapitänleutnant
1 Oct 1943Korvettenkapitän

Decorations

21 Dec 1939Iron Cross 2nd Class
2 Mar 1941Iron Cross 1st Class
12 Apr 1941U-boat War Badge 1939
28 Jul 1941Knights Cross

U-boat Commands

U-boatFromTo
U-69 2 Nov 1940 28 Aug 1941   4 patrols (117 days) 
U-847 1 Feb 1943 30 Jun 1943   No war patrols 

Personal information

Jost Metzler
Kapitänleutnant Jost Metzler

Before Jost Metzler started his Navy career he spent eight years in the merchant marine, for some years on sailing ships. In October 1933 he joined the Kriegsmarine as HSO (Handelschiffoffizier (merchant ship officer)). He first served on the torpedo boat T-196 and on several minesweepers. In April 1940, after 13 patrols on the mine sweeper Grille, he transferred to the U-boat arm. After seven months of training he commissioned U-69 in November 1940. On his first patrol, sailing from Kiel to St. Nazaire, he sank three ships for a total of 18,576 tons.

Jost Metzler Metzler's third patrol on U-69 was very successful. He laid 16 mines in the harbor of Lagos, where they later sank a British steamer. All in all on this patrol in African waters he sank five ships for a total of 25,544 tons. Unfortunately he was taken ill with a renal colic some days after leaving St. Nazaire for a fourth patrol, forcing the boat to return to port. After two months in the hospital he became the leading training officer in the 25th and 27th Flotillas, holding this post until February 1943.

He took over U-847 for four months in 1943, and then in autumn 1943 was for two months the 5th Flotilla's commander in deputize. From October 1943 to the end of war, Metzler served as commander of the 19th Flotilla, first in Pillau, later in Kiel.

Patrol info for Jost Metzler


 U-boat Departure Arrival  
1. U-69 10 Feb 1941  Kiel  1 Mar 1941  Lorient  Patrol 1,20 days
2. U-69 18 Mar 1941  Lorient  11 Apr 1941  Lorient  Patrol 2,25 days
3. U-69 5 May 1941  Lorient  8 Jul 1941  St. Nazaire  Patrol 3,65 days
4. U-69 21 Aug 1941  St. Nazaire  27 Aug 1941  St. Nazaire  Patrol 4,7 days
4 patrols, 117 days at sea

Ships hit by Jost Metzler

Date U-boat Commander Name of ship Tons Nat. Convoy
17 Feb 1941U-69Jost Metzler Siamese Prince8,456br
19 Feb 1941U-69Jost Metzler Empire Blanda5,693brHX-107
23 Feb 1941U-69Jost Metzler Marslew4,542brOB-288
30 Mar 1941U-69Jost Metzler Coultarn3,759brOB-302
3 Apr 1941U-69Jost Metzler Thirlby (d.)4,887brSC-26
21 May 1941U-69Jost Metzler Robin Moor4,999am
21 May 1941U-69Jost Metzler Tewkesbury4,601br
31 May 1941U-69Jost Metzler Sangara (t.)5,445br
4 Jun 1941U-69Jost Metzler Robert Hughes [Mine]2,879br
27 Jun 1941U-69Jost Metzler Empire Ability7,603brSL-78
27 Jun 1941U-69Jost Metzler River Lugar5,423brSL-78
3 Jul 1941U-69Jost Metzler Robert L. Holt2,918brOB-337
 61,205

11 ships sunk (56,318 tons) and 1 ship damaged (4,887 tons).

Legend
We have a picture of this vessel.
(d.) means the ship was damaged.
(t.) means the ship was a total loss (included in ships & tonnage lost).
[Mine] indicates the vessel was hit by a mine laid by said U-boat.


Books dealing with this subject include:

The Laughing Cow. Metzler, Jost, 2004.
Sehrohr südwärts. Metzler, Jost, 1943.
U-69, Die lachende Kuh. Metzler, Jost, 1954. (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.

Listing of all U-boat commanders