The Men - The Commander listing

Hans-Ludwig Witt

Korvettenkapitän (Crew 29)


Successes
19 ships sunk for a total of 100,773 GRT

Born  25 Dec 1909 Bautzen, Saxony
Died  13 Feb 1980(70)Hamburg


Korvettenkapitän Hans Witt wearing his Knights Cross.

Ranks

10 Oct 1929Seekadett
1 Jan 1931Fähnrich zur See
1 Apr 1933Oberfähnrich zur See
1 Oct 1933Leutnant zur See
1 Jun 1935Oberleutnant zur See
1 Jul 1938Kapitänleutnant
1 Feb 1943Korvettenkapitän

Decorations

23 Aug 1942Iron Cross 2nd Class
23 Aug 1942Iron Cross 1st Class
23 Aug 1942U-boat War Badge 1939
17 Dec 1942Knights Cross
7 Oct 1944U-boat Front Clasp

U-boat Commands

U-boatFromTo
U-161 8 Jul 1941 30 Nov 1941   No war patrols 
U-161 1 Dec 1941 31 Dec 1941   No war patrols 
U-129 14 May 1942 8 Jul 1943   3 patrols (275 days) 
U-3524 26 Jan 1945 5 May 1945   No war patrols 

Personal information

Hans Witt spent his first years in the navy on school ships, including the Gorch Fock and the Schlageter. In October 1940 he entered U-boat training. With U-129 he completed three very successful patrols in the western Atlantic and the Caribbean. Later he spent a year as a member of the BdU staff.

In the last months of the war he was one of the highly decorated U-boat commanders (like Schnee, Cremer, Emmermann and Topp) who took command of the new Elektro U-boats (Types XXI and XXIII) in an attempt to turn the tide in the battle of the Atlantic.

Patrol info for Hans-Ludwig Witt


 U-boat Departure Arrival  
1. U-129 20 May 1942  Lorient  21 Aug 1942  Lorient  Patrol 1,94 days
2. U-129 28 Sep 1942  Lorient  6 Jan 1943  Lorient  Patrol 2,101 days
3. U-129 11 Mar 1943  Lorient  29 May 1943  Lorient  Patrol 3,80 days
3 patrols, 275 days at sea

Ships hit by Hans-Ludwig Witt


Date BoatName of shipTonsNat.ConvoyFate *
10 Jun, 1942 U-129 L.A. Christensen4,362  nw  
12 Jun, 1942 U-129 Hardwicke Grange9,005  br  
17 Jun, 1942 U-129 Millinocket3,274  am  
27 Jun, 1942 U-129 Las Choapas2,005  me  
27 Jun, 1942 U-129 Tuxpam7,008  me  
1 Jul, 1942 U-129 Cadmus1,855  nw  
2 Jul, 1942 U-129 Gundersen1,841  nw  
4 Jul, 1942 U-129 Tuapse6,320  sj  
12 Jul, 1942 U-129 Tachirá2,325  am  
19 Jul, 1942 U-129 Port Antonio1,266  nw  
23 Jul, 1942 U-129 Onondaga2,309  am  
16 Oct, 1942 U-129 Trafalgar5,542  nw  
23 Oct, 1942 U-129 Reuben Tipton6,829  am  
30 Oct, 1942 U-129 West Kebar5,620  am  
5 Nov, 1942 U-129 Astrell7,595  nw  TAG-18 
5 Nov, 1942 U-129 Meton7,027  am  TAG-18 
 
2 Apr, 1943 U-129 Melbourne Star12,806  br  
24 Apr, 1943 U-129 Santa Catalina6,507  am  
4 May, 1943 U-129 Panam7,277  pa  NK-538 
 100,773

* Unless otherwise noted the ships listed here were sunk.



Naval Officers Under Hitler
Rust, Eric C.


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Books dealing with this subject include:

Clear the Decks!. Gallery, Daniel V. Rear Admiral U.S.N. (ret.), 1967.
Naval Officers Under Hitler. Rust, Eric C., 1991.
The Reich Mutiny. Reynolds, William, 1994.
Two Years Behind the Mast. McCormick, Lt. Comm. Harold J., 1991.


Decorations and ranks information is in many cases not complete. If you can help on any of those missing that would be great.

Listing of all U-boat commanders