Frequently Asked Questions

Who was the oldest commander?

The oldest Commander was Fregattenkapitän Wilhelm Kiesewetter . He took over the command of UC 1 on 20 November, 1940. He was at that time 62 years old! That was a former Norwegian boat and only used in training units.

In WWI Wilhelm Kiesewetter was Commander of SM UC-56.

The oldest Commander on patrol during WWII was Korvettenkapitän Georg von Willamowitz-Moellendorf, the well known commander of U-459, one of the Milk-Cows. He died in 1943 at the age of 49 years.

The usual limit for combat-commanders was 40 years.

This question was last modified: Sun 2 Jan 2011.

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