John,

I have studied Beuke in some detail as I have a particular interest in U-173. He's an interesting guy.

In a nut shell, Beuke was apparently an excellent staff officer, but not a very good u-boat commander. He was reprimanded in a very harsh letter (of which I have a copy - part of U-173's KTB microfilm) for not being aggressive enough when attack opportunities presented themselves, and not having adequate watch for protecting against air attack.

He damn near lost his boat, and never hit a thing. They were extremely lucky to make it back since they had a limited ability to submerge with both periscopes out of action. Amazing when you think they had to make it all the way back from the Caribbean, with Biscaya the final leg. Weeks or months later they wouldn't have had a chance.

According to a relative of a crew member who was lost on it's next patrol, the crew was fond of Beuke, who they viewed as a protective, fatherly figure. Despite his shortcomings as a u boat commander, he went back to a staff position and was promoted on a normal schedule.

If you do a search on Beuke you'll find some previous posts of mine on the subject over the years.

Let me know if you need any further info.

Best Regards,

Eric