Eberhard Friedrich Clemens Godt

Konteradmiral (Crew VII/18)

No ships sunk or damaged.

Born	15 Aug 1900		Lubeck
Died	13 Sep 1995	(95)	Lübeck, Germany

Ranks

1 Jul 1918		Seekadett
1 Apr 1922		Fähnrich zur See
1 Oct 1923		Oberfähnrich zur See
1 Apr 1924		Leutnant zur See
1 Jan 1926		Oberleutnant zur See
1 Jul 1933		Kapitänleutnant
1 Apr 1937		Korvettenkapitän
1 Jul 1940		Fregattenkapitän
1 Sep 1942		Kapitän zur See
1 Mar 1943		Konteradmiral

Decorations

1918		Iron Cross 2nd Class
1918		Hanseatic Cross
10 Feb 1942		German Cross in Gold

U-boat Commands

U-boat	From	To
U-25	6 Apr 1936	3 Jan 1938	No war patrols
U-23	1 Sep 1936	3 Jan 1938	No war patrols

Konteradmiral Eberhard Godt

Eberhard Godt began his naval career in the Kaiserliche Marine in the last year of WWI. After the ceasefire in November 1918 he left the Navy, rejoining the newly-renamed Reichsmarine in March 1920.

His first years as an officer were mostly spent on the torpedo boats G-10 and T-155. From September 1934 he served on the cruiser Emden under the command of Fregkpt. Dönitz. Kptlt. Godt's transfer in October 1935 to the newly re-established U-boat force may well have been connected to his former commander's re-assignment.

Following a short training period after which he commanded U-23 and U-25, Korvkpt. Godt joined the staff of the FdU in January 1938 as 1. Admiralstabsoffizier as Dönitz's right-hand man in the tactical command of all U-boats, a position he held for more then seven years. The title changed to Chef der Operationsabteilung des BdU in September 1939, and in March 1943 to Chef der 2. Abteilung OKM/Skl (BdU-op).

Following Admiral Dönitz's promotion to CinC of the Kriegsmarine in January 1943, Eberhard Godt assumed more or less full responsibility for the tactical command of the U-boat force.

Godt
Korvkpt. Eberhard Godt with Kptlt. Oehrn (left)

Between 1949 and 1952 he was part of the Naval Historical Team in Bremerhaven, which produced a history of Kriegsmarine operations in WWII from the German perspective for the US Office of Naval Intelligence.