Ernst Hechler

Korvettenkapitän (Crew 29)

Successes
2 warships sunk, total tonnage 1,960 tons
1 warship damaged, total tonnage 1,400 tons
2 ships a total loss, total tonnage 11,844 GRT

Born	21 Nov 1907		Lauterbach, Oberhessen
Died	23 Oct 1965	(57)	Alzey, Germany

Korvkpt. Ernst Hechler

Ranks

1 Apr 1929		Offiziersanwärter
10 Oct 1929		Seekadett
1 Jan 1931		Fähnrich zur See
1 Apr 1933		Oberfähnrich zur See
1 Oct 1933		Leutnant zur See
1 May 1935		Oberleutnant (Luftwaffe)
1 Mar 1937		Hauptmann (Luftwaffe)
1 Sep 1941		Major (Luftwaffe)
1 Jul 1943		Korvettenkapitän

Decorations

23 May 1940		Iron Cross 2nd Class
25 Oct 1940		Iron Cross 1st Class
Dec 1943		Luftwaffe Combat clasp in Gold
21 Jan 1945		Knights Cross
27 Feb 1945		U-boat War Badge 1939
27 Feb 1945		U-boat Front Clasp

U-boat Commands

U-boat	From	To
U-870	3 Feb 1944	30 Mar 1945	1 patrol (103 days)

Ernst Hechler began his naval career in April 1929. After serving more than a year on the light cruiser Königsberg and a year as instructor of officer aspirants at Marineschule Mürwik, he transferred to the newly-formed Luftwaffe in May 1935, where he remained for more than eight years. He reached the rank of Squadron Leader and later held various staff positions. He flew more than 60 combat missions and was decorated with the Iron Cross First and Second Class and the Luftwaffe Combat Clasp in Gold (Frontflugspange für Kampfflieger in Gold).

In July 1943, at the age of 35, he transferred back to the Kriegsmarine and completed U-boat training. In February 1944 he commissioned U-870 and eight months later left the base at Horten, Norway for his first and only patrol.

In the first part of this patrol U-870 transmitted weather reports used for the ongoing offensive in the Ardennes. Hechler then sank three ships and damaged two more, an outstanding total for a maiden patrol at that stage of the war. Hechler claimed three additional sinkings which have not as yet been confirmed. One month before the successful boat returned, her commander received a radio message informing him that he had been awarded the Knights Cross.

U-870 was destroyed by US bombs in Bremen on 30 March 1945 (Niestlé, 1998). Ernst Hechler served the last two months of war on the staff of BdU op as A I op.

Sources

Busch, R. and Röll, H-J. (1999). German U-boat commanders of World War II.
Busch, R. and Röll, H-J. (1997). Der U-Bootkrieg 1939-1945 (Band 2).
Niestlé, A. (1998). German U-boat losses during World War II.
Rohwer, J. (1998). Axis Submarine Successes of World War Two.

Patrol info for Ernst Hechler

	U-boat	Departure		Arrival
1.	U-870	31 Oct 1944	Kiel	3 Nov 1944	Horten		4 days
2.	U-870	10 Nov 1944	Horten	20 Feb 1945	Kristiansand	Patrol 1,	103 days
3.	U-870	25 Feb 1945	Kristiansand	27 Feb 1945	Flensburg		3 days

Ships hit by Ernst Hechler

Date	U-boat	Name of ship	Tons		Convoy
20 Dec 1944	U-870	USS Fogg (DE 57) (d.)	1,400	am
20 Dec 1944	U-870	USS LST-359	1,625	am

3 Jan 1945	U-870	Henry Miller (t.)	7,207	am	GUS-63
9 Jan 1945	U-870	FFL L´Enjoue (W 44)	335	fr	GC-107
10 Jan 1945	U-870	Blackheath (t.)	4,637	br	KMS-76
			15,204
4 ships sunk (13,804 tons) and 1 ship damaged (1,400 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).

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.