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Born	13 May 1909		Rudak, Thorn
Died	15 Jun 1944	(35)	Fort Hunt, Va, USA

Kapitänleutnant Werner Henke

Ranks 1 Apr 1933   Offiziersanwärter 1 Jul 1934   Fähnrich zur See 8 Apr 1936   Oberfähnrich zur See 1 Oct 1936   Leutnant zur See 1 Jun 1938   Oberleutnant zur See 31 Dec 1941   Kapitänleutnant 18 Mar 1945   Korvettenkapitän (posthumous) Decorations 6 Jun 1939   Iron Cross 2nd Class 6 Jun 1939   Spanish Cross in Bronze without Swords 4 May 1941   U-boat War Badge 1939 4 Oct 1941   Iron Cross 1st Class 17 Dec 1942   Knights Cross 4 Jul 1943   Knights Cross with Oak Leaves

Werner Henke had his first naval experience on board the battleships Admiral Scheer and Schleswig-Holstein. His first U-boat was U-124 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Wilhelm Schultz. The last of his four patrols with the "Edelweissboot" he completed under the later famous Kapitänleutnant 'Jochen' Mohr .

In February 1942 he commisioned his own boat, U-515. He put in an outstanding performance during his third patrol on the night of 30 April/1 May 1943 when he attacked convoy TS-37 90 miles (145km) south of Freetown, sinking eight ships in eight hours with a total of 49,456 tons. After this patrol Henke was awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knights Cross.

Henke was captured when U-515 was sunk at 1510hrs on 9 April 1944 in the Atlantic north of Madeira at 34.35N, 19.18W by aircraft from the US escort carrier USS Guadalcanal and depth charges from the destroyer escorts USS Pope, USS Pillsbury, USS Chatelain and USS Flaherty. 16 of his crew died and 44 survived.

The gravestone of Werner Henke in Fort George G. Meade

Henke was shot and killed while attempting to escape from the interrogation center at Ft. Hunt, Virginia on 15 June 1944. It is reported that he simply walked towards the fence in broad daylight and slowly began climbing it. When he continued to climb after the guards shouted for him to stop, he was fatally shot. It is thought that he chose this form of suicide after being threatened with extradition to Britain and a showcase trial as a war criminal for the shooting of survivors from the sinking of the SS Ceramic (a false accusation). Henke is buried in the Soldiers Cemetery at Ft. George G. Meade, Maryland.

On 18 July, 1944 Admiral Dönitz issued the following day-order for the U-boat force:

 DER OBERBEFEHLSHABER				BERLIN W 32
   DER KRIEGSMARINE				Tirpitzufer 22-26

 		 Tagesbefehl an die Ubootwaffe
		================================


Der Ubootskommandant Kapitänleutnant Werner H e n k e , Träger
des Eichenlaubs zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, ist bei dem
Versuch aus Gefangenschaft zu fliehen, gefallen. Wir haben in ihm
einen unserer Besten verloren. Er vereinigte rücksichtsloses 
Draufgängertum mit Umsicht und und hervorragendem taktischen Können.
Im Kampf gegen Geleitzüge, Einzelfahrer und Kriegsschiffe hat er
sich aufs höchste bewährt und 26 Schiffe mit 166 ooo BRT, einen
Kreuzer und einen Zerstörer vernichtet.
Wir senken in Trauer unsere Fahnen vor dem eisenharten, tapferen
Kämpfer, dem Vorbild seiner begeistert hinter ihm stehenden Be-
satzung, unserem guten Kameraden. Der Kampf gegen den Feind, dem
er erlag, wird fortgeführt.

				    	Dönitz 

Befehlsstelle der Ubootsführung 	Der Oberbefehlshaber der
      den 18.Juli 1944			Kriegsmarine und Befehlshaber
					der Unterseeboote

(Commander Kapitänleutnant Werner H e n k e , recipient of the Knights Cross with Oak Leaves to the Iron Cross, was killed during an attempt to escape from captivity. We have lost one of our best. He combined reckless daring with prudence and outstanding tactical ability. He proved himself against convoys, independent merchantmen and warships, and sinking 26 ships with a total of 166,000 tons, one cruiser and one destroyer. We strike the colours for a man of iron and a brave fighter, who was an inspiring example to his crew, and for a good comrade. The struggle against the enemy, in which he was killed, will continue.)

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.

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.

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