• Home
• The U-boats
• The Men
• The Allies
• Maps
• Forums
• Articles
• Gallery
• Books
• Movies
• WWI

Officers and Men

• The Men
• All Commanders
  • Commander Crews
  • Most Successful
  • Youngest / oldest
  • Deaths since WWII
  • Recent updates
• Decorations
• Ranks
• Training
• Uniforms
• The U-boat Crew
• Personnel files

Born	7 Nov 1911		Berlin
Died	25 Jan 1988	(76)	Kiel, Germany

Kptlt. Claus Korth

Ranks 1 Apr 1932   Offiziersanwärter 4 Nov 1932   Seekadett 1 Jan 1934   Fähnrich zur See 1 Sep 1935   Oberfähnrich zur See 1 Jan 1936   Leutnant zur See 1 Oct 1937   Oberleutnant zur See 1 Nov 1939   Kapitänleutnant 1 Jan 1944   Korvettenkapitän Decorations 6 Jun 1939   Spanish Cross in Bronze without Swords 5 Nov 1939   U-boat War Badge 1939 22 Nov 1939   Iron Cross 2nd Class 26 Jan 1940   Iron Cross 1st Class 29 May 1941   Knights Cross

Claus Korth began his naval career in April 1932. During his officer training he was one of the few survivors when the sailing school ship Niobe sank in a training accident. In March 1936 he joined in the U-boat force and received a solid pre-war training. In the autumn of 1937 he was I WO on U-37 for two months in Spanish waters during the civil war there.

Claus Korth during patrol

In December 1938 he commissioned the type IIC U-boat U-57. Her first successes were scored on her fourth patrol when she sank two ships. Outstanding was the sinking of the British tanker Gretafield of 10,191 tons in February 1940. Korth left the U-boat in June 1940 and commissioned U-93 in July of the same year.

On five patrols he sank eight ships with a total of 43,392 tons and in May 1941 received the Knights Cross. In October 1941 he left U-93 and became the 3rd Asto in the BdU org.

In June 1942 he became training officer in the 27th (Training) Flotilla. During the last year of war he was in the torpedo trial institution (TVA) Eckernförde. After the surrender Claus Korth spent six months in Allied captivity.

Claus Korth and the crew of U-93

In 1955 he joined the Bundesmarine (postwar German Navy) where he was for nearly four years the head of the torpedo trial station (Marine-Torpedo-Versuchsstation). He retired in 1970 with a rank of Kapitän zur See.

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).
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.

• Front page
• About
• Contact us
• FAQ
• Glossary
• What's new

 © 1995 - 2024 Guðmundur Helgason