Jost Metzler

Korvettenkapitän (Crew 32)

Successes
10 ships sunk, total tonnage 50,873 GRT
1 ship damaged, total tonnage 4,887 GRT
1 ship a total loss, total tonnage 5,445 GRT

Born	26 Feb 1909		Altshausen, Württemberg
Died	29 Sep 1975	(66)	Bavendorf-Ravensburg, Germany

Jost Metzler

Ranks

1 Apr 1932		Offiziersanwärter
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 Oct 1939		Kapitänleutnant
1 Oct 1943		Korvettenkapitän

Decorations

21 Dec 1939		Iron Cross 2nd Class
2 Mar 1941		Iron Cross 1st Class
12 Apr 1941		U-boat War Badge 1939
28 Jul 1941		Knights Cross

U-boat Commands

U-boat	From	To
U-69	2 Nov 1940	28 Aug 1941	4 patrols (117 days)
U-847	1 Feb 1943	30 Jun 1943	No war patrols

Kapitänleutnant Jost Metzler

Before Jost Metzler joined the Reichsmarine he spent eight years in the Merchant Navy, some of them on sailing ships. He joined the Reichsmarine in October 1933 as a HSO (Handelschiffoffizier, merchant ship officer). He first served on the torpedo boat T-196 and on several minesweepers. In April 1940, after 13 patrols on the Aviso Grille (previously Adolf Hitler's official yacht), he transferred to the U-boat arm. After seven months of training he commissioned U-69 in November 1940. On his first patrol, sailing from Kiel to St. Nazaire, he sank three ships with a total of 18,576 tons.

Jost Metzler Metzler's third patrol on U-69 was very successful. He laid 16 mines in the harbour of Lagos, where they later sank a British steamer. All in all on this patrol in African waters he sank five ships with a total of 25,544 tons. Unfortunately he was taken ill with renal colic some days after leaving St. Nazaire on his fourth patrol, forcing the boat to return to port. After two months in hospital he became the leading training officer for the 25th (Training) Flotilla and 27th Flotillas holding this post until February 1943.

He took over command of U-847 for four months in 1943, and then in autumn 1943 for two months he was deputy commander of the 5th (Training) Flotilla then from October 1943 to the end of war, Metzler commanded the 19th (Training) Flotilla first in Pillau and later in Kiel.

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.

Patrol info for Jost Metzler

	U-boat	Departure		Arrival
1.	U-69	10 Feb 1941	Kiel	1 Mar 1941	Lorient	Patrol 1,	20 days
2.	U-69	18 Mar 1941	Lorient	11 Apr 1941	Lorient	Patrol 2,	25 days
3.	U-69	5 May 1941	Lorient	8 Jul 1941	St. Nazaire	Patrol 3,	65 days
4.	U-69	21 Aug 1941	St. Nazaire	27 Aug 1941	St. Nazaire	Patrol 4,	7 days
4 patrols, 117 days at sea

Ships hit by Jost Metzler

Date	U-boat	Name of ship	Tons		Convoy
17 Feb 1941	U-69	Siamese Prince	8,456	br
19 Feb 1941	U-69	Empire Blanda	5,693	br	HX-107
23 Feb 1941	U-69	Marslew	4,542	br	OB-288
30 Mar 1941	U-69	Coultarn	3,759	br	OB-302
3 Apr 1941	U-69	Thirlby (d.)	4,887	br	SC-26
21 May 1941	U-69	Robin Moor	4,999	am
21 May 1941	U-69	Tewkesbury	4,601	br
31 May 1941	U-69	Sangara (t.)	5,445	br
4 Jun 1941	U-69	Robert Hughes [Mine]	2,879	br
27 Jun 1941	U-69	Empire Ability	7,603	br	SL-78
27 Jun 1941	U-69	River Lugar	5,423	br	SL-78
3 Jul 1941	U-69	Robert L. Holt	2,918	br	OB-337
			61,205
11 ships sunk (56,318 tons) and 1 ship damaged (4,887 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). [Mine] indicates the vessel was hit by a mine laid by said U-boat.

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.