U-boat Commanders
Youngest U-boat commanders
The following are the youngest German U-boat commanders who went out on combat patrol during WWII.
| Commander | Boat | Patrol info | Age at departure | |||
| 1 | Ltn. Ludwig-Ferdinand von Friedeburg | U-155 | 9 Sep 1944 - | 21 Oct 1944 | 20 years , 111 days | |
| 2 | Ltn. Kurt Braun | U-763 | 23 Aug 1944 - | 25 Sep 1944 | 20 years , 362 days | |
| 3 | Oblt. Rudolf Arendt | U-18 | 25 May 1944 - | 7 Jun 1944 | 21 years , 121 days | |
| 4 | Oblt. (R) Hans-Georg Hess | U-995 | 14 Oct 1944 - | 11 Nov 1944 | 21 years , 162 days | |
| 5 | Oblt. Kurt Sureth | U-625 | 2 Jan 1944 - | 6 Jan 1944 | 21 years , 178 days | |
| 6 | Oblt. Günter Ney | U-283 | 13 Jan 1944 - | 11 Feb 1944 | Lost | 21 years , 292 days |
| 7 | Oblt. Peter Gerlach | U-223 | 19 Jan 1944 - | 12 Feb 1944 | 21 years , 328 days | |
| 8 | Oblt. Gerhard Conrad | U-214 | 22 Jul 1944 - | 26 Jul 1944 | Lost | 21 years , 339 days |
| 9 | Oblt. Hubert Verpoorten | U-19 | 7 Sep 1944 - | 10 Sep 1944 | Lost | 22 years |
| 10 | Oblt. Hans-Heinrich Haß | U-2324 | 29 Jan 1945 - | 25 Feb 1945 | 22 years , 110 days | |
| 11 | Oblt. Werner Gebauer | U-681 | 14 Feb 1945 - | 10 Mar 1945 | Lost | 22 years , 158 days |
| 12 | Oblt. Hans-Werner Offermann | U-518 | 23 Jan 1944 - | 7 May 1944 | 22 years , 205 days | |
| 13 | Oblt. Eberhard Dahlhaus | U-634 | 18 Feb 1943 - | 23 Mar 1943 | 22 years , 209 days | |
| 14 | Oblt. Hermann Hoffmann | U-172 | 22 Nov 1943 - | 13 Dec 1943 | Lost | 22 years , 209 days |
| 15 | Oblt. Hans-Arend Feindt | U-758 | 6 Jun 1944 - | 15 Jun 1944 | 22 years , 221 days | |
Oldest U-boat commanders
The following are the oldest German U-boat commanders who went out on combat patrol during WWII. Their age at the time of their first patrol in the war is used.
| Commander | Boat | Patrol info | Age at departure | |||
| 1 | Kpt. Bruno Mahn | UD-5 | 30 Aug 1942 - | 12 Nov 1942 | 54 years, 270 days | |
| 2 | Walter Burghagen | U-219 | 22 Oct 1943 - | 1 Jan 1944 | 52 years, 30 days | |
| 3 | FrgKpt. Hermann Rigele | UD-3 | 3 Oct 1942 - | 22 Oct 1942 | 51 years, 17 days | |
| 4 | Kptlt. Friedrich Schäfer | U-460 | 7 Jun 1942 - | 31 Jul 1942 | 49 years, 98 days | |
| 5 | Kptlt. Georg von Wilamowitz-Möllendorf | U-459 | 29 Mar 1942 - | 15 May 1942 | 48 years, 141 days | |
| 6 | Ebe Schnoor | U-460 | 27 Aug 1942 - | 12 Oct 1942 | 47 years, 66 days | |
| 7 | KrvKpt. Leo Wolfbauer | U-463 | 11 Jul 1942 - | 3 Sep 1942 | 46 years, 355 days | |
| 8 | Kpt. Hermann Lessing | U-1231 | 18 Oct 1944 - | 31 Jan 1945 | 43 years, 364 days | |
| 9 | Kpt. Hans Ibbeken | U-178 | 8 Sep 1942 - | 10 Jan 1943 | 42 years, 353 days | |
| 10 | KrvKpt. Karl Neitzel | U-510 | 7 Jul 1942 - | 13 Sep 1942 | 41 years, 158 days | |
| 11 | FrgKpt. Jürgen Wattenberg | U-162 | 7 Feb 1942 - | 18 Mar 1942 | 41 years, 41 days | |
| 12 | Kpt. Kurt Dobratz | U-1232 | 10 Nov 1944 - | 14 Feb 1945 | 40 years, 215 days | |
| 13 | KrvKpt. Ernst-August Rehwinkel | U-578 | 19 Nov 1941 - | 27 Nov 1941 | 40 years, 20 days | |
| 14 | Oblt. (R) Harald Lange | U-505 | 25 Dec 1943 - | 2 Jan 1944 | 40 years, 2 days | |
| 15 | Kpt. Arved von Mühlendahl | U-867 | 9 Sep 1944 - | 19 Sep 1944 | Lost | 39 years, 313 days |
This page is read live from our databases of Commanders and U-boat patrols. The data seen above may change slightly from time to time as new or updated information comes to light.
We consider extended time in enemy waters to be a patrol, especially later in the war when many boats were being lost only a few days out from their bases. The 43 day journey of the 20-year old Ludwig-Ferdinand von Friedeburg commanding the large U-155 from besieged Lorient, France on on 9 Sept 1944 to Flensburg, Germany certainly falls under that category.
The average age of the U-boat commanders
During the war the average age of commanders on patrol was about 28 years.
Sources
Busch, R. and Röll, H-J. (1998). German U-boat commanders of World War II.
Busch, R. and Röll, H-J. (1997). Der U-Bootkrieg 1939-1945 (Band 2).