Klaus Scholtz

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Klaus Scholtz
Klaus Scholtz II.jpg
Lieutenant Commander Klaus Scholtz, 420th recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
Birth date 22 March 1908(1908-03-22)
Place of birth Magdeburg, Province of Saxony, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Death date 1 May 1987 (aged 79)
Place of death Bad Schwartau, Schleswig-Holstein, West Germany
Allegiance  Weimar Republic
 National Socialist Germany
Flag of Germany (3-2 aspect ratio).png West Germany
Service/branch  Reichsmarine
 Kriegsmarine
Flag of Germany (state).png Seegrenzschutz (Bundesgrenzschutz)
Deutsche Marine der Bundeswehr.png German Navy (Bundeswehr)
Years of service 1927–1935
1935–1945
1953–1956
1956–1966
Rank Oberleutnant zur See
Fregattenkapitän
Fregattenkapitän
Kapitän zur See
Battles/wars World War II
Awards Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Klaus Scholtz (22 March 1908 – 1 May 1987) was a German naval officer, finally Kapitän zur See (Captain at Sea) of the German Navy (Deutsche Marine) of the Bundeswehr. As a U-boat commandant (U-Boot-Kommandant) of the Kriegsmarine in World War Two, Scholtz, during eight patrols (Feindfahrten) and 361 days at sea, sank 25 enemy ships (128,190 GRT).

Military career

Rear Admiral Heinz-Eduard Menche (left) with Klaus Scholtz and Hans Ibbeken
Klaus Scholtz III.jpg
Klaus Scholtz II.png
Klaus Scholtz began his naval career in 1927 and spent most of his time before war began on torpedo boats (G-8, G-11 and Jaguar). He was Jaguar’s commanding officer from June 1937 to April 1939. In April 1940 he transferred to the U-boat force. After only four months of training he commissioned U-108, a large type IXB boat. On his first patrol in February 1941 he sank two ships with a total of 8,078 tons. His second patrol was very successful: in April 1941 he sank the British armed merchant cruiser AMC Rajputana (16,644 tons) in the Straits of Denmark. This dramatic chase is described in the following radio message sent by U-108:
FT an BdU. Eingetroffen Operationsgebiet Donnerstag, 10. April; Samstag, 12. April Hilfskreuzer gesichtet. Erster Angriff ein Torpedo, Fehlschuß. Zweiter Angriff: Zweierfächer. Gegner weggezackt. Verfolgung bis Eisgrenze. Angriff bei Dunkelheit abgebrochen. 13. April Hilfskreuzer gesichtet und Angriff. Dreierfächer. Zwei Treffer, ein Torpedoversager. Hilfskreuzer gestoppt. Fangschuß. Gegner gesunken. An Untergangsstelle zwei Zerstörer und Sunderland. Name des Hilfskreuzers 'Rajputana'.
(Radiogram to BdU. Reached operational area on Thursday 10 April; Saturday 12 April armed merchant cruiser in sight. First attack one torpedo, failure firing. Second attack: double shot. Enemy zigzagging. Pursuit to the edge of the ice. Attack terminated by darkness. 13 April sighted and attacked armed merchant cruiser. Triple shot. Two hits, one torpedo failure. Armed merchant cruiser stopped. Coup de grace. Enemy sunk. At sinking position two destroyers and a Sunderland. Name of the armed merchant cruiser 'Rajputana'.)
The BdU answered a half hour later:
Gut gemacht! Kommandant und Besatzung ausspreche Anerkennung. Rückmarsch. Dönitz.
Well done. Express acknowledgment to commander and crew. Return to base. Dönitz.
On the next three patrols Scholtz led U-108 against convoys in the Atlantic. In January 1942 she left Lorient to join the second wave of U-boats attacking shipping off the US east coast in the follow-up to Operation Paukenschlag (Drumbeat). There Scholtz sank five ships with a total of 20,082 tons. His last two patrols in US and Caribbean waters were also successful. In October 1942 Klaus Scholtz left U-108 to command the 12th Flotilla based at Bordeaux. This flotilla included most of the long-range type IX boats, which operated in the South Atlantic and the Indian Ocean. During August 1944 most of the boats left the base for Flensburg. The flotilla's history ended in August 1944 when it was dissolved. The remaining men (some 220) under Fregkpt. Klaus Scholtz attempted to march overland back to Germany. They left Bordeaux on 26 August 1944 but were captured on 11 September by American forces in Beaujancie/Loire (France). Klaus Scholtz then spent the next 18 months in US captivity. After the war he served from 1953 to 1956 in the naval arm of the Bundesgrenzschutz (Federal Border Guard), then transferred to the Bundesmarine (Federal German Navy). He commanded several naval bases, including Kiel, Cuxhaven and Wilhelmshaven. In 1966 he retired with the rank of Kapitän zur See.[1]

Norland sinking (example of chivalry)

The Norwegian motor tanker "Norland" (8,134 tons) under Master Eugen Christoffersen was torpedoed on 20 May 1942 about 460 miles east of Bermuda by the German U-Boat U 108 under Korvettenkapitän Klaus Scholtz. All 48 crew members (including Rolf Egeberg, the younger brother of Adolf Egeberg Jr.) survived and were allowed to get into lifeboats.

At 18.39 hours on 20 May 1942, the unescorted Norland (Master Eugen Christoffersen), dispersed from convoy ON-93, was hit on the starboard side in #8 tank just forward of the bridge by one G7e stern torpedo from U-108 while steaming in clear weather on a non-evasive course at 12.5 knots about 460 miles east of Bermuda. The explosion blew the bottom out of the tank and ripped the side up in a length of 50 to 60 feet. The engineers on watch stopped the engines and the crew readied the lifeboats for launch, but after investigating the damage the master ordered to restart the engines and headed at full speed towards Bermuda. About 10 minutes later a lookout spotted the periscope and the gunners at the 4in gun on the stern fired one round in its direction. The U-boat retreated and surfaced in some distance in order to shell the ship because they had no torpedoes left. At 19.57 hours, Scholtz ordered to open fire with the deck gun from the unusually long range of 8000 meters with the rate of about one round per minute and the Norland returned fire with the stern gun (the only other armament were five machine guns) but they had difficulties to see the small silhouette of the U-boat and all 15 to 20 rounds fell short as it was out of range. With the big hole in its side the tanker was unable to build up speed and after the first four hits near the bridge and the engine room, the master ordered his crew to cease fire and to abandon ship at 20.30 hours. Distress signals were sent but it was unknown if they were heard as the receiving set had been damaged by the explosion. All crew members and gunners left in three lifeboats that initially remained nearby but then sailed away after the ship caught fire amidships and to avoid being hit by the continuous gunfire. U-108 came closer and fired the last rounds for the deck gun from a distance of 1000 meters, having fired well over 100 shells and observed only 14 hits. At 23.00 hours, the Germans continued shelling by firing holes into the empty tanks at the waterline with all AA guns until the ammunition for the 37mm gun was also spent 30 minutes later. Norland settled slowly and sank by the stern at 01.58 hours. As the lifeboats were no longer in the vicinity, the U-boat left the area without questioning the survivors. All lifeboats set course for Bermuda, but lost contact to each other after three to four days due to a heavy rain storm. The 19 men in the motor boat in charge of the chief officer were picked up by the Dutch motor merchant Melampus and landed at Halifax on 31 May. The 14 occupants of the boat in charge of the second officer were picked up by Polyphemus in 32°35N/64°12W on 25 May, but she was torpedoed and sunk by U-578 (Rehwinkel) two days later. However, all survivors from the Norland survived the second sinking. On 7 June, the master and 14 men in the third boat were picked up by USCGC CG-453 about 25 miles south-southeast of Cape Lookout after being sighted by plane, their lifeboat taken in tow by USCGC CG-473 and taken to Morehead City, North Carolina.[2]

Promotions

  • 5.4.1927 Offiziersanwärter
    • Officer Candidate of the Crew 1927
  • 1.11.1927 Seekadett (Cadet at Sea)
    • possibly 11.10.1927 with effect from 1.11.1927
  • 18.3.1929 Fähnrich zur See (Officer Cadet)
    • possibly with effect from 1.4.1929
  • 1.6.1931 Oberfähnrich zur See (Senior Officer Cadet)
  • 1.10.1931 Leutnant zur See (2nd Lieutenant at Sea)
  • 1.10.1933 Oberleutnant zur See (1st Lieutenant at Sea)
  • 1.10.1936 Kapitänleutnant (Lieutenant Captain)
  • 1.11.1941 Korvettenkapitän (Corvette Captain – Lieutenant Commander)
    • later received new rank seniority (RDA) from 1.1.1941[3]
  • 1.7.1944 Fregattenkapitän (Frigate Captain – Commander)
  • Kapitän zur See (Captain at Sea – Captain)

Awards and decorations

References

  1. ↑ Klaus Scholtz, uboat.net
  2. ↑ Norland
  3. ↑ Klaus Scholtz, ubootarchiv.de
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