Heinrich Petersen (Kriegsmarine)
| Heinrich Petersen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Birth date | 3 November 1902 |
| Place of birth | Hamburg, German Empire |
| Death date | 6 June 1963 (aged 60) |
| Place of death | Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, West Germany |
| Allegiance |  Weimar Republic National Socialist Germany
|
| Service/branch |  Preliminary Reichswehr Reichsmarine Kriegsmarine
|
| Years of service | 1919–1941 |
| Rank | Oberleutnant zur See d. R. |
| Unit | U 23 U 99 |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Iron Cross Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Heinrich Petersen (3 November 1902 – 6 June 1963) was a German naval officer, U-boat senior helmsman with 16 war patrols (Feindfahrten) and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross in WWII.
Life
16-year-old Heinrich Petersen, with parental consent, joined the Preliminary Reichswehr on 1 September 1919 and received training with a Jäger battalion of the army.[1] On 10 December 1919, he was transferred to a naval coastal defence ground unit (possibly with the Küstenwehr-Abteilung V in Pillau). In October 1923, he transferred to a seagoing unit and served on several ships (first on board of the cruiser Berlin, later on the minesweeper M-75 and on several torpedo boats) until the end of his 12 year service time, to which he had contractually agreed. On 3 September 1931, he was released into the reserves. Unsatisfied with civilian life, he returned to actively to the Reichsmarine on 1 January 1935 which was renamed Kriegsmarine on 1 June 1935. Petersen served on torpedo boat T-156.
He enlisted in the submarine force and received appropriate training. He was appointed a Obersteuermann (senior helmsman) on the type II U-boat U 23 (1. Unterseebootsflottille) on 1 October 1937. On the same day, the much younger Oberleutnant zur See Otto Wilhelm August Kretschmer was appointed commandant of the U-boat and together they made eight successful combat patrols (97 days). The boat was activated during the days of the Anschluss and the liberation of the Memelland. The British submarine HMS Sturgeon (Lt. G.D.A. Gregory, RN) of the Royal Navy fired three torpedoes at U 23 on 14 October 1939 in the Skagerrak some 20 nautical miles WNW of Skagen, Denmark in position 57º49N, 09º59E. All three missed. U 23 under U-boat ace Kretschmer, U 23 sank eight ships.[2]
On 1 April 1940, Kretschmer left U 23 and took Petersen, whom he trusted blindly, with him. After a short leave, both reported to the brand-new type VIIB U-boat U 99 on 18 April 1940. Once again, they would make eight war patrols (127 days). With U 23 and U 99, Kretschmer sank a total of 47 ships with 272,282 GRT and damaged five ships with 37,965 GRT (two of them with 15,513 GRT were considered total losses). Despite his early capture, this number remained unmatched until the end of the war. He is therefore considered the tonnage king of the Second World War, with Wolfgang Lüth ranking right behind him (sank 47 ships with a total of 225,755 GRT as well as the French submarine “Doris”/Q 135 and damaged two more ships with 17,343 GRT).
- “Stabsobersteuermann Petersen has been a U-Boat helmsman since the start of the war, participating in 12 war patrols under the command of Kapitänleutnant Kretschmer. As a watch officer he has shown great responsibility, reliability and outstanding professional skill while serving on the bridge. During long-distance missions he has been of invaluable help for the successes of the commander through his precise navigation and tireless efforts. Through his achievements Petersen has earned a place among our first U-Boat helmsmen.”[3]
On 17 March 1941, U 99 was scuttled at 0343hrs in the North Atlantic south-east of Iceland, in position 61.00N, 11.48W, after being severely damaged by depth charges from the British destroyer HMS Walker. Kretschmer managed to surface the badly damaged boat. Three German sailors (among them the LI or Chief Engineer) were ⚔, 40 survived.
Stabsobersteuermann Heinrich Petersen and the rest of the crew were captured and spent the remainder of the war in a British POW camp. Petersen was commissioned three and a half months later and was therefore transferred to a German officer’s camp in Canada, Camp 30 (often referred to as Camp Bowmanville), where Otto Kretschmer was waiting. During this time, the German officers managed to remain in contact with BdU (U-boat High Command) under Karl Dönitz. In January 1942, Petersen was informed he had been promoted to 1st Lieutenant. He was released on 24 June 1947 and was repatriated to Germany.
Promotions
- 1/10/1922 Obermatrose
- 1/10/1923 Matrosengefreiter
- 1/1/1926 Obermatrosengefreiter
- 1/4/1926 Steuermannsmaat
- 1/4/1928 Obersteuermannsmaat (Senior Helmsman Mate)
- 1/1/1936 Obersteuermann (Senior Helmsman)
- 1/10/1939 Stabsobersteuermann (Chief Helmsman)
- 1/7/1941 Leutnant zur See der Reserve (2nd Lieutenant of the Reserves)
- 1/1/1942 Oberleutnant zur See der Reserve (1st Lieutenant of the Reserves)[4]
Awards and decorations
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- Wehrmacht Long Service Award (Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung), 4th to 2nd Class for 18 years
- Anschluss Medal
- Memel Medal
- Iron Cross (1939), 2nd and 1st Class
- 2nd Class on 19 November 1939
- 1st Class on 25 February 1940
- U-boat War Badge 1939 (U-Boot-Kriegsabzeichen)
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 5 November 1940 Senior Helmsman and Watch Officer on Unterseeboot 99/7. Unterseebootsflottille
