Walther Schwieger
| Walther Schwieger | |
|---|---|
 U-Boat ace Kapitänleutnant Schwieger | |
| Birth date | 7 April 1885 |
| Place of birth | Berlin, German Empire |
| Death date | ⚔ 5 September 1917 (aged 32) |
| Place of death | North Sea, off Terschelling, Netherlands |
| Allegiance |  German Empire
|
| Service/branch |  Kaiserliche Marine
|
| Years of service | 1903–1917 |
| Rank | Kapitänleutnant |
| Commands held | SM U14, SM U 20, SM U 88 |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
| Awards | Pour le Mérite |
Wilhelm Otto Walther Schwieger (7 April 1885 – 5 September 1917) was a German officer of the Kaiserliche Marine and U-boat commander (U-Boot-Kommandant), at last Kapitänleutnant and Knight of the Order "Pour le Mérite" in World War I.
Contents
Life
Walther Schwieger came from a respected Berlin family, his father was Prof. Dr. phil. Otto Reinhard Richard Paul Schwieger (1850–1904), his mother Clara Auguste Christiane, née Reinke (1861–1927), his younger brother Erich (1887–1956). Walther joined the Kaiserliche Marine in 1903. He received his training at the Marineschule (including special courses) and on board of SMS "Braunschweig".
Like all young Leutnants zur See at the time, he served on Torpedoboote. In 1909, he served on the small cruiser SMS "Stettin" of the Hochseeflotte. In 1911, he came to the new Unterseebootsflottille, serving on SM Torpedoboot "D.5". In 1913, he was Flügelleutnant of the Unterseebootsflottille. Since 1914. he was listed under the Unterseebootskommandanten.
WWI
U-boat Commands
- SM "U 14" 1 August 1914 to 15 December 1914
- SM "U 20" 16 December 1914 to 4 November 1916
- SM "U 88" 23 July 1916 to 5 September 1917
- The 65.80 m long and 9.35 m high SM U 88, a Type U 87 submarine with 2 × 2,400 PS (surfaced) built for the German Navy, was launched on 22 June 1916 and commissioned on 7 April 1917. During U 88's patrols (Feindfahrten) from 23 May 1917 until 16 July 1917, Schwieger sank 12 ships (among them HMS "Hilary") and damaged further two with together over 40,000 GRT. They were from Norway, United Kingdom, Russian Empire, France, Japan, Netherlands and Denmark. Two weeks later he received the Pour le Mérite.
Ace of the seas
Schwieger sank during his 34 patrols 49 ships with a total of 185,212 GRT and damaged another 4 ships with a total of 3,488 GRT (together 188,700 GRT). He sank the RMS "Lusitania" on 7 May 1915, a passenger steamer listed in "Jane's Fighting Ships" as a potental auxiliary cruiser and carrying a large quantity of rifle cartridges and explosive shells for the enemys of Germany in WWI.[1]
Death
On 5 September 1917, during her 4th patrol, SM U 88 struck a British mine and sank in the North Sea north of Terschelling. Kommandant Kapitänleutnant Walther Schwieger and all his 42 men were lost. Their death was only confirmed on 6 September 1917, which explains, why the family put this original date on the family grave stone. The U-boat SM "U 139" was commissioned on 18 May 1918 under the command of Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière, who named the new submarine "Kapitänleutnant Schwieger" in honour of Walther Schwieger.
Promotions
- 1 April 1903 Seekadett (Crew 1903)
- 15 April 1904 Fähnrich zur See
- 28 September 1906 Leutnant zur See
- 10 November 1908 Oberleutnant zur See
- 19 September 1914 Kapitänleutnant
Awards and decorations
- Prussian Order of the Crown (Kronenorden), 4th Class on 3 October 1912
- Iron Cross (1914), 2nd and 1st Class
- Knight's Cross of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern with Swords on 5 June 1916
- Pour le Mérite on 30 July 1917
References
- 1885 births
- 1917 deaths
- German Naval officers
- Imperial German Navy personnel of World War I
- German U-Boot commandants
- Recipients of the Order of the Crown (Prussia)
- Recipients of the Iron Cross
- Recipients of the House Order of Hohenzollern
- Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class)
- German military personnel killed in World War I
