Viktor Schütze

Viktor Schütze
File:Viktor Schütze.jpg
Born	(1906-02-16)16 February 1906 Flensburg
Died	Frankfurt am Main
Allegiance	Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Reichsmarine Kriegsmarine
Years of service	1925–45
Rank	Kapitän zur See
Unit	SSS Niobe Hamburg tender Nordsee Meteor Hessen torpedo boat T-155, G-10 cruiser Admiral Scheer destroyer Erich Steinbrinck 1st U-boat Flotilla U-Bootschulflottille 2nd U-boat Flotilla
Commands held	U-19, 1936-01-16 – 1937-09-30 U-11, 1938-08-13 – 1939-09-04 U-25, 1939-09-05 – 1940-05-19 U-103, 1940-06-05 – 1941-08-12 2nd U-boat Flotilla FdU Ausbildungsflottillen Gotenhafen
Battles/wars	World War II Battle of the Atlantic
Awards	Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub

Viktor Hermann Otto Ludwig Paul Ferdinand Schütze (16 February 1906 – 23 September 1950), was a Kriegsmarine U-boat ace, sinking a total of 35 allied ships totalling 180,053 tons during the Second World War. He is in fifth place amon top-scoring U-boat aces. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Biography

Schütze was born in Flensburg, and started his naval career in the Reichsmarine aboard German torpedo boats in April 1925, before transferring to the new U-boat division ten years later in October 1935. There he commanded U-19 for two years, before being relieved to take destroyer training - before returning to the U-boat arm in command of U-11. When war broke out he commanded U-25, with which he sailed on three patrols, mainly in the Bay of Biscay and off the Portuguese coast.

In July 1940 he assumed command over the Type IXB U-103, and commanded for four patrols in North Atlantic and African waters. In December he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his successes. In August 1941 he retired from front service, taking up positions as Flottillenchef of 2nd U-boat Flotilla. In March 1943 he became the FdU Ausbildungsflottillen (Commander of the training flottillas in the Baltic Sea) in Flensburg-Kappeln, in which position he served until the end of the war.

He died in Frankfurt am Main in 1950.

Summary of career

Ships attacked

As a U-boat commander of U-25 and U-103 Schütze is credited with the sinking of 35 ships for a total of 180,073 gross register tons (GRT), further damaging two ships of 14,213 GRT.

Date	U-boat	Name of Ship	Nationality	Tonnage	Fate
31 October 1939	U-25	Baoulé	France	5,874	Sunk
17 January 1940	U-25	Enid	Norway	1,140	Sunk
17 January 1940	U-25	Polzella	United Kingdom	4,751	Sunk
18 January 1940	U-25	Pajala	Sweden	6,873	Sunk
22 January 1940	U-25	Songa	Norway	2,589	Sunk
3 February 1940	U-25	Armanistan	United Kingdom	6,805	Sunk
13 February 1940	U-25	Chastine Mærsk	Denmark	5,177	Sunk
6 October 1940	U-103	Nina Borthen	Norway	6,123	Sunk
9 October 1940	U-103	Delphin	Greece	3,816	Sunk
9 October 1940	U-103	Graigwen	United Kingdom	3,697	Damaged
9 October 1940	U-103	Zannes Gounaris	Greece	4,407	Sunk
13 October 1940	U-103	Nora	Estonia	1,186	Sunk
15 October 1940	U-103	Thislegarth	United Kingdom	4,747	Sunk
21 November 1940	U-103	Daydawn	United Kingdom	4,768	Sunk
21 November 1940	U-103	Victoria	Greece	6,085	Sunk
27 November 1940	U-103	Glenmoor	United Kingdom	4,393	Sunk
28 November 1940	U-103	Mount Athos	Greece	3,578	Sunk
28 November 1940	U-103	St. Elwyn	United Kingdom	4,940	Sunk
8 December 1940	U-103	Calabria	United Kingdom	5,186	Sunk
13 February 1941	U-103	Arthur F. Corwin	United Kingdom	10,516	Damaged
17 February 1941	U-103	Edwy R. Brown	United Kingdom	10,455	Sunk
18 February 1941	U-103	Seaforth	United Kingdom	5,459	Sunk
19 February 1941	U-103	Benjamin Franklin	Norway	7,034	Sunk
25 April 1941	U-103	Polyana	Norway	2,267	Sunk
1 May 1941	U-103	Samsø	United Kingdom	1,494	Sunk
3 May 1941	U-103	Wray Castle	United Kingdom	4,253	Sunk
6 May 1941	U-103	Dunkwa	United Kingdom	4,752	Sunk
6 May 1941	U-103	Surat	United Kingdom	5,529	Sunk
9 May 1941	U-103	City of Winchester	United Kingdom	7,120	Sunk
11 May 1941	U-103	City of Shanghai	United Kingdom	5,828	Sunk
22 May 1941	U-103	British Grenadier	United Kingdom	6,857	Sunk
25 May 1941	U-103	Radames	Egypt	3,575	Sunk
25 May 1941	U-103	Wangi Wangi	Netherlands	7,789	Sunk
8 June 1941	U-103	Elmdene	United Kingdom	4,853	Sunk
29 June 1941	U-103	Erani	Italy	6,619	Sunk

Awards

• Spanisches Marineverdienstkreuz in Weiß (21 August 1939)
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (13 November 1939)
  • 1st Class (21 February 1940)
• Italienisches Kriegskreuz mit Schwertern (1 November 1941)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 11 December 1940 as Korvettenkapitän and commander of U-103
  • 23rd Oak Leaves on 14 July 1941 as Korvettenkapitän and commander of U-103
• War Merit Cross
  • 2nd Class (30 January 1944)
  • 1st Class (1 September 1944)
• Mentioned four times in the Wehrmachtbericht on 4 December 1940, 10 December 1940, 27 May 1941 and 13 July 1941

Wehrmachtbericht references

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
Wednesday, 4 December 1940	Die deutsche Unterseebootwaffe hatte weitere Erfolge im Handelskrieg gegen England zu verzeichnen. Ein Unterseeboot versenkte sechs bewaffnete feindliche Handelsschiffe mit 31 500 BRT. Damit hat das unter Führung von Korvettenkapitän Viktor Schütze stehende Unterseeboot insgesamt 94 500 BRT feindlichen Handelsschiffraum versenkt.	The German submarine force had further success in the commercial war against England. A submarine sank six armed enemy merchant ships of 31 500 GRT. So the submarine under the leadership of Lieutenant Commander Viktor Schütze has sunk a total of 94 500 GRT of enemy merchant shipping.
Tuesday, 10 December 1940	Ein Unterseeboot meldet die Versenkung von zwei bewaffneten feindlichen Handelsschiffen mit zusammen 14 500 BRT. Damit erhöht sich der von Korvettenkapitän Viktor Schütze auf seiner letzten Feindfahrt erzielte Erfolg auf 45 000 BRT versenkten feindlichen Handelsschiffraumes.	A submarine reported the sinking of two armed enemy merchant ships totalling 14 500 GRT. Thus, the total success achieved by Lieutenant Commander Viktor Schütze on his last patrol has increased to 45 000 GRT of enemy merchant shipping sunk.
Tuesday, 27 May 1941	Bei der Vernichtung feindlicher Handelsschiffe westlich von Afrika zeichnete sich das von Korvettenkapitän Schütze geführte Unterseeboot durch die Versenkung von elf Schiffen mit zusammen 56 200 BRT besonders aus.	In the destruction of enemy merchant shipping west of Africa, a submarine lead by of Lieutenant Commander Schütze particularly distinguished itself with the sinking of eleven ships for a total of 56 200 GRT.
Sunday, 13 July 1941	Korvettenkapitän Schütze hat bisher insgesamt 37 Schiffe versenkt und damit als siebenter Unterseebootskommandant über 200 000 BRT vernichtet.	Lieutenant Commander Schütze has so far sunk a total of 37 ships and thus as the seventh submarine commander destroyed over 200 000 GRT.

Promotions

16 November 1925:	Seekadett (Midshipman)
1 April 1927:	Fähnrich zur See (Officer Cadet)
1 June 1928:	Oberfähnrich zur See (Senior Ensign)
1 October 1929:	Leutnant zur See (Second Lieutenant)
1 July 1931:	Oberleutnant zur See (First Lieutenant)
1 October 1935:	Kapitänleutnant (Captain Lieutenant)
1 February 1940:	Korvettenkapitän (Corvette Captain), effective as of 1 February 1940 with a rank age date on 1 August 1939
1 March 1943:	Fregattenkapitän (Frigate Captain)
1 March 1944:	Kapitän zur See (Captain at Sea)

External links

Military offices
Preceded by Korvettenkapitän Heinz Fischer	Commander of 2nd U-boat Flotilla August, 1941 – January, 1943	Succeeded by Fregattenkapitän Ernst Kals