| Werner Winter | |
|---|---|
| Born | 26 March 1912 |
| Died | 9 September 1972 (aged 60) |
| Place of birth | Hamburg |
| Place of death | Kiel |
| Allegiance |
 Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany (to 1945) West Germany |
| Service/branch |
 Reichsmarine Kriegsmarine German Navy |
| Years of service | 1930–1945, 1957–1970 |
| Rank |
Korvettenkapitän (Kriegsmarine) Kapitän zur See (Bundesmarine) |
| Commands held |
U-22 U-103 1st U-boat Flotilla |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
| Relations | Siegfried Weber (cousin) |
Werner Winter (26 March 1912 – 9 September 1972) was a German U-boat commander in World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. He reached the rank of Korvettenkapitän with the Kriegsmarine during World War II, and later that of Kapitän zur See with the Bundesmarine.
Career[]
Winter joined the Reichsmarine in April 1930, serving aboard the battleship Schlesien and the light cruiser Emden then transferred to the U-boat force in July 1935.[1]
He served for a few months aboard U-22, before taking command of the U-boat in October 1937. In September 1939 he made two short and unsuccessful combat patrols, before joining the staff of the BdU, but returned in July 1941 to take command of U-103 from Viktor Schütze, making three successful patrols, sinking fifteen merchant ships, for a total of 79,302 tons of Allied shipping, including the USS W. L. Steed.[1]
In July 1942 he took command of 1st U-boat Flotilla in Brest, France, where he was captured after the city's surrender in August 1944, and was finally released in November 1947.[1]
Winter joined the Bundesmarine in 1957, commanding the German destroyer Z-1 from July 1961 to September 1962,[2] retiring in March 1970 with the rank of Kapitän zur See.[1]
Summary of career[]
Ships attacked[]
| Date | Ship | Nationality | Tonnage | Fate[3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 September 1941 | Edward Blyden |  United Kingdom |
5,003 | Sunk |
| 22 September 1941 | Niceto de Larringa | United Kingdom |
5,591 | Sunk |
| 2 February 1942 | W. L. Steed |  United States |
6,182 | Sunk |
| 4 February 1942 | San Gil | United States |
3,627 | Sunk |
| 5 February 1942 | China Arrow | United States |
8,403 | Sunk |
| 5 February 1942 | India Arrow | United States |
8,327 | Sunk |
| 5 February 1942 | Stanbank | United States |
5,966 | Sunk |
| 17 May 1942 | Ruth Lykes | United States |
2,612 | Sunk |
| 19 May 1942 | Ogontz | United States |
5,037 | Sunk |
| 21 May 1942 | Clare | United States |
3,372 | Sunk |
| 21 May 1942 | Elizabeth | United States |
4,727 | Sunk |
| 23 May 1942 | Samuel Q. Brown | United States |
6,625 | Sunk |
| 24 May 1942 | Hector |  Netherlands |
1,828 | Sunk |
| 26 May 1942 | Alcoa Carrier | United States |
5,588 | Sunk |
| 28 May 1942 | New Jersey | United States |
6,414 | Sunk |
Awards[]
- Wehrmacht Long Service Award 4th Class[4]
- Knight's Cross of the Hungarian Merit Medal (August 1938)[4]
- Sudetenland Medal (20 December 1939)[4]
- Iron Cross (1939)
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 5 June 1942 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-103[5]
- War Merit Cross 2nd Class[6]
- Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 1 June 1942
Wehrmachtbericht reference[]
| Date | Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording | Direct English translation |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, 1 June 1942 | Bei den Erfolgen deutscher Unterseeboote vor der Amerikanischen Küste hat sich das Boot des Kapitänleutnants Winter besonders ausgezeichnet.[7] | The boat of Captain Lientenant Winter has particularly distinguished itself in the success of German submarines in front of the American coast. |
References[]
- Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Korvettenkapitän Werner Winter". uboat.net. http://uboat.net/men/winter.htm. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
- ↑ "History of Fletcher-Class Destroyer in German Navy". heinzalbers.org. http://www.heinzalbers.org/history.htm. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
- ↑ http://uboat.net/boats/successes/u103.html
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Busch and Röll 2003, p. 213.
- ↑ Scherzer 2007, p. 789.
- ↑ Busch and Röll 2003, p. 214.
- ↑ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 2, pp. 147–148.
- Bibliography
- Busch, Rainer & Röll, Hans-Joachim (2003). Der U-Boot-Krieg 1939-1945 - Die Ritterkreuzträger der U-Boot-Waffe von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 (in German). Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn Germany: Verlag E.S. Mittler & Sohn. ISBN 3-8132-0515-0.
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945 (in German). Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
- Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
- (in German) Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 2, 1. Januar 1942 bis 31. Dezember 1943. München: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 3-423-05944-3.
External links[]
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The original article can be found at Werner Winter and the edit history here.