Carl Emmermann


Carl Emmermann was a German U-boat commander during World War II. In his time as commander, submarines under his command sank 27 ships for a total tonnage of.

Career

Emmermann began his naval career in 1934. For some years he was training officer on the Naval Academy Mürwik, where future officers got their training.
In 1939 Emmermann joined the U-boat force and in November 1940 became the first Watch officer on under the command of Hans Eckermann. On her first patrol UA only damaged the British steamer.
In November 1941 Emmermann took over his own boat,. He completed five patrols with this boat, in the Caribbean Sea, with the wolf pack Eisbär in South African waters, and in the North and South Atlantic.
His greatest success was the 10 October 1942 sinking of the British liner-troopship. Emmermann sank the SS Benlomond off the coast of Brasil on 23 November 1942. His fifth patrol with U-172 was dramatic, in that the boat brought back half the crew of which had been so heavily damaged during two air attacks that she had to be scuttled. After that patrol Emmermann became the commander of the 6th U-boat Flotilla in November 1943.
In August 1944 Emmermann became the chief of the Erprobungsgruppe Typ XXIII. There in late 1944 he wrote the battle instructions for the new Type XXIII U-boat.
In March 1945 he was commander of for one month, and in the last month of the war he commanded the 31st U-boat Flotilla in Hamburg. Along with some other U-boat men he took part in infantry duty around Hamburg as commander of Marine-Battalion Emmermann.

Later life

Emmermann survived the war and later returned to Germany, studied engineering and prospered in business. He died on 25 March 1990 at the age of in Celle, West Germany.

Summary of career

As commander of U-172, Emmermann is credited with the sinking of 26 merchant ships totaling.

Awards