Allegiance Nazi Germany Rank Korvettenkapitan Name Helmut Witte Commands held German submarine U-159 | Years of service 1934–45 Other work Personnel manager Service/branch Kriegsmarine | |
Born 6 April 1915
Bojendorf on Fehmarn ( 1915-04-06 ) Battles/wars Spanish Civil War
World War II
Battle of the Atlantic Died October 3, 2005, Duisburg, Germany Awards Spanish Cross, Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Battles and wars Spanish Civil War, Battle of the Atlantic, World War II | ||
Helmut Witte (6 April 1915 – 3 October 2005) was a Korvettenkapitan (corvette captain) with the Kriegsmarine during World War II. As commander of the Type IXC U-boat U-159, he sank twenty-three ships on four patrols, for a total of 119,554 tons of Allied shipping, to become the 20th highest scoring U-Boat ace of World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.
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Career
Witte joined the Reichsmarine in April 1934, serving on the light cruiser Koln, the destroyer Z22 "Anton Schmitt", and on several torpedo boats before transferring to the U-boat arm in July 1940. Witte was 1.WO (second-in-command) on U-107 under Gunther Hessler, and took part in the most successful patrol of the war in early 1941, during which 14 ships totalling 86,699 tons were sunk.
Witte commissioned U-159 in October 1941, and in late 1942 accomplished World War II's fourth most successful patrol, sinking 63,730 tons of shipping. In his four patrols in U-159 Witte sank 23 ships in all totalling 119,554 GRT. From June 1943 he served in several staff positions.
Post-war
At the end of the war Witte spent two months as a prisoner of the British. After spells as a farm hand and a factory worker, Witte had a successful business career, and in the 1960s became personnel manager of a large German industrial group. He died in 2005 aged 90.