Hans Heidtmann

Hans Heidtmann (8 August 1914 – 5 April 1976) was a German U-boat commander in World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany

Hans Heidtmann
Born	(1914-08-08)8 August 1914
Died	5 April 1976(1976-04-05) (aged 61)
Allegiance	Nazi Germany  West Germany
Service/branch	Kriegsmarine  German Navy
Years of service	1934–42 1958–72
Rank	Kapitänleutnant (Kriegsmarine) Kapitän zur See (Bundesmarine)
Commands held	U-14 U-2 U-559
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

U-559 under the command of Heidtmann came under attack by several British warships and an aircraft on 30 October 1942. Fatally damaged and forced to the surface, the U-boat was abandoned after scuttling herself in the Mediterranean. A British boarding party, consisting of Lieutenant Francis Anthony Blair Fasson, Able Seaman Colin Grazier, and Canteen Assistant Tommy Brown, from destroyer HMS Petard recovered the cryptographic materials, but the U-boat sank before the Enigma cipher machine could be brought out. Eight German crewmen and two British seamen were lost, and 37 German survivors were taken prisoner of war.

Awards

• Wehrmacht Long Service Award 4th Class (8 April 1938)[1]
• Spanish Cross in Bronze with Swords (6 June 1939)[2]
• Sudetenland Medal (16 September 1939)[2]
• U-boat War Badge (1939) (26 November 1939)[2]
• Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (27 November 1939) & 1st Class (23 September 1941)[2]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 12 April 1943 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-559[3]

References

Citations

1. Busch & Röll 2003, p. 341.
2. Busch & Röll 2003, p. 342.
3. Scherzer 2007, p. 374.

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 [The U-Boat War 1939–1945 — The Knight's Cross Bearers of the U-Boat Force from September 1939 to May 1945] (in German). Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn Germany: Verlag E.S. Mittler & Sohn. ISBN 978-3-8132-0515-2.
• Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 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 [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.

Military offices
Preceded by Fregattenkapitän Gerd Schreiber	Commander of the Marinestützpunktkommando Wilhelmshaven April 1964 – September 1965	Succeeded by Kapitän zur See Karl-Heinz Wünn