Carl Emmermann

Lieutenant Commander Carl Emmermann (6 March 1915 – 25 March 1990) was a German U-boat commander during World War II. In his time as commander, he succeeded in sinking 27 ships for a total tonnage of.

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 U-A under the command of Hans Eckermann. On her first patrol U-A only damaged the British steamer SS Empire Attendant.

In November 1941 Emmermann took over his own boat, U-172. 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 sinking of the British liner-troopship SS Orcades (1937). His fifth patrol with U-172 was dramatic, in that the boat brought back half the crew of GS U-604 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 GS U-3037 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.

Emmermann survived the war and later returned to Germany, studied engineering and prospered in business.

Ships attacked
As commander of U-172, Emmermann is credited with the sinking of 26 merchant ships totaling.
 * * Sailing ship

Awards

 * Wehrmacht Long Service Award 4th Class (5 April 1938)
 * Iron Cross (1939)
 * 2nd Class (19 March 1941)
 * 1st Class (2 August 1941)
 * U-boat War Badge (1939) (2 August 1941)
 * with Diamonds (1 October 1943)
 * War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords (1 September 1944)
 * U-boat Front Clasp (1 October 1944)
 * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
 * Knights Cross on 27 November 1942 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-172
 * 256th Oak Leaves on 4 July 1943 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-172