Karl-Friedrich Merten

Captain Karl-Friedrich Merten (15 August 1905 – 2 May 1993) was a German U-boat commander during World War II. He is credited with the sinking of 27 ships for a total of of allied shipping. For this achievement he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Military career
Born in Posen, he joined the Reichsmarine in 1926. After training he spent many years on surface ships. He joined the U-Boat service on May 1, 1940. From October 1940 until January 1941 he joined GS U-38 (1938) as a trainee Captain with the experienced Heinrich Liebe. On 11 February 1941, Merten commissioned GS U-68 (1940) and lead 5 successful patrols. He operated all over the world, patrolling in the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Indian Ocean. U-68 was in the U-boat wolf pack Eisbär (Polar Bear Group), consisting of four submarines, U-68 (Merten), GS U-156 (1941) (Werner Hartenstein), GS U-172 (Carl Emmermann), GS U-504 (Hans-Georg Friedrich Poske) a fifth U-boat, GS U-159 (1941) (Helmut Witte) joined the group later, which in the course of a few weeks during September/October 1942, sank more than of shipping off South Africa.

On 22 September 1941 Merten torpedoed his first ship the British Steamer SS Silverbelle sailing in convoy SL-87 and on the 6 November 1942 he sunk his last ship the  British Steamer SS City of Cairo. His total was 29 ships sunk at a tonnage of 170,151.

After this patrol Merten was appointed to the U-boat flotilla in Pillau, and this and other training appointments curtailed his operational career. Nevertheless, when the war ended he stood seventh in the table of U-Boat commanders in terms of tonnage sunk. After the war he made a new career (somewhat ironically) in shipbuilding, retiring in 1974.

Long after the sinking of the SS City of Cairo he was invited to a post-war reunion of survivors where one observed: "We couldn't have been sunk by a nicer man".

He died on 2 May 1993 in Waldshut.

Awards

 * Wehrmacht Long Service Award 4th Class (2 October 1936)
 * Olympic Games Decoration 2nd Class (21 December 1936)
 * Wehrmacht Long Service Award 3rd Class (2 October 1936)
 * Spanish Cross in Bronze (20 April 1938)
 * Sudetenland Medal (20 December 1939)
 * Iron Cross (1939)
 * 2nd Class (2 October 1939)
 * 1st Class (31 December 1941)
 * U-boat War Badge (1939) (2 August 1941)
 * with Diamonds (30 January 1943)
 * High Seas Fleet Badge (9 October 1942)
 * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
 * Knight's Cross on 13 June 1942 as Korvettenkapitän and commander of U-68
 * 147th Oak Leaves on 16 November 1942 as Korvettenkapitän and commander of U-68
 * War Merit Cross 1st Class with Swords
 * 2nd Class (30 January 1944)
 * 1st Class (29 October 1944)
 * Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 8 April 1942

Rank Promotions

 * Fähnrich zur See-1 April 1928 (midshipman)
 * Oberfähnrich zur See-1 June 1930 (senior midshipman)
 * Leutnant zur See-1 October 1930 (ensign)
 * Oberleutnant zur See-1 April 1933 (sub-lieutenant)
 * Kapitänleutnant-1 April 1936 (lieutenant)
 * Korvettenkapitän-1 April 1941 (corvette captain/lieutenant commander)
 * Fregattenkapitän-1 January 1944 (frigate captain/commander)
 * Kapitän zur See-15 April 1945 (captain)