Johannes Lohs

Lieutenant junior grade Johannes Lohs (June 24, 1889 – August 14, 1918) was a successful and highly decorated German U-boat commander in the Kaiserliche Marine during World War I.

In his time as commander of SMU UC-75 and SMU UB-57 he succeeded in sinking several ships for a total tonnage of approximately.

Early life
Johannes Lohs was born June 24, 1889 at Einsiedel, Saxony. He was son of plant owner Oswald Lohs. He first went to school in his home village and later a grammar school in Chemnitz.

He entered the Kaiserliche Marine on April 1, 1909 and had several commands as Fähnrich zur See and served from October 1, 1912 on the cruiser SMS Straßburg on which he saw half of the world.

World War I
Lohs saw action for the very first time on August 28, 1914 and was promoted Leutnant zur See in the autumn of 1915. He then moved to U-Bootschule for a period, but got his first U-boat command on UC-75 on the March 17, 1917, on which he did 9 patrols off the British coast. On January 2, 1918 he became Commanding officer of the UB-57, taking over the command of this boat from another legendary U-boat commander, Otto Steinbrinck. Lohs had also some very good ideas on U-boat warfare and new tactics and on April 24, 1918 he received the Pour le Mérite.

On August 3, 1918 he sailed from Zeebrugge for the last time. The last contact he made with the base was on the evening of the August 14, as UB-57 was homeward bound roughly in the area of the Sandiette Bank, east of the Strait of Dover. Nothing more was heard. UB-57 is believed to have run onto a mine. Lohs' body washed up on shore a week later and he is buried in the military cemetery at Vlissingen.

On October 4, 1937 the 3rd U-boat Flotilla was named after him at Kiel.