Heinz-Otto Schultze (13 September 1915 in

Kiel Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021). Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the Jutland ...

– 25 November 1943 in the

South Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

) was a German

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare ro ...

commander in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. He is credited with the sinking of 20 ships for a total of plus damaging a further two ships for a total of .

Naval career

Heinz-Otto Schultze was the son of

Otto Schultze Otto Schultze (11 May 1884 – 22 January 1966) was a '' Generaladmiral'' with the '' Kriegsmarine'' during World War II and a recipient of the ''Pour le Mérite'' during World War I. The ''Pour le Mérite'' was the Kingdom of Prussia's highest ...

, commander of during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and a recipient of the coveted

Pour le Mérite The ' (; , ) is an order of merit (german: Verdienstorden) established in 1740 by King Frederick II of Prussia. The was awarded as both a military and civil honour and ranked, along with the Order of the Black Eagle, the Order of the Red Eag ...

and later Generaladmiral of the '' Kriegsmarine''. Schultze joined the ''

Reichsmarine The ''Reichsmarine'' ( en, Realm Navy) was the name of the German Navy during the Weimar Republic and first two years of Nazi Germany. It was the naval branch of the ''Reichswehr'', existing from 1919 to 1935. In 1935, it became known as the '' ...

'' on 8 April 1934 as a member of Crew 1934 (the incoming class of 1934), where he received his basic military infantry training with the ''II. Schiff-Stamm-Abteilung der Ostsee'' (2nd department of the standing ship division) of the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and ...

in Stralsund. He was transferred to the

school ship A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is mostly used to describe ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old hulks used to house class ...

SSS ''Gorch Fock'' on 15 June 1934 for his onboard training. Here he was promoted to ''

Seekadett ''Seekadett'' (short SKad or SK; ,Langenscheidt´s Encyclopaedic Dictionary of the English and German language: „Der Große Muret-Sander“, Part II German-English, Second Volume L–Z, 8th edition 1999, ; p. 1.381 ) is a military rank of the B ...

'' (midshipman) on 26 September 1934. He then was transferred to the

light cruiser A light cruiser is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck. Prior to th ...

''Karlsruhe'' on 27 September 1934.Busch & Röll 2003, p. 231. U-849 25-11-43

He transferred to the U-boat service on 19 May 1937 and completed the U-boat school. Schultze was first posted on board of on 30 March 1938, initially serving as a second watch officer. He was made first watch officer on board of ''U-31'' on 6 November 1938 and promoted to ''

Oberleutnant zur See ''Oberleutnant zur See'' (''OLt zS'' or ''OLZS'' in the German Navy, ''Oblt.z.S.'' in the '' Kriegsmarine'') is traditionally the highest rank of Lieutenant in the German Navy. It is grouped as OF-1 in NATO. The rank was introduced in the Imp ...

'' (sub-lieutenant) on 1 April 1939. He received command of his first U-boat, , a school U-boat, on 8 June 1940.Busch & Röll 2003, p. 233. Schultze was ordered to the

Schichau-Werke The Schichau-Werke (F. Schichau, Maschinen- und Lokomotivfabrik, Schiffswerft und Eisengießerei GmbH) was a German engineering works and shipyard based in Elbing, Germany (now Elbląg, Poland) on the Frisches Haff (Vistula Lagoon) of then- Eas ...

, a shipyard in Danzig (now: Gdańsk, Poland), for construction familiarization of . He commissioned ''U-432'' on 26 April 1941. His first war patrol as a commander, his fifth of the war, lasted from 30 July until 19 September 1941 and resulted in the sinking of four ships totalling . Schultze surrendered command of ''U-432'' on 16 January 1943, taking command of on 11 March 1943. His fifth patrol as a commander of ''U-432'' targeted the East Coast of the United States of America. ''U-432'' left

La Pallice La Pallice (also known as ''grand port maritime de La Rochelle'') is the commercial deep-water port of La Rochelle, France. During the Fall of France, on 19 June 1940, approximately 6,000 Polish soldiers in exile under the command of Stanisła ...

on 21 January 1942 and returned to La Pallice on 16 March 1942. During this patrol Schultze torpedoed and sank five ships for . After his return, Schultze was heavily criticized by the

Befehlshaber der U-Boote The ''Befehlshaber der Unterseeboote'' or BdU (Eng: "Commander of the U-boats") was the supreme commander of the German Navy's U-boat Arm (''Ubootwaffe'') during the First and Second World Wars. The term also referred to the Command HQ of the U- ...

(BdU) for the sinking of a Brazilian ship without warning. This attack was conducted against standing orders. ''U-849'' left Kiel on its first war patrol on 2 October 1943 and was sunk by depth charges from a US B-24 Liberator B-6 from Navy-Squadron VB-107 on 25 November that year in the

west of the Congo estuary, in position . Schultze and the entire crew of ''U-849'' were killed in the sinking. This was Schultze's 12th patrol of the war.

Awards

* '' Dienstauszeichnung'' 4th Class (1 September 1939)Busch & Röll 2003, p. 232. *

Sudetenland Medal The 1 October 1938 Commemorative Medal (german: Die Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 1. Oktober 1938), commonly known as the Sudetenland Medal was a decoration of Nazi Germany awarded during the interwar period, and the second in a series of Occupa ...

(16 September 1939) *

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia es ...

(1939) ** 2nd Class (2 October 1939) ** 1st Class (23 September 1941) *

U-boat War Badge The U-boat War Badge (german: U-Boot-Kriegsabzeichen) was a German war badge that was awarded to U-boat crew members during World War I and World War II. History The ''U-boat War Badge'' was originally instituted during the First World War on Feb ...

(1939) (13 September 1939) * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 9 July 1942 as ''

Kapitänleutnant ''Kapitänleutnant'', short: KptLt/in lists: KL, ( en, captain lieutenant) is an officer grade of the captains' military hierarchy group () of the German Bundeswehr. The rank is rated OF-2 in NATO, and equivalent to Hauptmann in the Heer an ...

'' and commander of ''U-432''Fellgiebel 2000, p. 392.

Notes

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Schultze, Heinz-Otto 1915 births 1943 deaths U-boat commanders (Kriegsmarine) Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Military personnel from Kiel Kriegsmarine personnel killed in World War II Reichsmarine personnel Military personnel from the Province of Schleswig-Holstein People lost at sea Deaths by American airstrikes during World War II