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Heinrich Bleichrodt (21 October 1909 – 9 January 1977) 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 during the
Second World War 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 opposi ...
. From October 1939 until retiring from front line service in December 1943, he was credited with sinking 25 ships for a total of . He was awarded the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. The Knight' ...
of
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
. Bleichrodt was tried and acquitted for war crimes in connection with the sinking of the , which was carrying evacuated children. He earned the nickname "Ajax" during his time with the U-boats.


Career

Bleichrodt was born in
Berga Berga () is the capital of the ''comarca'' (county) of Berguedà, in the province of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It is bordered by the municipalities of Cercs, Olvan, Avià, Capolat and Castellar del Riu. History Berga derives its name ...
,
Kyffhäuser The Kyffhäuser (,''Duden - Das Aussprachewörterbuch, 7. Auflage (German)'', Dudenverlag, sometimes also referred to as ''Kyffhäusergebirge'', is a hill range in Central Germany, shared by Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt, southeast of the Harz mo ...
on 21 October 1909. In 1926 he was already at sea, aboard the '' Pamir'' and ''
Peking } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
'', He entered the navy in 1933 and spent his initial training on the cadet ship ''Gorch Fock'', followed by a period on the
heavy cruiser The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range and high speed, armed generally with naval guns of roughly 203 mm (8 inches) in caliber, whose design parameters were dictated by the Washington Naval T ...
''Admiral Hipper''. He was commissioned an
ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...
on 1 April 1935, promoted to
sub-lieutenant Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces. In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second hig ...
on 1 January 1937 and to
Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...
on 1 October 1939.Bleichrodt's career at Uboat.net
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Submarine service

After training, Bleichrodt spent a period aboard the small training boat followed by a single patrol with later Knight's Cross winner Kapitänleutnant Wilhelm Rollmann aboard during June and July 1940. This was a highly successful cruise, sinking eight ships for a total of , with Bleichrodt receiving the Iron Cross 2nd Class on 25 July. He was then given command of his own U-boat, on 4 September 1940. He began his first war patrol aboard her on 8 September, going on to sink eight ships for a total of 36,189 tons. On 15 September he sank . He went on to torpedo and sink on 18 September before returning to port on 25 September. Unknown to Bleichrodt, there were 90 children on board the liner being evacuated to
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...
under the Children's Overseas Reception Board's initiative in order to escape the effects of
the Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...
. 258 people, including 77 of the evacuees, died in the disaster. The sinking was controversial, but the ship was not marked as being an evacuation transport, and it is unlikely that Bleichrodt would have been aware that children were amongst the passengers. He was also limited in what aid he could have provided even if he had been aware. He had been awarded the U-boat War Badge 1939 on 24 September, and on his arrival in port on 25 September he received the Iron Cross 1st Class. He put to sea again on 5 October and undertook another highly successful patrol, sinking eight ships, including three merchantmen from the ill-fated convoys SC 7 and HX 79. He returned to
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 ...
on 27 October having sunk 43,106 tons of shipping. Three days before returning, ''U-48'' was radioed and Bleichrodt was informed that he was to be awarded the Knight's Cross. Bleichrodt refused to wear it until his IWO ''Oberleutnant zur See'' Reinhard 'Teddy' Suhren was also awarded one. Bleichrodt pointed out that Suhren had overseen all surface shooting on previous missions and was also entitled. Suhren duly received the Knight's Cross in November that year. Bleichrodt left ''U-48'' on 16 December 1940 and briefly took command of on 22 January 1941 until 4 June 1941. He did not carry out any war cruises before being moved to take command of on 5 June 1941. He carried out six patrols with her, not achieving the same degree of success he had had with ''U-48'', but still sinking 13 ships for a total of some 80,000 tons. He received the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross on 23 September 1942, followed by the U-boat War Badge with Diamonds in October. He was promoted to ''
Korvettenkapitän () is the lowest ranking senior officer in a number of Germanic-speaking navies. Austro-Hungary Belgium Germany Korvettenkapitän, short: KKpt/in lists: KK, () is the lowest senior officer rank () in the German Navy. Address The off ...
'' on 1 November 1943.


Retirement

During his sixth patrol with the ''U-109'', Bleichrodt appears to have suffered a breakdown during an attack on a lone ship on 26 December 1942. He radioed U-boat headquarters to request an immediate return to port, but this was initially denied. On 30 December the ''U-109'' radioed wthat Bleichrodt was no longer capable of commanding the U-boat, but U-boat headquarters insisted to continue the patrol, even if the IWO ( first watch officer ) had to take over. In the end, the IWO brought ''U-109'' back to Saint Nazaire and Bleichrodt went to hospital. He was transferred to a training job with the
27th U-boat Flotilla ''27th U-boat Flotilla'' ("27. Unterseebootsflottille") was a training flotilla ("''Ausbildungsflottille''") of Nazi Germany's ''Kriegsmarine'' during World War II. The flotilla was founded at Gotenhafen in January 1940 under the command of ''Ko ...
, spending five months there followed by a year in the 2nd ULD (U-boat training division) as tactical instructor for the officers. He received a final promotion to ''
Korvettenkapitän () is the lowest ranking senior officer in a number of Germanic-speaking navies. Austro-Hungary Belgium Germany Korvettenkapitän, short: KKpt/in lists: KK, () is the lowest senior officer rank () in the German Navy. Address The off ...
'' (corvette captain) on 1 November 1943, and in July 1944 he was appointed as Chief of the 22nd U-boat Flotilla, a post he held until the end of the war.


Later life

After the war, Bleichrodt was held by the Allies on war crimes charges pertaining to the sinking of the . Bleichrodt was accused of sinking the ship with the full knowledge that it had been transporting evacuees. He reaffirmed the German position that there was no way that he or the crew of the submarine could have known who was on board. It was upheld and he was acquitted. Bleichrodt refused to apologise to the survivors, despite several crew members of ''U-48'', including the radio operator, expressing their shock and regret once the facts became known. Bleichrodt died in 1977.


Awards

*
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 (25 July 1940) ** 1st Class (25 September 1940) * U-boat War Badge with Diamonds (1939) ** U-boat War Badge (24 September 1940) ** U-boat War Badge with Diamonds (September 1942) *
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. The Knight' ...
** Knight's Cross on 24 October 1940 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-48'' ** 125th Oak Leaves on 23 September 1942 as ''Kapitänleutnant'' and commander of ''U-109'' * '' Croce di Guerra Italiana al Valore Militare'' (1 November 1941) *
War Merit Cross The War Merit Cross (german: Kriegsverdienstkreuz) was a state decoration of Nazi Germany during World War II. By the end of the conflict it was issued in four degrees and had an equivalent civil award. A " de-Nazified" version of the War Meri ...
2nd Class with Swords (1 January 1945)


References


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Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bleichrodt, Heinrich 1909 births 1977 deaths U-boat commanders (Kriegsmarine) Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Recipients of the War Cross for Military Valor Reichsmarine personnel People from Greiz (district) Military personnel from Thuringia