Happy Birthday, You Underwater Bastard

October 15th, Wolfgang Lüth.

Wolfgang Lüth,

October 15th, 1913.

I’m sure there’s someone somewhere on planet Earth who doesn’t know who Adolf Hitler was. It’s hard to decide if this is a good thing or not. Hitler himself doesn’t deserve remembrance, of course, although we should never forget what he was responsible for. You can’t have one without the other.

Fewer people will be aware of who Karl Dönitz was, however. In the immediate aftermath of Hitler’s suicide on April 30th, 1945, Grand-Admiral Dönitz assumed the title of Reichspräsident and became the leader of the Flensburg Government that ruled Nazi Germany for the brief period up to the moment, on May 4th, that he issued the order to surrender to Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery at Lüneburg Heath, bringing the war in Northern Europe to an end. By the 23rd of that month, the Flensburg Government had been dissolved, and the Allies had taken control of the political future of Germany.

So, apart from the minor act of surrendering and bringing World War Two in Europe to a close, he didn’t have to do much.

Dönitz was charged at Nuremberg with three crimes, including “waging unrestricted submarine warfare contrary to the Naval Protocol of 1936 to which Germany acceded, and which reaffirmed the rules of submarine warfare laid down in the London Naval Agreement of 1930 … “ for issuing orders to engage targets outside of military zones and not rescuing survivors, a charge he successfully defended himself against by pointing out, not without some justification, that the Allies did precisely the same bloody thing and if he was guilty, so were they. On May 8th, 1940, the British Admiralty had ordered all vessels in the Skagerrak sunk on sight, for instance.

He spent ten years in Spandau for being a fucking Nazi and died in 1980.

One of the people whom he commanded to engage in all these war crimes that everyone was indulging in was Kapitän zur See Wolfgang Lüth, and one of the few things Dönitz had to do as President of Germany was phone up Lüth’s brother on the 14th of May, 1945 and tell him that Wolfgang had died after being shot once in the head. Only it wasn’t a vengeful Allied firing squad that had done for Lüth, nor had he died in warfare.

Reeling back to the barracks one night, absolutely shitfaced, Lüth had failed to respond to the challenge of the sentry, 18-year-old Mathias Gottlob. Gottlob asked three times for the password, receiving no reply. Unable to identify the staggering figure in the dark, he fired once, from the hip, instantly killing the man who was possibly Germany’s finest U-boat commander and who was responsible for sinking 46 merchant ships and the French Submarine Doris, over 15 patrols, for a total of 225,204 gross register tons, thereby saving the Allies the bother of shooting him instead.

Wolfgang Lüth was born on October 15, 1913, in Riga, then part of the Russian Empire. Lüth came from a Baltic German family, with his father serving as an accountant. The family moved to Germany after World War I, where Lüth grew up and completed his schooling. He was known for being a disciplined and highly intelligent student. After his secondary education, Lüth decided to pursue a naval career, inspired by the growing militarization of Germany during the interwar period.

In 1933, at the age of 20, Lüth joined the Reichsmarine, the navy of the Weimar Republic. His initial years were spent undergoing the rigorous training that was typical of German naval officers. As part of his early naval education, he received specialized training in various naval disciplines and showed a particular aptitude for tactics and leadership. By the late 1930s, Lüth had transitioned into the Kriegsmarine, the reformed and rearmed German Navy under Adolf Hitler’s regime. Like many officers at the time, Lüth embraced the ideology of the Third Reich and became a member of the Nazi Party.

Lüth's career as a U-boat commander began in earnest with the outbreak of World War II. He was initially assigned to U-9, a Type IIB submarine, in 1940. His first patrols were in the Baltic Sea and off the Norwegian coast, where he quickly proved his capabilities as a commander. Lüth's early successes earned him recognition, and by 1941, he was transferred to command U-43, a Type IX submarine, which allowed for longer-range operations. Lüth's command of U-43 saw him participate in some of the most crucial naval battles in the Atlantic during the early years of the war.

By late 1941, Lüth had already sunk several Allied ships, and his aggressive tactics drew the attention of higher naval command. He was soon given command of U-181, a larger, long-range Type IXD2 U-boat. With U-181, Lüth embarked on one of his most famous patrols, covering the South Atlantic and the Indian Ocean. Lüth and his crew would sail for months, sinking Allied merchant vessels and evading increasingly sophisticated Allied anti-submarine tactics. During this period, Lüth was credited with sinking a significant number of ships, making him one of the most successful U-boat commanders of the war. By the end of his operational career, Lüth had sunk 46 ships, totalling over 225,000 tons of Allied shipping, making him one of the top U-boat aces.

Lüth's success in combat earned him numerous awards. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross in 1942, which was followed by the Oak Leaves, Swords, and eventually Diamonds. The Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds was one of the highest military decorations in Nazi Germany, given only to a select few individuals who demonstrated extreme bravery or leadership. Lüth was one of only two U-boat commanders to receive this honour. His ability to evade capture and continually strike Allied shipping made him a hero in Nazi propaganda, and he was often showcased as an exemplary officer.

In early 1944, Lüth's operational career came to an end when he was appointed to the Naval Academy at Mürwik, a prestigious naval training facility. He was promoted to the rank of Fregattenkapitän (frigate captain) and was given command of the academy. Lüth embraced his new role, and his lectures were known for their fervent support of Nazi ideals, including a belief in the superiority of the German people and the justification of the war. He also maintained close ties with the Nazi leadership, and his loyalty to the regime remained unwavering throughout the war.

However, Lüth's career came to a tragic and unexpected end on May 13, 1945, just days after Germany's surrender. Lüth was accidentally shot and killed by a sentry at the Mürwik naval base. The sentry had ordered Lüth to halt but, due to a misunderstanding in the dark, opened fire when Lüth failed to respond. Lüth’s death was officially recorded as an accident. Dönitz asked for and was given permission to conduct a formal state funeral, which was approved. The funeral was held on the 16th of May by the Kriegsmarine, and Dönitz gave the eulogy. His passing was mourned by many in Germany, especially among naval personnel, who regarded him as one of the finest officers of the U-boat arm.

On the personal front, Lüth was known for being private and disciplined. He was married to Edith Lüth, and the couple had two children. Despite the demands of his military career, Lüth maintained a close relationship with his family, though he spent much of his time at sea. Little is documented about Lüth's personal views beyond his loyalty to Nazi Germany, though it is clear from his public speeches and writings that he was a committed supporter of Adolf Hitler and the regime’s war efforts. His personal letters reveal a man who believed in the righteousness of Germany’s cause and its mission to dominate Europe.

In terms of legacy, Lüth remains a controversial figure. On the one hand, he was one of the most effective and decorated U-boat commanders of the Second World War, admired for his tactical brilliance and leadership. On the other hand, his unwavering support for the Nazi regime and his involvement in the war effort aligned him with a cause that led to the suffering and death of millions. Lüth’s name is often associated with the broader history of the U-boat service, which played a crucial role in Germany's naval warfare during the war. His exploits are still studied in military history circles, though with a critical lens given the context of the war.

Lüth's reputation after the war has been shaped by the broader historical reassessment of the Nazi regime and its military leaders. His role as a military commander is acknowledged, but his close association with Nazi ideology has led to a more nuanced view of his life and career. For those interested in the history of submarine warfare, Lüth remains a figure of study, particularly for his strategic use of long-range U-boats in distant theatres like the Indian Ocean. However, his legacy is also a reminder of the dangers of blind loyalty to an immoral regime, regardless of military skill or personal bravery.


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