Horst Höltring
| Horst Höltring | |
|---|---|
| Born |
30 June 1913 Altona, Hamburg, German Empire |
| Died |
24 August 1943 (aged 30) Central Atlantic Ocean |
| Allegiance |
.svg.png){kind=small} Weimar Republic.svg.png){kind=small} Nazi Germany |
| Service/branch |
.svg.png){kind=small} Reichsmarine.svg.png){kind=small} Kriegsmarine |
| Years of service | 1933–43 |
| Rank | Kapitänleutnant |
| Commands held |
U-149 U-604 |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Iron Cross 2nd Class, Iron Cross 1st Class, German Cross in Gold |
Horst Höltring (30 June 1913 – 24 August 1943) was a German U-boat commander[1] in World War II.
Naval career
Horst Höltring joined the Reichsmarine in 1933. He went through U-boat training from March to October 1940. On 13 November 1940 he was given command of U-149, a training boat. He served on the boat for more than a year, giving up command on 30 November 1941.[2] From December 1941 to January 1942 he went through U-boat familiarization (Baubelehrung) in preparation for his next command. On 8 January 1942 Höltring commissioned the Type VIIC U-604 at Hamburg. U-604 went on seven patrols, spending 203 days at sea. Six ships were sunk, totaling 40,000 tons.[3] On the 7th patrol the boat was lost. Höltring survived the loss of his boat on 11 August 1943 after she was scuttled following an attack by two American aircraft.[4] The entire crew of 45 men was rescued by two U-boats. Höltring died together with thirteen of his men when the boat that rescued half of his crew, U-185, was sunk 13 days later. According to survivors, when U-185 was fatally hit and chlorine gas was spreading through the boat, Höltring, himself wounded, jumped from his bunk with a pistol and ran to the forward torpedo room where two badly wounded men from U-604 begged to be shot to avoid drowning or suffocating, which he did, before taking his own life.[5] Fourteen men from U-604 died on U-185. U-172 had rescued the rest of Höltring's crew, and reached port with them at Lorient, France on 7 September 1943.
Summary of Career
Ships sunk
| Date | U-boat | Name of ship | Nationality | Tonnage | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 June 1941 | U-149 | M-99 |  Soviet Navy | 206 | Sunk |
| 25 August 1942 | U-604 | Abbekerk |  Netherlands | 7,906 | Sunk |
| 27 October 1942 | U-604 | Anglo Mærsk |  United Kingdom | 7,705 | Sunk |
| 30 October 1942 | U-604 | Président Doumer | United Kingdom | 11,898 | Sunk |
| 30 October 1942 | U-604 | Baron Vernon | United Kingdom | 3,642 | Sunk |
| 2 December 1942 | U-604 | Coamo |  United States | 7,057 | Sunk |
| 23 February 1943 | U-604 | Stockport | United Kingdom | 1,683 | Sunk |
Awards
- Iron Cross 2nd Class
- Iron Cross 1st Class
- German Cross in Gold - 6 November 1943 (posthumous)
References
- ↑ "Kapitänleutnant Horst Höltring". uboat.net. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
- ↑ Busch, R.; Röll, H-J. (1999). German U-boat commanders of World War II.
- ↑ Rohwer, J. (1998). Axis Submarine Successes of World War Two.
- ↑ Niestlé, A. (1998). German U-boat losses during World War II.
- ↑ Blair, C. (1998). Hitler’s U-boat War. The Hunted, 1942-1945.
Bibliography
- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). German U-boat commanders of World War II : a biographical dictionary. Translated by Brooks, Geoffrey. London, Annapolis, Md: Greenhill Books, Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-186-6.