Albrecht Achilles (Korvettenkapitän)
Albrecht Achilles
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![]() Korvettenkapitän Albrecht Achilles after a patrol
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Born | Karlsruhe |
25 January 1914
Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. northeast of Bahia, Brazil Lua error in Module:Coordinates at line 668: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found. |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Service/ |
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Years of service | 1934–43 |
Rank | Korvettenkapitän (posthumous) |
Unit | SSS Gorch Fock Schleswig-Holstein Gneisenau U-66 |
Commands held | U-161 |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Awards | Iron Cross 1st Class U-boat War Badge Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Albrecht Achilles (25 January 1914 – 27 September 1943) was a German U-boat commander in World War II and commander of U-161. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.
Contents
Military career
Albrecht Achilles began his naval career with the Reichsmarine on 8 April 1934 as a member "Crew 34" (the incoming class of 1934).[Note 1]. He transferred to the U-boat service in April 1940. For one year, he served as a commander trainee as first and second watch officer on board various U-boats, including three patrols on U-66 under the command of Robert-Richard Zapp, before taking over command of U-161 from Kapitänleutnant Hans Witt.
Albrecht Achilles and his entire crew were killed in action when U-161 was sunk northeast of Bahia on 27 September 1943 by depth charges from a U.S. Navy Martin PBM Mariner (VP-74/P-2).
On 16 November 1940 he married Chirstel Busz. The marriage produced two children, daughter Christiane born 1941 and a posthumous son Konrad born 1944.[1]
Summary of career
Ships attacked
As commander of U-161, Achilles is credited with the sinking of 12 merchant ships totalling 60,107 gross register tons (GRT), damaging another ship of 3,305 GRT that it had to be considered a total loss and damaging five further ships of 35,672 GRT. He also sank the United States Lighthouse Service ship Acacia of 1,130 metric tons (1,110 long tons; 1,250 short tons) and damaged the British light cruiser HMS Phoebe (43) 5,450 t (5,360 long tons; 6,010 short tons).
Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) |
Fate[2] |
---|---|---|---|---|
19 February 1942 | British Consul | ![]() |
6,940 | Damaged |
19 February 1942 | Mokihana | ![]() |
7,460 | Damaged |
21 February 1942 | Circe Shell | ![]() |
8,207 | Sunk |
23 February 1942 | Lihue | ![]() |
7,001 | Sunk |
7 March 1942 | Uniwaleco | ![]() |
9,755 | Sunk |
10 March 1942 | HMCS Lady Nelson | ![]() |
7,970 | Damaged |
10 March 1942 | Umtata | ![]() |
8,141 | Damaged |
14 March 1942 | Sarniadoc | ![]() |
1,940 | Sunk |
15 March 1942 | USCGC Acacia | ![]() |
1,130 | Sunk |
16 June 1942 | Nueva Altagracia | ![]() |
30 | Sunk |
22 June 1942 | E.J. Sadler | ![]() |
9,639 | Sunk |
3 July 1942 | San Pablo | ![]() |
3,305 | Total loss |
16 July 1942 | Fairport | ![]() |
6,165 | Sunk |
23 October 1942 | HMS Phoebe | ![]() |
5,450 | Damaged |
8 November 1942 | Bonalder | ![]() |
5,161 | Damaged |
8 November 1942 | West Humhaw | ![]() |
5,527 | Sunk |
29 November 1942 | Tjilboet | ![]() |
5,760 | Sunk |
12 December 1942 | Ripley | ![]() |
4,997 | Sunk |
19 May 1943 | Angelus | ![]() |
255 | Sunk |
20 September 1943 | St. Usk | ![]() |
5,472 | Sunk |
26 September 1943 | Itapagé | 23x15px Brazil | 4,998 | Sunk |
Awards
- Wehrmacht Long Service Award 4th Class (8 April 1938)[3]
- Iron Cross (1939)
- U-boat War Badge (1939) (7 August 1941)[4]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 16 January 1943 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-161[5][6][7]
- Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 12 March 1942
Wehrmachtbericht reference
The daily Wehrmachtbericht (Wehrmacht propaganda report) noted the following:
Date | Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording | Direct English translation |
---|---|---|
Thursday, 12 March 1942 | Bei den Unternehmungen in Amerikanischen Gewässern zeichneten sie die Unterseeboote unter Führung der Kapitänleutnante Achilles und Nico Clausen besonders aus.[8] |
Submarines under the commands of Kapitänleutnante Achilles and Nico Clausen distinguished themselves in operations in American waters. |
Promotions
26 September 1934: | Seekadett (Midshipman)[3] |
1 October 1934: | Obermatrose (Seaman Apprentice) |
1 January 1935: | Oberstabsmatrose (Leading Seaman) |
1 July 1935: | Fähnrich zur See (Officer Cadet)[3] |
1 January 1937: | Oberfähnrich zur See (Senior Ensign)[3] |
1 April 1937: | Leutnant zur See (Second Lieutenant)[3] |
1 April 1939: | Oberleutnant zur See (First Lieutenant)[4] |
1 September 1941: | Kapitänleutnant (Captain Lieutenant)[4] |
5 April 1945 (posthumously): |
Korvettenkapitän (Corvette Captain)[4] |
Notes
- ↑ The German Reichsmarine which was renamed the Kriegsmarine on 1 June 1935.
References
Citations
- ↑ "Albrecht Achilles". Kriegsmarine Crew 34 (in German). Retrieved 9 June 2013.CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ http://uboat.net/boats/successes/u161/html
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Busch & Röll 2003, p. 300.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Busch & Röll 2003, p. 301.
- ↑ Scherzer 2007, p. 187.
- ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 113.
- ↑ Kurowski 1995, p. 9.
- ↑ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Volume 2, p. 54.
Bibliography
- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (2003). Der U-Boot-Krieg 1939–1945 — Die Ritterkreuzträger der U-Boot-Waffe von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 (in German). Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn Germany: Verlag E.S. Mittler & Sohn. ISBN 978-3-8132-0515-2. Unknown parameter
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ignored (help)CS1 maint: ref=harv (link) CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles> - Kurowski, Franz (1995). Knight's Cross Holders of the U-Boat Service. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 978-0-88740-748-2.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- Range, Clemens (1974). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Kriegsmarine. Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 978-3-87943-355-1. Unknown parameter
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ignored (help)<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles> - Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2. Unknown parameter
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External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "Albrecht Achilles". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 27 October 2013.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- CS1 maint: unrecognized language
- Articles containing German-language text
- Pages with broken file links
- Pages with citations using unsupported parameters
- CS1 maint: ref=harv
- 1914 births
- 1943 deaths
- People from Karlsruhe
- U-boat commanders
- Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
- German military personnel killed in World War II
- Military personnel referenced in the Wehrmachtbericht
- People lost at sea
- Reichsmarine personnel
- Kriegsmarine personnel
- People from the Grand Duchy of Baden