Helmut Brümmer-Patzig
Encyclopedia
Helmut Patzig, also known as Helmut Brümmer-Patzig (26 October 1890 – 11 March 1984) was a submarine commander in Germany's Kaiserliche Marine
in World War I, and in its World War II successor, the Kriegsmarine
. He is best known for having served as captain of the U-boat U-86 during the first war, but he also served, from 1943 into 1945, as commander of the 26th U-boat Flotilla, a U-boat training group.
) in 1890, and, as Helmut Patzig, joined the German Navy as a 19-year-old cadet in April 1910. At first assigned to surface ships, the young seaman switched to U-boat service in November 1915, by which time World War I had begun. As a submarine watch officer, Patzig was awarded the Iron Cross – First Class
in March 1917. He was assigned to his first sea command, the U-boat U-86, in January 1918.
Under Patzig, the U-86 was assigned to patrol the Western Approaches
to the British Isles during a pivot-point in the war. By 1918, the Kaiser's fleet of U-boats had acquired sufficient strength to be able to sight, and sink, a substantial percentage of the ships that attempted to deliver necessary supplies to Great Britain. Germany had declared unrestricted submarine warfare
against Great Britain, which in its eyes gave it the right to "sink on sight" ships bound to or from the enemy nation. As a U-boat commander, Patzig was responsible for the sinking of twenty-four enemy vessels totaling 89,318 tons (GRT).
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On 27 June 1918, the U-86 sighted a Canadian hospital ship
, the HMHS Llandovery Castle
, off the southern coast of Ireland
. The Llandovery Castle, a former liner of the Union Castle Line, had been requisitioned and converted into a hospital ship. In compliance with the laws of war
accepted by all of the European combatant nations - including Germany - at that time, the Llandovery Castle had been marked with painted and lighted Red Crosses
to signify its status as a noncombatant vessel. Despite these markings the U-86, under Patzig's command, successfully torpedoed the Llandovery Castle. The sinking hospital ship put out lifeboat
s, but only one lifeboat and its 24 passengers survived; they claimed that the submarine had surfaced and then, under Patzig's command, had systematically rammed and sunk other lifeboats, and then machine-gunned survivors in the water. 234 persons aboard the Llandovery Castle were dead.
This story told by Llandovery Castle survivors was extensively publicized as World War I propaganda
throughout England, Canada, and the U.S.A. during the remaining months of the war. The victorious Allies believed Patzig was a war criminal, but left the task of prosecution to the former commander's fellow citizens. By returning, in 1921, to his place of birth in the Free City of Danzig
, Brümmer-Patzig evaded the jurisdiction of the German courts, and pre-empted court proceedings against him. The indictment against Patzig was quashed in absentia
in 1931 as an acknowledgment by the German courts of the enactment, by the Reichstag
, of two laws of amnesty
that applied to his case. Thus, no testimony was taken in a court of law to set forth Patzig's point of view on the atrocity.
had forced Germany to scuttle its submarine fleet at the end of the war, but when Adolf Hitler
came to power in 1933, he swiftly bypassed the Treaty and ordered the Kriegsmarine to rebuild its U-boat arm. This created a career opportunity for men like Brümmer-Patzig who had been comparatively young submarine commanders during the first war. When war broke out in 1939, Brümmer-Patzig accepted a series of postings, of increasing levels of responsibility, in Germany, occupied France, and the occupied Netherlands. As a middle-aged seaman, Brümmer-Patzig was not expected to take on a sea command as he had in the first war; he was ordered to specialize in instruction, training, and sea trial duties. From November 1941 until March 1943, he served as a torpedo attack instructor in the 25th U-boat Flotilla, a training group based in the Baltic Sea
. In April 1943 he was assigned to command the 26th U-boat Flotilla, another Baltic Sea flotilla of submariners-in-training. In conjunction with these increased duties, he was promoted from Corvette Captain
to Frigate Captain
. Brümmer-Patzig commanded the 26th Flotilla until March 1945, by which time the war was within weeks of its end.
Brümmer-Patzig's final appearance on the rolls of the Kriegsmarine is his discharge from service on 3 May 1945, four days before the signing of the German surrender on 7 May. He died on 11 March 1984.
Kaiserliche Marine
The Imperial German Navy was the German Navy created at the time of the formation of the German Empire. It existed between 1871 and 1919, growing out of the small Prussian Navy and Norddeutsche Bundesmarine, which primarily had the mission of coastal defense. Kaiser Wilhelm II greatly expanded...
in World War I, and in its World War II successor, the Kriegsmarine
Kriegsmarine
The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
. He is best known for having served as captain of the U-boat U-86 during the first war, but he also served, from 1943 into 1945, as commander of the 26th U-boat Flotilla, a U-boat training group.
World War I
Patzig was born in the historic German port city of Danzig (now GdańskGdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
) in 1890, and, as Helmut Patzig, joined the German Navy as a 19-year-old cadet in April 1910. At first assigned to surface ships, the young seaman switched to U-boat service in November 1915, by which time World War I had begun. As a submarine watch officer, Patzig was awarded the Iron Cross – First Class
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
in March 1917. He was assigned to his first sea command, the U-boat U-86, in January 1918.
Under Patzig, the U-86 was assigned to patrol the Western Approaches
Western Approaches
The Western Approaches is a rectangular area of the Atlantic ocean lying on the western coast of Great Britain. The rectangle is higher than it is wide, the north and south boundaries defined by the north and south ends of the British Isles, the eastern boundary lying on the western coast, and the...
to the British Isles during a pivot-point in the war. By 1918, the Kaiser's fleet of U-boats had acquired sufficient strength to be able to sight, and sink, a substantial percentage of the ships that attempted to deliver necessary supplies to Great Britain. Germany had declared unrestricted submarine warfare
Unrestricted submarine warfare
Unrestricted submarine warfare is a type of naval warfare in which submarines sink merchantmen without warning, as opposed to attacks per prize rules...
against Great Britain, which in its eyes gave it the right to "sink on sight" ships bound to or from the enemy nation. As a U-boat commander, Patzig was responsible for the sinking of twenty-four enemy vessels totaling 89,318 tons (GRT).
Hospital ship
A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating medical treatment facility or hospital; most are operated by the military forces of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or near war zones....
, the HMHS Llandovery Castle
HMHS Llandovery Castle
The Llandovery Castle, built in 1914 in Glasgow as RMS Llandovery Castle for Union Castle Line, was a Canadian hospital ship torpedoed off southern Ireland on 27 June 1918 with the loss of 234 lives....
, off the southern coast of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. The Llandovery Castle, a former liner of the Union Castle Line, had been requisitioned and converted into a hospital ship. In compliance with the laws of war
Laws of war
The law of war is a body of law concerning acceptable justifications to engage in war and the limits to acceptable wartime conduct...
accepted by all of the European combatant nations - including Germany - at that time, the Llandovery Castle had been marked with painted and lighted Red Crosses
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an international humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide which was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and to prevent and alleviate human...
to signify its status as a noncombatant vessel. Despite these markings the U-86, under Patzig's command, successfully torpedoed the Llandovery Castle. The sinking hospital ship put out lifeboat
Lifeboat (shipboard)
A lifeboat is a small, rigid or inflatable watercraft carried for emergency evacuation in the event of a disaster aboard ship. In the military, a lifeboat may be referred to as a whaleboat, dinghy, or gig. The ship's tenders of cruise ships often double as lifeboats. Recreational sailors sometimes...
s, but only one lifeboat and its 24 passengers survived; they claimed that the submarine had surfaced and then, under Patzig's command, had systematically rammed and sunk other lifeboats, and then machine-gunned survivors in the water. 234 persons aboard the Llandovery Castle were dead.
This story told by Llandovery Castle survivors was extensively publicized as World War I propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
throughout England, Canada, and the U.S.A. during the remaining months of the war. The victorious Allies believed Patzig was a war criminal, but left the task of prosecution to the former commander's fellow citizens. By returning, in 1921, to his place of birth in the Free City of Danzig
Free City of Danzig
The Free City of Danzig was a semi-autonomous city-state that existed between 1920 and 1939, consisting of the Baltic Sea port of Danzig and surrounding areas....
, Brümmer-Patzig evaded the jurisdiction of the German courts, and pre-empted court proceedings against him. The indictment against Patzig was quashed in absentia
In absentia
In absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use, it usually means a trial at which the defendant is not physically present. The phrase is not ordinarily a mere observation, but suggests recognition of violation to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.In...
in 1931 as an acknowledgment by the German courts of the enactment, by the Reichstag
Reichstag (Weimar Republic)
The Reichstag was the parliament of Weimar Republic .German constitution commentators consider only the Reichstag and now the Bundestag the German parliament. Another organ deals with legislation too: in 1867-1918 the Bundesrat, in 1919–1933 the Reichsrat and from 1949 on the Bundesrat...
, of two laws of amnesty
Amnesty
Amnesty is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to the positions of innocent people, without changing the laws defining the offense. It includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the...
that applied to his case. Thus, no testimony was taken in a court of law to set forth Patzig's point of view on the atrocity.
World War II
In World war II Patzig, now under the name Brummer-Patzig, again saw service in the German Navy's U-boat Arm. The terms of Part V of the Treaty of VersaillesTreaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...
had forced Germany to scuttle its submarine fleet at the end of the war, but when Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
came to power in 1933, he swiftly bypassed the Treaty and ordered the Kriegsmarine to rebuild its U-boat arm. This created a career opportunity for men like Brümmer-Patzig who had been comparatively young submarine commanders during the first war. When war broke out in 1939, Brümmer-Patzig accepted a series of postings, of increasing levels of responsibility, in Germany, occupied France, and the occupied Netherlands. As a middle-aged seaman, Brümmer-Patzig was not expected to take on a sea command as he had in the first war; he was ordered to specialize in instruction, training, and sea trial duties. From November 1941 until March 1943, he served as a torpedo attack instructor in the 25th U-boat Flotilla, a training group based in the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
. In April 1943 he was assigned to command the 26th U-boat Flotilla, another Baltic Sea flotilla of submariners-in-training. In conjunction with these increased duties, he was promoted from Corvette Captain
Corvette Captain
Corvette captain is a rank in many navies which theoretically corresponds to command of a corvette . The equivalent rank in the United Kingdom, Commonwealth and USA is lieutenant commander...
to Frigate Captain
Frigate Captain
Frigate captain is a naval rank in the naval forces of several countries.It is, usually, equivalent to the Commonwealth/US Navy rank of commander.Countries using this rank include Argentina and Spain , France , Belgium , Italy ,...
. Brümmer-Patzig commanded the 26th Flotilla until March 1945, by which time the war was within weeks of its end.
Brümmer-Patzig's final appearance on the rolls of the Kriegsmarine is his discharge from service on 3 May 1945, four days before the signing of the German surrender on 7 May. He died on 11 March 1984.