Jürgen Wattenberg
Encyclopedia
Jürgen Wattenberg was a German
naval officer and U-boat
commander
during the Second World War. In a successful career spanning just under a year, he sank 14 ships, a total of 82,027 gross registered tons (GRT).
Wattenberg had an eventful war, serving initially aboard the pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee during the Battle of the River Plate
and up until her scuttling off Montevideo
. He was interned in Uruguay
but escaped and made his way back to Germany where he joined the U-boat service. He was the first and only commander of U-162
, which he commanded for three war patrols, becoming one of the oldest U-boat commanders of the entire war. He achieved several successes before his U-boat was attacked and sunk by British warships.
Taken prisoner once more, Wattenberg was imprisoned in the United States, where he contrived to escape again, spending over a month at large. He was released after the end of the war and settled in Germany, where he died in 1995, aged 94.
on 28 December 1900. He joined the German Navy, attaining the rank of Fähnrich zur See on 1 April 1923. He was then promoted to Leutnant zur See and Oberleutnant zur See on 1 October 1925 and 1 July 1927 respectively. He was promoted to Kapitänleutnant on 1 October 1938 and by the outbreak of war was serving aboard the pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee. The Graf Spee was scuttled off Montevideo
, Uruguay
, in December 1939 by her commanding officer, Kapitän zur See Hans Langsdorff
. Wattenberg was interned with the rest of her crew but he escaped and made his way back to Germany, where he arrived in May 1940.
He joined the U-boat
force in October that year and received command of U-162
on 9 September 1941, departing on his first cruise on 7 February 1942. Wattenberg was by this time 41 years old, making him one of the oldest U-boat commanders to undertake a combat patrol.
and into the Atlantic Ocean
, his boat sank a single vessel, the 4,365 ton British White Crest on 24 February. His second patrol lasted from 7 April until 8 June 1942, during which time U-162 preyed on shipping in the Caribbean and off the South American coast. By the time of his return to Lorient
he had spent 63 days at sea and sank a further nine ships, a total tonnage of 47,181 GRT. His third and last patrol began with his departure from Lorient on 7 July 1942 and covered the same area as his second. He sank four ships off the coast of South America during August, a total of 30,481 GRT; his last victim being the American Star of Oregon on 30 August.
U-162 was detected in mid-Atlantic north-east of Trinidad
on 3 September 1942 and attacked by three British destroyers, HMS Vimy, and , and sunk with depth charge
s. Two of the crew were killed; Wattenberg and 48 other survivors were rescued and became prisoners of war.
, where he arrived in September 1942. He was then moved to Crossville
on 16 October 1942, and again to Camp Papago Park
on 27 January 1944. A large break-out occurred on the night of 23–24 December 1944, with Wattenberg being one of the 25 prisoners to escape. Most were recaptured or surrendered fairly quickly; Wattenberg managed to remain at large until 28 January, the last of the escapees to be recaptured. He had been promoted to Kapitän zur See on 1 April 1943, during his time spent imprisoned. With the end of the war Wattenberg was transferred first to Camp Shanks
in 1946, then to a compound near Münster
before being released.
In later life he became manager of the Lübeck branch of the Bavaria – St. Pauli Brewery. Jürgen Wattenberg died on 27 September 1995, aged 94.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
naval officer and U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
during the Second World War. In a successful career spanning just under a year, he sank 14 ships, a total of 82,027 gross registered tons (GRT).
Wattenberg had an eventful war, serving initially aboard the pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee during the Battle of the River Plate
Battle of the River Plate
The Battle of the River Plate was the first naval battle in the Second World War. The German pocket battleship had been commerce raiding since the start of the war in September 1939...
and up until her scuttling off Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
. He was interned in Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
but escaped and made his way back to Germany where he joined the U-boat service. He was the first and only commander of U-162
German submarine U-162 (1941)
German submarine U-162 was a Type IXC U-boat of the German Kriegsmarine during World War II.U-162 was ordered on 25 September 1939 and was laid down on 19 April 1940 at Deutsche Schiff- und Maschinenbau AG, at Seebeck Yard in Bremerhaven, Germany, as "werk 701"...
, which he commanded for three war patrols, becoming one of the oldest U-boat commanders of the entire war. He achieved several successes before his U-boat was attacked and sunk by British warships.
Taken prisoner once more, Wattenberg was imprisoned in the United States, where he contrived to escape again, spending over a month at large. He was released after the end of the war and settled in Germany, where he died in 1995, aged 94.
Early life
Wattenberg was born in LübeckLübeck
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...
on 28 December 1900. He joined the German Navy, attaining the rank of Fähnrich zur See on 1 April 1923. He was then promoted to Leutnant zur See and Oberleutnant zur See on 1 October 1925 and 1 July 1927 respectively. He was promoted to Kapitänleutnant on 1 October 1938 and by the outbreak of war was serving aboard the pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee. The Graf Spee was scuttled off Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
, Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
, in December 1939 by her commanding officer, Kapitän zur See Hans Langsdorff
Hans Langsdorff
Hans Wilhelm Langsdorff was a German naval officer, most famous for his command of the Panzerschiff Admiral Graf Spee during the Battle of the River Plate. He held the rank of Kapitän zur See....
. Wattenberg was interned with the rest of her crew but he escaped and made his way back to Germany, where he arrived in May 1940.
He joined the U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
force in October that year and received command of U-162
German submarine U-162 (1941)
German submarine U-162 was a Type IXC U-boat of the German Kriegsmarine during World War II.U-162 was ordered on 25 September 1939 and was laid down on 19 April 1940 at Deutsche Schiff- und Maschinenbau AG, at Seebeck Yard in Bremerhaven, Germany, as "werk 701"...
on 9 September 1941, departing on his first cruise on 7 February 1942. Wattenberg was by this time 41 years old, making him one of the oldest U-boat commanders to undertake a combat patrol.
Command of U-162
Wattenberg was particularly successful in his time as commander of U-162. On his first patrol, from 7 February to 18 March 1942, he ranged through the North SeaNorth Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
and into the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
, his boat sank a single vessel, the 4,365 ton British White Crest on 24 February. His second patrol lasted from 7 April until 8 June 1942, during which time U-162 preyed on shipping in the Caribbean and off the South American coast. By the time of his return to Lorient
Lorient
Lorient, or L'Orient, is a commune and a seaport in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France.-History:At the beginning of the 17th century, merchants who were trading with India had established warehouses in Port-Louis...
he had spent 63 days at sea and sank a further nine ships, a total tonnage of 47,181 GRT. His third and last patrol began with his departure from Lorient on 7 July 1942 and covered the same area as his second. He sank four ships off the coast of South America during August, a total of 30,481 GRT; his last victim being the American Star of Oregon on 30 August.
U-162 was detected in mid-Atlantic north-east of Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
on 3 September 1942 and attacked by three British destroyers, HMS Vimy, and , and sunk with depth charge
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
s. Two of the crew were killed; Wattenberg and 48 other survivors were rescued and became prisoners of war.
Captivity and later life
Wattenberg was imprisoned in several camps in the United States, starting at Fort HuntFort Hunt Park
Fort Hunt Park is a public park located in Fort Hunt, Fairfax County, Virginia. It is administered by the National Park Service as part of the George Washington Memorial Parkway. The park preserves the remains of the eponymous Fort Hunt, portions of which date to the time of the Spanish-American War...
, where he arrived in September 1942. He was then moved to Crossville
Crossville, Tennessee
Crossville is a city in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 10,795 at the 2010 Census.-Geography:Crossville is located at...
on 16 October 1942, and again to Camp Papago Park
Camp Papago Park
Camp Papago Park was a prisoner of war facility located in Papago Park in the eastern part of Phoenix, Arizona. It consisted of five compounds, four for enlisted men and one for officers...
on 27 January 1944. A large break-out occurred on the night of 23–24 December 1944, with Wattenberg being one of the 25 prisoners to escape. Most were recaptured or surrendered fairly quickly; Wattenberg managed to remain at large until 28 January, the last of the escapees to be recaptured. He had been promoted to Kapitän zur See on 1 April 1943, during his time spent imprisoned. With the end of the war Wattenberg was transferred first to Camp Shanks
Camp Shanks
Camp Shanks, named after Major General David Carey Shanks was a United States Army installation in and around Orangeburg in the Town of Orangetown, New York. Situated near the juncture of the Erie Railroad and the Hudson River, it served as a point of embarkation for troops departing overseas...
in 1946, then to a compound near Münster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
before being released.
In later life he became manager of the Lübeck branch of the Bavaria – St. Pauli Brewery. Jürgen Wattenberg died on 27 September 1995, aged 94.