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[Klugscheißmodon]
Quote:
The age of U-boat commanders
During the first years of the war there was a strict rule, that a commander had to be at least 25 years old. That's why "Teddy" Suhren, then already a Knights Cross holder, had to wait in a training unit for a few months until he became 25-year old.
Later in the war this limit was lifted and Leutnant zur See Ludwig-Ferdinand von Friedeburg became the youngest combat U-boat commander. He took over the command of U-155 on 15 August 1944. He was then 20 years and 3 months old. There were 3 others Leutnants who took over a boat while only 20 years old; Hans-Eckart Augustin (U-62), Gerhard Ady (U-704) and Hans-Joachim Dierks (U-14). They all commanded training U-boats only.
The oldest Commander was Fregattenkapitän Wilhelm Kiesewetter. He took over the command of the training boat UC 1 on 20 November, 1940. He was at that time 62 years old! In WWI Wilhelm Kiesewetter was Commander of SM UC-56.
The oldest Commander on patrol was Korvettenkapitän Georg von Willamowitz- Moellendorf, the well known commander of U-459, one of the Milk-Cows. He died in 1943 at the age of 49 years. The usual limit for combat-commanders was 40 years
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as on
http://uboat.net/men/crew/commander.htm
[klugscheißmodoff]
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In diesem Sinne
Gott mit Uns
Frank B. aus K.