Jost Metzler

Jost Metzler (born February 26, 1909 in Altshausen ; † September 29, 1975 in Ravensburg ) was a German naval officer ( crew 32 ) in the Reichsmarine and the Kriegsmarine , most recently in the rank of corvette captain .

Military career

Patrols

U 69

1. February 10, 1941 to March 1, 1941 (3 ships with 17,956 GRT sunk)
2. March 18, 1941 to April 11, 1941 (1 ship of 3,759 GRT sunk)
3. May 5, 1941 to July 8, 1941 (7 ships with 33,868 GRT sunk)
4. August 21, 1941 to August 27, 1941 (trip interrupted due to illness of the commander)

After finishing school, Metzler first completed an apprenticeship in the merchant marine and spent eight years at sea, including on sailing ships. On April 1, 1932, he joined the Reichsmarine as a sea ​​officer candidate , where he completed the usual military training and various ensign courses. Here he was appointed ensign on January 1, 1934 and on September 1, 1935 as senior ensign in the sea . After completing his practical on-board training, which resulted in his appointment as lieutenant at sea on January 1, 1936 , as well as a concluding communication course, Metzler became officer on watch on the T 196 torpedo boat on September 22, 1936 . He held this position until October 1, 1937. On that day he was promoted to lieutenant at sea . From October 2 to December 28, 1937 he was an officer on watch without board command with the 2nd minesweeping flotilla, before he became an officer on watch on December 29 on board the Grille . He held this position until March 31, 1940. During this time he was promoted to lieutenant captain on October 1, 1939 .

On April 1, 1940, he switched to the submarine weapon, where he attended the U-course until July 31. From August to the end of September 1940 he was a commanding student in the 24th U-Flotilla . This was followed by his delegation to the building instruction for U 69 , whose commander he became on November 2, 1940. With U 69 , Metzler ran out on four patrols, in the course of which he sank ten ships with 55,583 GRT . For this, Metzler received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on July 28, 1941 . After his fourth patrol, which he had to break off after seven days because of kidney colic, Metzler gave up command of U 69 , was treated in the hospital for two months and then "available" to the 7th U-Flotilla until November 21, 1941 held. From November 22, 1941 to the end of January 1943, Metzler was training manager in the 25th U-Flotilla , later in the 27th U-Flotilla . From February 1 to June 30, 1943 he was in command of the training submarine U 847 , with which he did not set out on any patrol. Metzler then cured a long illness from July 1 to September 15, 1943. From September 16 to October 17, 1943 he acted as deputy to the flotilla chief of the 5th U-Flotilla in Kiel . This was followed by his assignment as head of flight training with the 23rd U-Flotilla in Danzig , where he was promoted to corvette captain on October 1, 1943 . From April 1, 1944 until the end of the war, he was in command of the 19th U-Flotilla , first in Pillau , then in Kiel.

post war period

From 1946 Metzler worked as director of the Max Leibinger brewery in Ravensburg . In 1975 he died in the Ravensburg district of Bavendorf .

plant

During the Second World War, Metzler published in 1943 under the title Sehrohr südwärts! a report on his missions with the U 69 , which Otto Mielke wrote down in the style of an adventure story for young people . ("SEHROHR SÜDWÄRTS! Knight's Cross bearer Kapitänleutnant Jost Metzler tells" - Written down by Otto Mielke, Wilhelm Limpert-Verlag, Berlin, 1943)

After the war, another book, The Laughing Cow , was published in 1954 with the collaboration of Paul Heinsius , which described the same events, but reformulated and without any Nazi echoes (and without the “Führer picture” in front of the title that adorned the book from 1943). The subtitle The experience reports of the crew of U 69 during the Second World War , which resemble an exciting adventure, testifies that the form of a military adventure report suitable for young people was chosen. In 1958 another edition appeared under the title U 69, Die Lachende Kuh bei Heyne, and in 1966 an abbreviated edition under the title Alaaarm! Submarine! at Pabel. The book was published in English in 1955, followed by a French translation in 1956, a posthumous Russian translation in 2005, and a Polish translation in 2010.

Ranks

• Officer Candidates: April 1, 1932
• Ensign at sea: January 1, 1934
• Oberfähnrich zur See: September 1, 1935
• Lieutenant at sea: January 1, 1936
• First lieutenant at sea: October 1, 1937
• Lieutenant Commander: October 1, 1939
• Corvette Captain: October 1, 1943

Awards

• Service award IV class on October 4, 1937
• Medal in memory of October 1, 1938 on December 20, 1939
• U-boat war badge (1939) on April 12, 1941
• Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st class on December 21, 1939 and March 2, 1941, respectively
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on July 28, 1941
• Mentioned in the Wehrmacht report on June 27, 1941

literature

• Rainer Busch and Hans-Joachim Röll: The U-Boat War 1939–1945: The knight's cross bearers of the U-boat weapon from September 1939 to May 1945. Mittler and Son, 2003, ISBN 3-8132-0515-0 .
• Franz Kurowski : Jost Metzler. In: Franz Kurowski: Hunter of the Seven Seas. The most famous submarine commanders of World War II. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1998 (2nd edition), pages 190-206. ISBN 3-613-01633-8 . (Biographical, representation of the patrols)