Kurt Hartwig

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Kurt Hartwig (born January 21, 1887 in Hanau , † October 16, 1972 in Weinheim ) was a German naval officer and submarine commander in the First World War .

Life

Hartwig joined the Imperial Navy on April 1, 1905 as a midshipman ( crew 1905 ) , completed his basic training on the training ship SMS Charlotte and then went to the naval school. There he was appointed ensign at sea on April 7, 1906 and after the successful visit was transferred to the liner SMS Lothringen . On September 28, 1908, he was promoted to lieutenant at sea . As such, he was assigned to the 1st Sailor Division in Kiel on October 1, 1910 for a year in the role of company officer. Then Hartwig came to the I. Torpedo Division, where he repeatedly worked as a watch officer in the III. Torpedo flotilla acted and on September 5, 1911 was promoted to first lieutenant at sea .

As a watch and torpedo officer he was then transferred to the small cruiser SMS Dresden on October 1, 1913 . On December 13, 1913, Hartwig embarked on the journey to the East American station by ship. With the outbreak of World War I, Dresden united with the East Asia Squadron off Easter Island and took part in the sea ​​battle at Coronel . As the only German ship, the Dresden was able to escape the naval battle in the Falkland Islands and, after being caught by a British naval unit, sank off the Robinson Crusoe Islands themselves.

The team was able to save itself and was interned in Chile . Hartwig and other officers managed to escape from South America to their homeland, where he arrived on July 11, 1915. On July 16, 1915, he began training at the submarine school and was also the commander of the division boat D 5 and SM U 16 . Hartwig was promoted to lieutenant captain on April 24, 1916 and took command of SM U 32 in June 1916 . With the submarine he led by Pola from trade war in the Mediterranean . On January 9, 1917, on a patrol off Malta , he succeeded in sinking the British battleship HMS Cornwallis with two hits at the level of the engine room and a catch shot . After six patrols, Hartwig gave up command of SM U 32 on December 24, 1917 and took over SM U 63 , with which he carried out another four patrols in the Mediterranean.

Hartwig was the last naval officer to be awarded the Pour le Mérite . He received the highest Prussian war award on October 3, 1918 for the sinking of 48 ships with a tonnage of over 163,000 GRT and the damage to another six ships with 28,000 GRT.

After the end of the war he started his journey home to Germany and was made available on his arrival. Hartwig was then from February 3, 1919 to June 30, 1920 with the III. Marine Brigade . He was then made available again, first to the naval station of the Baltic Sea , then to the inspection of the torpedo and naval system and finally to the Kiel command office. On August 16, 1920, he retired from service.

Hartwig was made available to the Navy on March 22, 1939 , but remained without active use.

On 27 August 1939 the so-called Tannenbergtag , Hartwig received the character as a Lieutenant Commander awarded.

Awards

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Ranking list of the Imperial German Navy for the year 1918 , Ed .: Marine-Kabinett, Mittler & Sohn Verlag , Berlin 1918, p. 45
personal data
SURNAME Hartwig, Kurt
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German naval officer, submarine commander in World War I.
DATE OF BIRTH January 21, 1887
PLACE OF BIRTH Hanau
DATE OF DEATH October 16, 1972
Place of death Weinheim