Werner Hartenstein (naval officer)

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Werner Hartenstein (* 27. February 1908 in Plauen , Vogtland , † 8. March 1943 in the Atlantic Ocean , east of Barbados ) was a German naval officer , most recently Commander and commander of the submarine U 156 in the Second World War . He became known through the Laconia incident .

Military career

Tower badge from U 156.jpg

Patrols U 156

  • December 24, 1941 to January 10, 1942
  • 19 January to 17 March 1942
    (5 ships with 22,723 GRT sunk)
  • April 22 to July 7, 1942
    (12 ships with 44,102 GRT sunk)
  • August 20 to November 16, 1942
    (3 ships with 30,381 GRT sunk)
  • January 16 to March 8, 1943

Promotions

education

Hartenstein joined the Reichsmarine ( crew 1928 ) on April 1, 1928 and completed his basic infantry training by the end of June 1928 with the 2nd Department of the Baltic Ship Mastery Division in Stralsund . In the same year he became a member of the Corps Hasso-Borussia Freiburg . After his basic training, Hartenstein began practical on-board training, which he completed from July to mid-October 1928 on the sailing training ship Niobe and from October 16, 1928 to January 3, 1930 on the light cruiser Emden . Here he was appointed naval cadet on October 11, 1928 and ensign on January 1, 1930 . From January 4, 1930 to the beginning of April 1930, Hartenstein was initially "available" with his ship master division before he was able to take up the main course for ensigns at the Mürwik Naval School on April 4, 1930 . Here graduated Hartenstein his two navigation instruction trips on the survey ship Meteor . At the end of March 1931 he completed his main course and then attended several weapons courses for ensigns until September 1931. Following this, Hartenstein resumed his practical on-board training, which he completed on October 24, 1932 on the light cruiser Cologne . On April 1, 1932, he was promoted to senior ensign in the sea and on October 1, 1932, to the lieutenant in the sea . After a final anti-aircraft weapons course at the coastal artillery school in Wilhelmshaven , Hartenstein was assigned to the Cologne staff on November 16, 1932 .

Further use

Hartenstein served on the Cologne until September 23, 1934, most recently as a division lieutenant. On September 1, 1934 he was promoted to lieutenant at sea . After that, Hartenstein was a company officer in the II Marine Department until the end of September 1935. During this time he attended a flak leader course. On September 30, 1935, Hartenstein became a teacher at the coastal artillery school in Wilhelmshaven. At the beginning of June 1936, he moved to the ship artillery school in Kiel-Wik in the same position . On September 30, 1936, Hartenstein I became a  watch officer on the torpedo boat Greif in the 4th torpedo boat flotilla. On June 1, 1937, he was promoted to lieutenant captain . From November 14 to 19, 1938, he completed a sports course at the Mürwik Naval School. On November 20, 1938 he was appointed commander of the torpedo boat Seeadler in the 6th torpedo boat flotilla, which he led until October 1939. With this boat he took part in security trips in Spanish territorial waters as part of the Spanish Civil War, for which he was awarded the Spanish Cross in bronze on June 6, 1939 .

Second World War

The Blakeley reached the harbor without a bow .

In October 1939 Hartenstein became the commander of the torpedo boat Jaguar appointed, which he commanded until 30 March 1941 - among other things in the integration of Memel into the German Reich. During this time, from May to January 1941, he also served as chief ( mdWdGb ) of the 6th torpedo boat flotilla.

On March 31, 1941, Hartenstein switched to the submarine weapon . He completed a U-course with the 1st U-Lehr Division by June 2, 1941 and then attended several U-courses. On August 12, 1941, he was delegated to the building instruction for the U 156 under construction , of which he was appointed commander on September 4, 1941. This boat led Hartenstein, who was promoted to Korvettenkapitän on June 1, 1942 , on a total of five enemy voyages up to March 8, 1943, during which he sank 20 ships with 97,206 GRT (including 1 troop transporter) and four ships with 20,001 GRT ( including a destroyer). One of his most famous actions on this boat, in addition to the sinking of the Laconia (see below), is his participation in the attack on Aruba in February 1942.

On March 8, 1943, U 156 was sunk east of Barbados by an American Catalina P-1 (Lt. E. Dryden) at position 12 ° 38′North / 54 ° 39′West. There were no survivors.

Laconia incident

U 156 (foreground) with survivors of the Laconia on the forecastle, in front of the bow U 506 under their commander Kapitänleutnant Erich Würdemann

Hartenstein's most spectacular action was the attack on the 19,695 GRT British troop transport Laconia off West Africa on September 12, 1942 . At that time there were about 2741 people on the ship, including 1809 Italian prisoners of war . After the ship's sinking, there was a dramatic rescue operation in which U 506 and U 507 were also involved. Hartenstein's boat had numerous lifeboats with castaways in tow and more on board when it was bombed and badly damaged by American fighter planes on September 16, 1942. Although the boat had clearly visible Red Cross flags on during the rescue operation, this did not mean any protection within the meaning of the Hague Conventions. Here it was stipulated that hospital ships of the opposing party had to be made known and painted white with a red cross; in addition, they could no longer be used for any other purpose. Nevertheless, the American reaction was marked by great severity, whereby the proximity of the strategically important base Ascension may have played a role as well as the assumption that Hartenstein was primarily concerned with the rescue of the Italian prisoners of war. Several castaways from the troop transport were killed in the bombardment. The statement of the commander of the submarines (BdU) on this enterprise read:

“Well done venture. The commander found himself in a difficult position during the rescue operation of the LACONIA castaways . The assumption of a "silent armistice" was wrong. It almost led to the loss of the boat. Since the leadership failed to convey the status and rejection of the neutralization, he acted in the best of faith. The incident is renewed evidence of how detrimental human feelings can be towards such an opponent. The safety of your own boat must always be fully guaranteed. "

In connection with this event, Karl Dönitz issued the so-called Laconia order on September 17, 1942 . It said u. a .:

  • All efforts to rescue crews from sunken ships are hereby stopped. This prohibition applies equally to rescuing people from the water and lifeboats, to erecting capsized lifeboats, and to providing food and water. Such activities contradict the original purpose of the war, namely the destruction of enemy ships and their crews.
  • The order to include captains and chief engineers remains in force.
  • Survivors can only be saved if they have information of importance to the submarine.
  • Be uncompromising. Remember that the enemy has no regard for our wives and children when carrying out bombing raids on German cities.

filming

Under the title Laconia the incident ARD and ORF , the German-British TV drama of 2011 by the sinking of the troop transport on 2 and 3 November 2011 RMS Laconia from. Werner Hartenstein is played here by the German actor Ken Duken .

Awards

literature

  • Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939–1945: The knight's cross bearers of the submarine weapon from September 1939 to May 1945 . Mittler and Son, Hamburg 2003, ISBN 3-8132-0515-0 , pp. 257-259.
  • Hans-Joachim Röll: Corvette Captain Werner Hartenstein - On patrol with U 156 and the "Laconia" case. Flechsig, 2011, ISBN 978-3-8035-0012-0 .
  • David Cledlyn Jones: The Enemy We Killed, My Friend. Gomer Press, 1999, ISBN 978-1-85902-624-3 .
  • David Cledlyn Jones: The Enemy We Killed My Friend. Publishing house Jean-Curt Röder, Plauen 2001, ISBN 978-3-929039-83-2 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Kösener Corpslisten 1996, 67 , 433
  2. ↑ a b Veit Scherzer : Knight's Cross bearer 1939–1945. The holders of the Iron Cross of the Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and armed forces allied with Germany according to the documents of the Federal Archives. 2nd Edition. Scherzers Militaer-Verlag, Ranis / Jena 2007, ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2 , p. 367.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Hartenstein, Werner
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hartenstein, Gustav Julius Werner (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German naval officer
DATE OF BIRTH February 27, 1908
PLACE OF BIRTH Plauen , Vogtland
DATE OF DEATH March 8, 1943
Place of death Atlantic