Herbert A. Werner (13 May 1920 – 6 April 2013) was a German submarine officer and captain during World War II. He served in five U-boats and survived the sinking of U-612 in the Baltic and the loss of U-415 in Brest harbour. Werner moved to the United States in 1957 and became an American citizen.[2]
Herbert Werner was born in Freiburg im Breisgau in 1920. He joined the navy in 1939 as an officer candidate and became a midshipman (Fähnrich zur See) in November 1940. in April 1941 he was appointed watch officer on U-557 under Ottokar Paulshen and carried out three war patrols with her, from April to November 1941, during which he was involved in a number of engagements and took part in the sinking of five merchant ships.
Werner was promoted and sent to U-boat school for training, before joining U-612 in April 1942 as first watch officer under Paul Siegmann. U-612 was lost accidentally in August 1942 while working up, although most of the crew were saved; they were transferred en bloc to U-230. Werner accomplished four patrols with her (seeing only one success) up to December 1943, when he was again promoted and sent to commanders school.
In April 1944 he took command of U-415 but made only two abortive sorties before she was sunk in harbour after detonating a mine. Werner then took command of U-953, in August 1944 and escaped with her to Norway, from whence he made one unfruitful patrol before the German surrender in May 1945.
Werner is thought to have moved to the US in 1957, and there wrote the best selling memoir Iron Coffins. He is believed to have died on 4 (or 6[3]) April 2013 in Vero Beach, Florida.[4]
Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999b). German U-boat commanders of World War II : a biographical dictionary. Translated by Brooks, Geoffrey. London, Annapolis, Md: Greenhill Books, Naval Institute Press. ISBN1-55750-186-6.
Hadley, Michael L. (1995). Count Not the Dead: The Popular Image of the German Submarine. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press. ISBN9780773512825.
January 01, 1970
herbert, werner, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, april, 201. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Herbert Werner news newspapers books scholar JSTOR April 2016 Learn how and when to remove this message Herbert A Werner 13 May 1920 6 April 2013 was a German submarine officer and captain during World War II He served in five U boats and survived the sinking of U 612 in the Baltic and the loss of U 415 in Brest harbour Werner moved to the United States in 1957 and became an American citizen 2 Herbert WernerBorn 1920 05 13 13 May 1920Freiburg im BreisgauDied6 April 2013 2013 04 06 aged 92 1 Allegiance Nazi GermanyService wbr branchKriegsmarineYears of service1939 1945RankOberleutnant zur SeeCommands heldU 415 U 953Battles warsBattle of the AtlanticAwardsMinesweeper War Badge U boat War Badge Iron Cross 1st ClassBiography editHerbert Werner was born in Freiburg im Breisgau in 1920 He joined the navy in 1939 as an officer candidate and became a midshipman Fahnrich zur See in November 1940 in April 1941 he was appointed watch officer on U 557 under Ottokar Paulshen and carried out three war patrols with her from April to November 1941 during which he was involved in a number of engagements and took part in the sinking of five merchant ships Werner was promoted and sent to U boat school for training before joining U 612 in April 1942 as first watch officer under Paul Siegmann U 612 was lost accidentally in August 1942 while working up although most of the crew were saved they were transferred en bloc to U 230 Werner accomplished four patrols with her seeing only one success up to December 1943 when he was again promoted and sent to commanders school In April 1944 he took command of U 415 but made only two abortive sorties before she was sunk in harbour after detonating a mine Werner then took command of U 953 in August 1944 and escaped with her to Norway from whence he made one unfruitful patrol before the German surrender in May 1945 Werner is thought to have moved to the US in 1957 and there wrote the best selling memoir Iron Coffins He is believed to have died on 4 or 6 3 April 2013 in Vero Beach Florida 4 References edit Herbert Werner s obituary Archived 2013 12 03 at the Wayback Machine uboat net Herbert A Werner at obitsforlife Archived 2013 12 03 at the Wayback Machine Herbert Werner at uboat netSources editBusch Rainer Roll Hans Joachim 1999b German U boat commanders of World War II a biographical dictionary Translated by Brooks Geoffrey London Annapolis Md Greenhill Books Naval Institute Press ISBN 1 55750 186 6 Hadley Michael L 1995 Count Not the Dead The Popular Image of the German Submarine Montreal McGill Queen s University Press ISBN 9780773512825 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Herbert Werner amp oldid 1173958556 Iron Coffins, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,