Карл Фридрих Мертен: Немец суден табельдігінің командирі

German U boat commander

Karl Friedrich Merten (15 August 1905 – 2 May 1993) commanded the U boat U 68 was launched in 1940. in Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. He received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. Merten was credited with the sinking of 27 ships for a total of of Allied shipping. Merten joined the Reichsmarine (navy of the Weimar Republic) in 1926. He served on the light cruisers Karlsruhe and Leipzig during the Spanish Civil War patrols. At the outbreak of World War II, he was stationed on the battleship , participating in the Battle of Westerplatte and Battle of Hel. He transferred to the U boat Arm in 1940, at first serving as a watch officer on U 38 was launched in 1938. before taking command of U 68 in early 1941. Commanding U 68 on five war patrols, patrolling in the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Indian Ocean, he was awarded Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 13 June 1942 and the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross on 16 November 1942. On the second patrol, Merten helped rescue the crews of the auxiliary cruiser Atlantis and the refuelling ship Python, which had been sunk by the Royal Navy. In January 1943 Merten became the commander of the 26th U boat Flotilla and in March 1943, Merten was given command of the 24th U boat Flotilla. In February 1945, he was posted to the Führer Headquarters in Berlin. At the end of the war, he was taken prisoner of war by US forces and released again in late June 1945. After the war, Merten worked in salvaging sunken ships in the Rhine river. In November 1948, Merten was arrested by the French and accused of allegedly wrongful sinking of the French tanker Frimaire in June 1942. He was acquitted and later worked in the shipbuilding industry. Merten, who had written his memoir and books on U boat warfare, died of cancer on 2 May 1993 in Waldshut Tiengen, Germany.

Merten was born on 15 August 1905 in Posen, in the Prussian Province of Posen in the German Empire, present day Poznań, Poland. His father was Dr. jur. Karl Friedrich Merten, who in 1910 became the mayor of Elbing, present day Elbląg. In 1934, he was forced out of office when he refused to join the Nazi Party. Merten had a sister and a brother, both died before he had turned seven. His younger brother Klaus, as a Feldwebel (staff sergeant) in a pioneer platoon, died in 1942 of wounds sustained on the Eastern Front. Aged thirteen, Merten joined the Königliches Preußisches Kadettenhaus (Royal Prussian Cadet House) in Köslin, present day Koszalin, on 1 April 1918. Following World War I, the cadet house was transformed into a state run boarding school. There, he attended the school from 1920–26 and graduated with his Abitur (university entry qualification) on 20 March 1926. He joined the Reichsmarine on 1 April 1926 as a member of "Crew 26" (the incoming class of 1926). He underwent basic military training with the 5th company of the 2nd department of the standing ship division of the Baltic Sea on the Dänholm in Stralsund. Merten was then transferred to the training ship Niobe (12 July – 17 October 1926), attaining the rank of Seekadett (officer cadet) on 12 October 1926. Following a 17 month stay on board the cruiser Emden (18 October 1926 – 24 March 1928), he advanced in rank to Fähnrich zur See (midshipman) on 1 April 1928. Merten sailed on Emdens first training cruise, which began on 14 November 1926 and started in Wilhelmshaven. The journey took him and her crew around Africa to Indonesia and the Cocos Islands where was lost on 9 November 1914. There the crew held a commemoration on 15 March 1927. The journey then continued to Japan and Alaska down the west coast of North and South America, around Cape Horn. They celebrated Christmas and New Year's Day in Rio de Janeiro. From there they headed to Middle America and the Azores. Their final stopover was Vilagarcía de Arousa, Spain before they returned home on 14 March 1928. Following his journey on Emden, Merten attended the main cadet course at the Naval Academy at Mürwik (25 March 1928 – 22 March 1929). This course was briefly interrupted for two navigational training courses, the first on the tender Nordsee (9–13 July 1928) and the second on the survey vessel Meteor (8–13 October 1928). a communication course for cadets at Mürwik again (2 June – 6 July 1929), a pathfinder course for cadets at Kiel (7 July – 4 August 1929), a naval infantry course for cadets with the 8th company of the 2nd battalion of the standing ship division at Stralsund (5 August – 27 October 1929), and lastly an artillery course for cadets at Kiel Wik (28 October 1929 – 2 February 1930). Merten was then transferred to the battleship (3–24 February 1930) and (25 February – 22 September 1930) for further ship based training. On this assignment, he was promoted to Oberfähnrich zur See (Ensign) on 1 June 1930. Lindemann later commanded the battleship Bismarck. Merten's next service position was a gunnery officer on the light cruiser Königsberg (23 September 1930 – 23 September 1931). There he was made an officer, attaining the rank Leutnant zur See (acting sub lieutenant) on 1 October 1930. His stay on Königsberg was briefly interrupted for a gas protection course (6–16 January 1931). For two years, Merten then became gunnery instructor at the Naval Artillery School in Kiel Wik (24 September 1931 – 29 September 1933). During this timeframe, Merten himself attended an anti aircraft artillery course at Wilhelmshaven (16 February – 12 May 1932), and an anti aircraft artillery instructors course in Wilhelmshaven and on the tender Fuchs (11 October – 14 December 1932). In 1933, Merten first met his future wife, Ruth Oldenburg from Wiesbaden. At the time, she was a first semester medicine student at the University of Kiel. On 15 March 1934, the marriage approval was granted by Naval Personnel Office. The two married on 21 April 1934 in Wiesbaden. The marriage resulted in the birth of a daughter, Karen Helge, born on 11 June 1935, a son Karl Friedrich Birger, born 15 March 1939, and another son, Jan, born February 1947. For the next five months (30 September 1933 – 26 February 1934), Merten served as the artillery referent with the Commander of Minesweepers (F. d. M.). In parallel to this assignment, he served as 2nd watch officer on the torpedo boat T 156 in the 2nd Minesweeper Demi Flotilla as well as Flag Lieutenant with the Commander of Scouting Forces (B. d. A.) on the fleet tender Hella (6–29 January 1934). He then posted to the anti artillery training course at the Naval Coast Artillery School in Wilhelmshaven (27 February – 28 March 1934). He then transferred back to his former position of 2nd watch officer on torpedo boat T 156 (29 March – 30 September 1934), this posting was briefly interrupted by a transfer to the light cruiser Königsberg (8 July – 2 August 1934). This was Liebe's eighth war patrol as a commander, during which two ships of were sunk.

On 24 January 1941, Merten was stationed at the DeSchiMAG AG Weser shipyard in Bremen, for familiarization with U 68 was launched in 1940 U 68 was a Type IXC U boat, designed as a large ocean going submarine for sustained operations far from the home support facilities. Merten commissioned U 68 on 11 February 1941 into the 2nd U boat Flotilla. He took U 68 on five war patrols, patrolling in the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Indian Ocean. He surrendered command of U 68 on 18 January 1943 to Oberleutnant zur See Albert Lauzemis. His 1st watch officer on this patrol was Oberleutnant zur See August Maus, 2nd watch officer was Lauzemis. Merten did not sink any ships on this patrol.

On the second patrol (11 September – 25 December 1941), Merten headed for the middle and southern Atlantic Ocean, the Ascension Island, to Saint Helena and Cape Verde. The patrol, taking U 68 into the South Atlantic, lasted 116 days and covered afloat and submerged. During the course of this patrol, he was able to sink four ship totaling On 22 September 1941, Merten torpedoed his first ship the British Steamer sailing in convoy SL 87. He also attacked the and the However U 103 was launched in 1940. und the command of Kapitänleutnant Werner Winter was credited with these sinkings. Off Saint Helena, Merten sank the British fleet oiler Darkdale on 22 October 1941. On 28 October 1941, U 68 sank and the British motor merchant on 1 November 1941. On 13 November 1941, U 68 was resupplied by the auxiliary cruiser Atlantis under the command of Kapitän zur See Bernhard Rogge. The sea state was 6 to 7 at the meeting place, Rogge and Merten decided to move the meeting place southwest. The next day, they met again and provisions were transferred to U 68. During the following night, U 68 conducted a number of mock attacks on Atlantis for training purposes. On 23 November, U 68 received the message that Atlantis had been sunk by while resupplying U 126 was launched in 1940. under the command of Kapitänleutnant Ernst Bauer. U 126 was able to rescue up 300 German sailors, including Rogge. The Befehlshaber der Unterseeboote (BdU—supreme commander of the U boat Arm) ordered U 124 was launched in 1940., under the command of Korvettenkapitän Johann Mohr, U 129 was launched in 1941., under the command of Kapitänleutnant Nicolai Clausen, and UA was launched in 1939., under the command of Fregattenkapitän Hans Eckermann, to the rescue. Two days later the survivors were transferred to the refueling ship Python. On 30 November, U 68 and UA met with Python for refueling. Immediately Merten and the crew began taking on fuel, were transferred, as well as replenishing spent torpedoes. UA was late to arrive, unnecessarily delaying the procedure. During the refueling, a smokestack was sighted, sounding the alarms. U 68 had just finished the transfer, but the additional weight of the boat was not yet accounted for, when Python came under attack from U 68 was not ready for combat, Merten and the crew had difficulties keeping the boat at depth. During the vital phase of the attack U 68 was oscillating between a depth of and Holding the boat at periscope depth was impossible. Submerged, the crew of U 68 could hear the sinking of Python. Following the first warning salvo by Dorsetshire, Pythons crew its crew had chosen to scuttle the ship to avoid unnecessary casualties.

On U 68s third patrol (11 February – 13 April 1942), Merten sank seven ships of The patrol, taking U 68 to the West African coast, lasted 60 days and covered afloat and submerged. U 68 sank the on 3 March 1942, the on 8 March 1942, the on 16 March 1942. On 17 March 1942, three ships, the , the and the , were sunk. On 30 March 1942 the was hit by a two torpedoes south southwest of Monrovia. On Merten's fourth patrol (14 May – 10 July 1942), U 68 sank seven ships of On this patrol, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 13 June 1942. The patrol lasted 56 days and covered afloat and submerged. U 68 sank the American steam tanker and the Panamanian motor tanker , at the time the World's largest oil tanker, on 5 June 1942. On 10 June 1942, three ships, the , the and the , were sunk. On 15 June 1942, Merten sank the Free French which had legal consequences for him after the war. On 23 June 1942, the was struck by a torpedo and later hit by artillery fire. On U 68 fifth patrol (20 August – 6 December 1942), Merten operated in the U boat wolf pack Eisbär (Polar Bear Group), consisting of four submarines, U 68 (Merten), U 156 was launched in 1941. (Werner Hartenstein), U 172 was launched in (Carl Emmermann), U 504 was launched in (Hans Georg Friedrich Poske) a fifth U boat, U 159 was launched in 1941. (Helmut Witte) joined the group later, which in the course of a few weeks during September/October 1942, sank more than of shipping off South Africa. The patrol, taking U 68 to and around South Africa into the Indian Ocean, lasted 108 days and covered afloat and submerged. U 68 sank the on 12 September 1942 and three later the On 8 October 1942, west of the Cape of Good Hope, four ships, the , the , the and the , were sunk. One day later, Merten sank the and the On the 6 November 1942, on his return to Lorient, he sunk his last ship the British Passenger Steamer , bringing his total to 27 ships of
The Cairo had been carrying 302 people, including 101 passengers, among them 29 women and 19 children (in addition to two stewardesses travelling as part of the crew). The ship sank in roughly 25 minutes, and when Merten sent the second torpedo slamming into the liner, it capsized a lifeboat and smashed another, leaving women and children struggling in the water. Following the presentation, Hitler met with Dönitz and Vizeadmiral Theodor Krancke in private. In this meeting, Hitler appointed Dönitz as Oberbefehlshaber der Marine (Commander in Chief) of the Kriegsmarine following Raeder's resignation on 30 January 1943. On the return flight to Berlin, Dönitz informed Merten and the other officers present of this change in command.

After his fifth war patrol, Merten was transferred to the 26th U boat Flotilla (19 January – 28 February 1943) in Pillau, serving as deputy flotilla chief. On 1 March 1943, he was given command of the 24th U boat Flotilla. On 12 March 1945, the 24th U boat Flotilla was disbanded and Merten was posted to the Führer Headquarters in Berlin as a liaison officer. There he was put on the staff of Generalleutnant Rudolf Hübner's Fliegendes Sondergericht West (Flying Special Court Martial West). This unit was created by Hitler in response to the American capture of the Ludendorff Bridge over the Rhine at Remagen. Although Merten joined this unit later, the Flying Special Court Martial West was responsible for the death sentences of Major (Major) Hans Scheller, Major August Kraft and Major Herbert Strobel, as well as Hauptmann (Captain) Willi Oskar Bratge and Oberleutnant (First Lienutenant) Karl Heinz Peters. On 15 April 1945, he was promoted to Kapitän zur See (captain at sea). In late April 1945, Merten and other officers travelled to Upper Bavaria to the so called Alpine Fortress. There, following the end of World War II in Europe, he was taken prisoner of war. From 25–29 June 1945, he was held in US captivity in Biessenhofen, Bavaria and released on 29 June 1945. The Frimaire, which belonged to the Vichy government, had not been properly marked. Merten, among others, attended Karl Dönitz's funeral on 6 January 1981. On 14 September 1984, a reunion of the survivors of City of Cairo was celebrated aboard The re union was attended by 17 survivors and Merten and commemorated the publication of the book by Ralph Barker "Goodnight, Sorry for Sinking You". In 1986, Merten and Kurt Baberg published their book Wir U Bootfahrer sagen: "Nein!" "So war das nicht!" [We U Boat Sailors say: "No!" "It was not like this!"]. This book criticizes Lothar Günther Buchheim, especially his work Die U Boot Fahrer [U Boat Sailors], for his anti Dönitz demeanor. On 1 January 1969, Merten started working for the Ingenieur Kontor Lübeck (IKL), headed by Ulrich Gabler, as a military tactical advisor. He died of cancer on 2 May 1993 in Waldshut Tiengen.