Walther Forstmann
Encyclopedia
Captain
Walther Forstmann (March 9, 1883 - September 2, 1973) was one of the most successful and highly decorated German
U-boat
commander
s in the Kaiserliche Marine
during World War I
. He also served in the Kriegsmarine
during World War II
in different staff member positions.
In his time as commander of U-12
and U-39
in World War I, he conducted 47 patrols and succeeded in sinking 146 ships for a total tonnage of . As such he is the second most successful submarine commander ever (by tonnage sunk).
for his achievements so far in the First World War.
In 1917 Forstmann, in command of U-39, sunk five valuable steamers
) within only two days in the Straits of Gibraltar with over , the SS Normanton (3862 tonnes), SS Mersario (3847 tonnes), SS Almora (4385 tonnes), SS Nuceria (4702 tonnes) and the Japan
ese steamer SS Sitosan Maru (3555 tonnes). The ships carried a total load of 31.500 tonnes of coal
, of which more than 26.000 tonnes were meant for Italy
for use in the winter.
coal company in Duisburg
.
From 1929 to 1933 he was a city delegate and parliamentary group leader of the German People's Party
in Duisburg.
Between 1933 to 1950 he was a member of the board (1951-1953 member of the supervisory board) of four large housing cooperatives of the Ruhr steel plants.
and Copenhagen
. He was promoted to Kapitän zur See on July 1, 1942.
He retired from the Navy in 1945.
In 1952 he was awarded the Order of Merit 1st Class.
In 1956 he was involved in the design structure of the 30 Pestalozzi villages and became vice-president of the German settler federation, chairmen of the executive committee of youth centre place work e. V.
In 1960 he was awarded the Order of Merit for his part in the 25-year old existence of the German settler federation.
In 1968 he received an honorary Doctorate from the Roman Accademia Tiberina and in 1972 another from the university of the Mediterranean in Rome.
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
Walther Forstmann (March 9, 1883 - September 2, 1973) was one of the most successful and highly decorated German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
s in the Kaiserliche Marine
Kaiserliche Marine
The Imperial German Navy was the German Navy created at the time of the formation of the German Empire. It existed between 1871 and 1919, growing out of the small Prussian Navy and Norddeutsche Bundesmarine, which primarily had the mission of coastal defense. Kaiser Wilhelm II greatly expanded...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He also served in the Kriegsmarine
Kriegsmarine
The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in different staff member positions.
In his time as commander of U-12
Unterseeboot 12 (1911)
SM U-12 was a German submarine, built in 1911 and sunk off Scotland in 1915. It was the first submarine to launch a plane at sea.U-12 was a Type U 9 U-boat built for the Kaiserliche Marine. Her construction was ordered on 15 July 1908 and her keel was laid down by Kaiserliche Werft in Danzig...
and U-39
Unterseeboot 39 (1915)
SM U-39 was a German Type U 31 U-boat which operated in the Mediterranean Sea during World War I. It ended up being the second most successful U-boat participating in the war, sinking 157 ships for a total of 404,478 tons....
in World War I, he conducted 47 patrols and succeeded in sinking 146 ships for a total tonnage of . As such he is the second most successful submarine commander ever (by tonnage sunk).
World War I
On August 12, 1916 Kapitänleutnant Forstmann of U-39 was awarded the Pour le MéritePour le Mérite
The Pour le Mérite, known informally as the Blue Max , was the Kingdom of Prussia's highest military order for German soldiers until the end of World War I....
for his achievements so far in the First World War.
In 1917 Forstmann, in command of U-39, sunk five valuable steamers
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
) within only two days in the Straits of Gibraltar with over , the SS Normanton (3862 tonnes), SS Mersario (3847 tonnes), SS Almora (4385 tonnes), SS Nuceria (4702 tonnes) and the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese steamer SS Sitosan Maru (3555 tonnes). The ships carried a total load of 31.500 tonnes of coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
, of which more than 26.000 tonnes were meant for Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
for use in the winter.
Interbellum
Forstmann wrote his memoirs after the war in the book Hunting in the Mediterranean . In 1921 he qualified as an attorney and in 1924 he became social departmental head and director with the August ThyssenAugust Thyssen
August Thyssen was a German industrialist.-Career and marriage:...
coal company in Duisburg
Duisburg
- History :A legend recorded by Johannes Aventinus holds that Duisburg, was built by the eponymous Tuisto, mythical progenitor of Germans, ca. 2395 BC...
.
From 1929 to 1933 he was a city delegate and parliamentary group leader of the German People's Party
German People's Party
The German People's Party was a national liberal party in Weimar Germany and a successor to the National Liberal Party of the German Empire.-Ideology:...
in Duisburg.
Between 1933 to 1950 he was a member of the board (1951-1953 member of the supervisory board) of four large housing cooperatives of the Ruhr steel plants.
World War II
In the Second World War Forstmann served as chief of different amour commands in OsnabrückOsnabrück
Osnabrück is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, some 80 km NNE of Dortmund, 45 km NE of Münster, and some 100 km due west of Hanover. It lies in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest...
and Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
. He was promoted to Kapitän zur See on July 1, 1942.
He retired from the Navy in 1945.
In 1952 he was awarded the Order of Merit 1st Class.
Post war career
1951 - 1955 He became one of the advisors of the housing company - Rheini dwellings A.G. in Duisburg which was responsible for the movement of several villages to enable development of open cast coal mining. In 1954 he became a member of the supervisory board of this company.In 1956 he was involved in the design structure of the 30 Pestalozzi villages and became vice-president of the German settler federation, chairmen of the executive committee of youth centre place work e. V.
In 1960 he was awarded the Order of Merit for his part in the 25-year old existence of the German settler federation.
In 1968 he received an honorary Doctorate from the Roman Accademia Tiberina and in 1972 another from the university of the Mediterranean in Rome.
External links
- worldwar1atsea.net webpage - Mentioning sinking of the five steamers in Straits of Gibraltar in 1917
- geocities.com webpage - Mentioning positions in World War II
- u-boot-net.de webpage - Biography (in German)
- uboat.net webpage List of World war I U-boat aces.