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Hans Heidtmann
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Born | (1914-08-08)8 August 1914 |
Died | 5 April 1976(1976-04-05) (aged 61) |
Allegiance | ![]() ![]() |
Service/ | ![]() ![]() |
Years of service | 1934–1942 1958–1972 |
Rank | Kapitänleutnant (Kriegsmarine) Kapitän zur See (Bundesmarine) |
Commands held | U-14 U-2 U-559 |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Hans Heidtmann (8 August 1914 – 5 April 1976) was a German U-boat commander in World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross from Nazi Germany.
U-559 under the command of Heidtmann came under attack by several British warships and an aircraft on 30 October 1942. Fatally damaged and forced to the surface, the U-boat was abandoned after being scuttled herself in the Mediterranean. A British boarding party, consisting of Lieutenant Francis Anthony Blair Fasson, Able Seaman Colin Grazier, and Canteen Assistant Tommy Brown, from destroyer HMS Petard recovered the cryptographic materials, but the U-boat sank before the Enigma cipher machine could be brought out. Eight German crewmen and two British seamen were lost, and 37 German survivors were taken as prisoner of war.
Military offices | ||
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Preceded by Fregattenkapitän Gerd Schreiber |
Commander of the Marinestützpunktkommando Wilhelmshaven April 1964 – September 1965 |
Succeeded by Kapitän zur See Karl-Heinz Wünn |