Erich Würdemann

Erich Würdemann (15 January 1914 – 14 July 1943) was a German submarine commander in World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany.

Career In April 1933, Würdemann joined the Reichsmarine, which became the Kriegsmarine two years later. During the first year of the war he served on the destroyer Paul Jacobi, before transferring to the U-boat force in November 1940. After the usual training he served for one patrol aboard under Wolfgang Lüth, before commissioning the Type IXC U-boat in September 1941. He sailed on 5 war patrols, sank 15 merchant ships for a total of and damaged 3 ships of a combined .

Würdemann's most successful patrol (his second) took him into the Gulf of Mexico in May 1942, where he sank nine ships and damaged three. His next patrol took him to the waters off West Africa, where he sank another five ships and was involved in the Laconia incident.

Awards Wehrmacht Long Service Award 4th Class (1 April 1937) Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (16 April 1940)