Adalbert Schnee

Otto Adalbert Schnee (31 December 1913 – 4 November 1982) was a Korvettenkapitän (corvette captain) with Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. He commanded the submarines U-6, U-60, U-121, U-201 and U-2511, sinking twenty-one merchant ships on twelve patrols, for a total of 90,847 gross register tons (GRT) of Allied shipping, and received the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves. He is thirty-seventh in the list of U-Boat aces of World War II.

Adalbert Schnee
Nickname(s)Adi
Born(1913-12-31)31 December 1913
Berlin
Died4 November 1982(1982-11-04) (aged 68)
Hamburg
Allegiance Nazi Germany
Service/branch Kriegsmarine
Years of service1934–45
RankKorvettenkapitän
Commands heldU-6
U-60
U-121
U-201
U-2511
Battles/warsWorld War II
AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
U-boat War Badge

Career

Schnee was a member of Hitler’s Nazi party. He joined the Reichsmarine in April 1934. After serving aboard the light cruiser Leipzig, he transferred to the U-boat arm in May 1937. He spent two years on board the Type IIB U-boat U-23, under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Otto Kretschmer, completing five combat patrols as 1.WO (second-in-command), between October 1939 and January 1940.[1]

Schnee's first command, from January to July 1940, was the Type IIA submarine U-6,[1] in which he sailed on only a single short patrol in April supporting "Operation Weserübung" (the invasion of Norway).[2]

His next command, between July and October 1940, was the Type IIC U-boat U-60.[1] In her he sailed on three more patrols around the coasts of the British Isles sinking two ships for a total of 3,188 tons, and damaging one of 15,434 tons.[3]

Schnee commanded the Type IIB training boat U-121 during November 1940, but as this class of submarine were withdrawn from front-line service, in January 1941 Schnee was given command of the newer, larger Type VIIC U-boat U-201.[1]

Adalbert Schnee on the conning tower of U-201 in the background as it leaves Lorient on 8 June 1941 for its 2nd war patrol. In the foreground is U-123.

Schnee sailed on seven combat patrols in U-201 between April 1941 and August 1942, sinking 19 merchant ships (totalling 87,001 tons) and damaged two others (13,386 tons). He also sank two British Royal Navy auxiliary warships, the fighter catapult ship HMS Springbank and the anti-submarine naval trawler HMS Laertes. In August 1941 he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, and in July 1942 with the Oak Leaves.[1]

In October 1942 Schnee joined the BdU staff. In his position as the Geleitzugs-Admiralstabsoffizier, he planned and organized operations against Allied convoys.[1]

In September 1944 Schnee took command of the new Elektroboot U-2511, one of only two Type XXI U-boats to go on patrol (U-3008 being the other). U-2511's first and only patrol began on 3 May 1945 at Bergen. The next day Schnee received the cease-fire order, prior to the German surrender, and a few hours later spotted a group of British warships. Simulating an attack, he evaded the destroyer screen, closed to within 500 metres (1,600 ft) of the British cruiser Norfolk, and then left the area without being detected. U-2511 returned to Bergen on 5 May to surrender as ordered. Schnee spoke to officers from Norfolk a few days later, who could not believe that U-2511 was able to get so close without any sonar contact. Schnee is said to have requested a comparison of the respective ships' logs, which confirmed his account. His Leitender Ingenieur (chief engineer) on this patrol was Gerd Suhren.[1]

Post-war

After the war Schnee was not tried for his Nazi activities. He served for six months in the German Mine Sweeping Administration. In October 1945 he was called to testify at the trial of Heinz-Wilhelm Eck and the officers of U-852, for their actions after the sinking of SS Peleus. Although appearing for the defence, Schnee was forced to admit he would not have acted as Eck did. He then worked for some years as a commercial representative before becoming the director of a sailing school on Elba. He was also for many years the chairman of the Verband Deutscher Ubootfahrer (association of German submarine crews). In 1980 Schnee published an article in the official VDU periodical defending the German festivities following the funeral of Admiral Dönitz, which had been severely criticized, and in which not only war veterans but also members of German Neo-Nazi associations had taken part. He said that the German song Deutschland, Deutschland über alles (Germany, Germany above everything) had been “spontaneously sung by the crowd, including the first verse” and had been “the most beautiful farewell present for the deceased man.” Schnee died in 1982.[1]

War record
Ships attacked[1]
DateShipTonnageNationalityConvoyFate
In U-60
13 August 1940Nils Gorthon1,787 SwedenHX-62Sunk
31 August 1940Volendam15,434 NetherlandsOB-205Damaged
3 September 1940Ulva1,401 United KingdomSunk
In U-201
2 May 1941Capulet8,190 United KingdomHX-121Sunk
9 May 1941Empire Cloud5,969 United KingdomOB-318Damaged
Gregalia5,802 United KingdomOB-318Sunk
19 August 1941Aguila3,255 United KingdomOG-71Sunk
Ciscar1,809 United KingdomOG-71Sunk
23 August 1941Aldergrove1,974 United KingdomOG-71Sunk
Stork787 United KingdomOG-71Sunk
21 September 1941Lissa1,511 United KingdomOG-74Sunk
Rhineland1,381 United KingdomOG-74Sunk
Runa1,575 United KingdomOG-74Sunk
27 September 1941Cervantes1,810 United KingdomHG-73Sunk
HMS Springbank5,155 Royal NavyHG-73Sunk
Margareta3,103 United KingdomHG-73Sunk
18 April 1942Victoria7,417 ArgentinaDamaged
21 April 1942Bris2,027 NorwaySunk
22 April 1942Derryheen7,217 United KingdomSunk
San Jacinto6,069 United StatesSunk
6 July 1942Avila Star14,443 United KingdomSunk
12 July 1942Cortona7,093 United KingdomOS-33Sunk
Siris5,242 United KingdomOS-33Sunk
13 July 1942Sithonia6,723 United KingdomOS-33Sunk
15 July 1942British Yeoman6,990 United KingdomSunk
25 July 1942HMS Laertes545 Royal NavySunk

Awards

References

Notes
  1. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Korvettenkapitän Adalbert Schnee". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
  2. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol of U-6 from 4 April 1940 to 19 April 1940". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
  3. Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by U-60". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
  4. Busch & Röll 2003, p. 151.
  5. Busch & Röll 2003, p. 152.
  6. Thomas 1998, p. 274.
  7. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 384.
  8. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 60.

Bibliography
  • Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (2003). Die Ritterkreuzträger der U-Boot-Waffe von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [The Submarine War 1939–1945 — The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Submarine Force from September 1939 to May 1945]. Der U-Boot-Krieg 1939–1945 (in German). V. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn Germany: Verlag E.S. Mittler & Sohn. ISBN 978-3-8132-0515-2.
  • Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
  • Thomas, Franz (1998). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 2: L–Z [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 2: L–Z] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2300-9.

Further reading
  • Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
  • Helgason, Guðmundur. "Adalbert Schnee". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
Military offices
Preceded by
Kapitänleutnant Otto Harms		 Commanding officer, U-6
18/31 January 1940 – 10 July 1940		 Succeeded by
Kapitänleutnant Georg Peters
Preceded by
Kapitänleutnant Georg Schewe		 Commanding officer, U-60
19 July 1940 – 5 November 1940		 Succeeded by
Kapitänleutnant Georg Wallas
Preceded by
Kapitänleutnant Otto Harms		 Commanding officer, U-121
6 November 1940 – 27 November 1940		 Succeeded by
Kapitänleutnant Egon-Reiner Freiherr von Schlippenbach
First Commanding officer, U-201
25 January 1941 – 24 August 1942		 Succeeded by
Kapitänleutnant Günter Rosenberg
First Commanding officer, U-2511
29 September 1944 – 8 May 1945		 surrendered
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