Werner Lott

Werner Lott (3 December 1907 – 2 May 1997) was a German U-boat commander in World War II. He was taken prisoner on 29 November 1939 after his boat was scuttled in the North Sea at position 60°53′N 2°47′E after having been depth-charged by HMS Kingston, HMS Kashmir and HMS Icarus.

Memorial to U-35 in Ventry, Ireland
Werner Lott
Born3 December 1907
Willenberg
Died2 May 1997(1997-05-02) (aged 89)
Allegiance Nazi Germany
Service/branch Kriegsmarine
Years of service1926–1939
RankKorvettenkapitän
Commands heldU-21, September 1936 – 31 March 1936
U-32, 15 April 1936 – 15 August 1936
U-35, 15 August 1937 – 29 November 1939
Battles/warsBattle of the Atlantic
AwardsIron cross, 2nd class

He was famously known for his humanity and being responsible for saving the lives of 28 Greek sailors whose ship he torpedoed; his submarine U-35 rescued the sailors who were treated with the utmost decency and landed them safely on a Kerry beach in what was one of only two such instances when a German submarine crew risked its own safety to protect the crew of a vessel they torpedoed and sank.[1]

Another incident involving Lott happened while a prisoner of war in the Tower of London. He complained about the accommodations, and asked to talk to the officer in charge. Instead, he was visited by Lord Louis Mountbatten, the commander of the flotilla that sank his submarine, who arranged for the Admiralty to allow Lott and his second-in-command to dine at Scott's restaurant on the condition they not try to escape. Lott kept his promise, and was returned to the Tower later that night. A few days later, he and the other officers were moved to the Grizedale P.O.W. camp. Later, the entire crew was moved to P.O.W. camps in Canada.

In 1984 he visited the Kerry man, Jimmy Fenton, who catered for the Greek sailors and posed for a photograph shaking his hand.[2]

References
  1. http://www.independent.ie/national-news/town-to-honour-wwii-uboat-crew-for-saving-28-sailors-lives-1890213.html
  2. 'Submarines in the bog holes': West Kerry's experience of World War II.The Kerryman, 01 October 1999, Historian T Ryle Dwyer

Bibliography
  • Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). German U-boat commanders of World War II : a biographical dictionary. Translated by Brooks, Geoffrey. London, Annapolis, Md: Greenhill Books, Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-186-6.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIA boat U-35". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  • Mair, Hans. "U-35". U-Boat U-35 (WWII). Retrieved 21 December 2015.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.