Walther Schwieger
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Kapitänleutnant Wilhelm Otto Walther Schwieger (7 April 1885 – 5 September 1917) was a German military officer. He was a U-boat commander in the Imperial German Navy (Kaiserliche Marine) during First World War. In 1915, he sank the passenger liner Script error: No such module "WPSHIPS utilities". with the loss of 1,199 lives.
Military career
In 1903, he joined the Imperial German Navy and from 1911 onwards he served with the U-boat Service. In 1912, he took over the command of the Template:SMU. After the outbreak of World War I in 1914 he was promoted to Kapitänleutnant and given command of the Template:SMU. As a submarine captain, Schwieger has been noted for his cavalier approach to attacking without being sure about the identity or nationality of his target, sometimes in breach of orders to the contrary. His policy has been described as 'shoot first and ask questions later'.[1]
On 1 February 1915, he attacked the hospital ship HMHS Asturias, but the attack failed.
On 7 May 1915, Schwieger was responsible for the U-20 sinking passenger liner Script error: No such module "WPSHIPS utilities". leading to the deaths of 1,199 people, an event that played a role in the United States' later entry into World War I. He also torpedoed RMS Hesperian on 4 September 1915 and Script error: No such module "WPSHIPS utilities". on 8 May 1916. On 31 May 1917, his U-boat Template:SMU sank the Miyazaki Maru during that ship's voyage from Yokohama to London, causing the loss of eight lives.
Death
Schwieger was killed in action on 5 September 1917. His U-boat Template:SMU most likely struck a mine.[2] It sank north of Terschelling at Script error: No such module "Coordinates". with the loss of all 43 hands.
During his wartime career, Schwieger captained three different submarines, on a total of 34 missions. He sank 49 ships, measuring Template:GRT.
In popular culture
Schwieger was represented in the docudrama "Lusitania: Terror At Sea" in 2007, where he was played by actor Florian Panzner.
References
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External links
- Pages with script errors
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- 1885 births
- 1917 deaths
- Military personnel from Berlin
- Military personnel from the Province of Brandenburg
- U-boat commanders (Imperial German Navy)
- RMS Lusitania
- Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class
- Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class)
- German military personnel killed in World War I
- People who died at sea
- Imperial German Navy personnel of World War I