Description
WARTIME KNIGHTS CROSS PORTRAIT PHOTO & SIGNATURE – HEINRICH LEHMANN-WILLENBROCK – U-96 U-BOAT COMMANDER
Wartime portrait photo & signature. Approximately 9x13cm. Period signed image of Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves recipient Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock, typical of photographs sent to admirers and collectors during the war. Hand-signed in pencil.
Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock (December 11, 1911 – April 18, 1986) was one of the most successful U-boat commanders of the Kriegsmarine during the Second World
War, best known for his command of U-96, later immortalized in Das Boot. Background & Career:
Joined the Reichsmarine in 1931 and transferred to the U-boat arm in 1939.
Commanded several submarines, most notably the Type VIIC U-96.
Later served as commander of the 9th and 11th U-boat Flotillas.
Combat Record:
Commanded U-96 on multiple Atlantic patrols during the Battle of the Atlantic.
Credited with sinking 24 Allied ships and damaging several others, totaling over 125,000 tons.
His patrols became among the most famous of the war due to extensive documentation and later portrayal in film.
Knight’s Cross Citation (summary):
Awarded following highly successful patrols in early 1941, during which his U-boat achieved significant tonnage sunk, including multiple merchant vessels in convoy operations. His leadership and tactical skill in submarine warfare, particularly during a patrol that sank numerous ships totaling over 50,000 tons, led to the award of the Knight’s Cross upon return to base in February 1941.
Awards & Recognition:
Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross (26 February 1941) as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-96
Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves (31 December 1941)
Iron Cross (2nd Class & 1st Class)
U-boat War Badge
Postwar Life:
After the war, became a merchant ship captain and later commanded the German nuclear-powered freighter Otto Hahn.
