Albrecht Achilles (Korvettenkapitän)

Infobox Military Person
name=Albrecht Archilles
born=birth date|1914|1|25|df=y
died=death date and age|1943|9|27|1914|1|25|df=y
placeofbirth=Karlsruhe
placeofdeath= northeast of Bahia, Brazil
coord|12|30|S|35|35|W|


caption= Official portrait of Korvettenkapitän Albrecht Achilles
nickname=
allegiance=flagicon|Nazi Germany Nazi Germany
serviceyears=1934 - 1943
rank=Korvettenkapitän (posthumous)
branch=navy|Nazi Germany
commands="U-161"
unit=battleship "Schleswig-Holstein"
battlecruiser "Gneisenau"
"U-66"
battles=
awards=Iron Cross 1st Class
U-boat War Badge
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
relations=
laterwork=

Albrecht Achilles (25 January 1914 – 27 September 1943) was a German U-boat commander in World War II and commander of "U-161".

Military career

Albrecht Achilles joined the Kriegsmarine in April 1934 and transferred to the U-boat service in April 1940. For one year he served as a commander trainee as first and second watch officer on board various U-boats, including three patrols on "U-66" under the command of Robert-Richard Zapp, before taking over command of "U-161" from "Kapitänleutnant" Hans Witt.

Whilst commander of "U-161" Achilles is credited with the sinking of 15 merchant ships totalling 64,842 tons. Achilles also sank the United States Lighthouse Service ship "Acacia" and damaged the British light cruiser HMS "Phoebe" on 23 October 1942.

Albrecht Achilles and his entire crew were killed in action when "U-161" was sunk northeast of Bahia on 27 September 1943 by depth charges from a US Mariner aircraft (USN VP-74/P-2).

Dates of rank

* "Seekadett" on 26 September 1934
* "Obermatrose" on 1 October 1934
* "Oberstabsmatrose" on 1 January 1935
* "Fähnrich zur See" on 1 July 1935
* "Oberfähnrich zur See" on 1 January 1937
* "Leutnant zur See" on 16 April 1937
* "Oberleutnant zur See" on 13 April 1939
* "Kapitänleutnant" on 14 August 1941
* "Korvettenkapitän" on 5 April 1945 (posthumously)

Awards

* "Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung IV. Klasse" (8 April 1938)
* Iron Cross (1939)
** 2nd Class (7 August 1941)
** 1st Class (5 April 1942)
* U-boat War Badge (1939) (7 August 1941)
* Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (16 January 1943) number 144 in the Kriegsmarine
* Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 12 March 1942

References in the Wehrmachtbericht

References

* Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). "Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945". Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
* Kurowski, Franz (1995). "Knight's Cross Holders of the U-Boat Service". Schiffer Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0-88740-748-X.
* Range, Clemens (1974). "Die Ritterkreuzträger der Kriegsmarine". Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 3-87943-355-0.
* "Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939-1945 Band 2, 1. Januar 1942 bis 31. Dezember 1943" (in German). München: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, 1985. ISBN 3-423-05944-3.

External links

* [http://www.uboat.net/men/achilles.htm uboat.net webpage about Albrecht Archilles]