U Boat Captain Werner Henke

In heavy seas he sighted one of the lifeboats and its occupants waved to him.

U boat captain werner henke.

He was shot and killed while attempting to escape from the pow interrogation center in fort hunt virginia in the united states. The bdu the supreme commander of the kriegsmarine u boat arm ordered u 515 to return to the position of the sinking to find out the ship s destination about noon the u boat commander kapitänleutnant werner henke decided to rescue the ceramic s skipper. Henke was taken to a secret interrogation centre known only as p. Werner henke 13 may 1909 15 june 1944 was the commander of u 515 in the battle of the atlantic of world war ii u 515 was sunk by the us task group 22 3 commanded by daniel v.

U 515 was sunk by the us task group 22 3 commanded by daniel v. In february 1942 he commisioned his own boat u 515. Gallery on 9 april 1944 and henke was captured along with about 40 of his crew. Werner henke 1909 1944 took command of u 515 in february 1942 sinking 24 ships totalling 155 714 grt before u 515 was sunk by united states navy aircraft and destroyers north of madeira.

He was shot and killed while attempting to escape from the pow interrogation center in fort hunt virginia in the united states. Werner henke s grave at fort meade md decorated for volkstrauertag 2008. Box 1142 in fort hunt virginia where his interrogator threatened to send him to. Werner henke had his first naval experience on board the battleships admiral scheer and schleswig holstein his first u boat was u 124 under the command of kapitänleutnant wilhelm schultz the last of his four patrols with the edelweissboot he completed under the later famous kapitänleutnant jochen mohr.

Werner henke committed suicide by leaping up on the barbed wire fence surrounding the pow camp where he was being held for interrogation by the americans following the sinking of his command the u 515 and the capture of his crew he was immediately machine gunned by the guards in the tower he was thirty five and considered one of the best u boat captains of the war. Knowing this captain gallery hoping to extort intelligence from him or his crew idly. Henke falsely believed the british wanted to try him as a war criminal.