Heinrich Liebe
Heinrich Liebe is one of the greatest Submarine Aces of World War II. He was one of the most experienced U-boat officers in the Navy when World War II began in September 1939. On September 6, as commander of U-38, he claimed his first victim. Between that date and June 1941, he sank 34 Allied ships, all of which were merchantmen, totaling nearly 190,000 tons.
Liebe was one of the most decorated German U-boat commanders by the summer of 1941. He was also one of the most senior, both in terms of time served and position. As new U-boats emerged from German shipyards, the personnel in command became younger and less experienced. Liebe left U-38 in July 1941 to work for the German Naval High Command. His nine combat patrols, all of which were successful, totaled 333 days at sea. During his 21-month at sea career, he sank an Allied ship every ten days on average. During his last patrol, from April to June 1941, he sank eight ships totaling over 47,000 tons. As with Heinrich Liebe, his promotion to staff was a boon to the Allies.
- Date/place of birth: January 29, 1908, Gotha, Germany
- Date of death: July 27, 1997, Eisenach, Germany
- Awards: Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, Wehrmacht Long Service Award, German Olympic Decoration
- Sink more than 187,267 tons (34 ships)
