Original: Commander of the submarine fleet On 1 October 1939, Dönitz became a Rear Admiral (Konteradmiral) and "Commander of the Submarines" (Befehlshaber der Unterseeboote, BdU, the German equivalent of ComSubPac or ComSubLant); on 1 September the following year, he was made a Vice Admiral (Vizeadmiral).
Simplified: He served as Commander of Submarines (Befehlshaber der Unterseeboote, B.d.U.).