Who commanded German submarine U-256 from Dec 1941 to Nov 1942?
German submarine U-256 German submarine U-256 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germanys Kriegsmarine during World War II , she also served for a short time as an anti-aircraft submarine under the designation U-flak 2 . During her career , U-256 completed five wartime patrols and sank one warship of 1,300 tons . The submarine was laid down on 15 February 1941 at the Bremer Vulkan yard at Bremen-Vegesack as yard number 21 . She was launched on 28 October and commissioned on 18 December under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Odo Loewe . U-256 was assigned to the 8th U-Boat Flotilla for training , then transferred to the 9th U-boat Flotilla for operational service . Design . German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines . U-256 had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged . She had a total length of , a pressure hull length of , a beam of , a height of , and a draught of . The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke , six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of for use while surfaced , two AEG GU 460/8–27 double-acting electric motors producing a total of for use while submerged . She had two shafts and two propellers . The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to . The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a maximum submerged speed of . When submerged , the boat could operate for at ; when surfaced , she could travel at . U-256 was fitted with five torpedo tubes ( four fitted at the bow and one at the stern ) , fourteen torpedoes , one SK C/35 naval gun , 220 rounds , and two twin C/30 anti-aircraft guns . The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty . Service history . 1st patrol . U-256s first patrol began on 28 July 1942 during her transfer from Kiel , Germany to the 9 . Unterseebootsflottille at Brest in occupied France . During the patrol , U-256 unsuccessfully pursued Convoy SC 94 , and early on 25 August was detected by the radar of the Norwegian astern of convoy ON 122 . The U-boat crash-dived when illuminated by star shells , the corvette attacked with depth charges . The boat eventually made her escape when the corvette was obliged to return to convoy protection duties , but the submarine was damaged enough to have to abort the patrol . On the return journey , on the morning of 2 September , the U-boat was attacked by a British Whitley bomber of No . 77 Squadron RAF in the Bay of Biscay . The aircraft strafed and dropped several bombs , but the U-boats flak hit the aircraft and it crashed into the sea . U-256 limped into Lorient the next day , due to the extensive damage from the two attacks , she was withdrawn from service in November 1942 . 2nd patrol . During an overhaul which included extensive repairs , U-256 was converted to a Flakboot ( Flak boat ) in May 1943 . One of just four U-boats so modified , she was given an increased complement of anti-aircraft guns , to give her and other German submarines a better chance of fighting off enemy aircraft . U-256 was re-commissioned as U-flak 2 on 16 August 1943 . The boats second wartime patrol started on 4 October under the command of Oblt.z.S . Wilhelm Brauel ; her mission was to rendezvous with and protect , a Milchkuh ( Milk cow or re-supply U-boat ) . Such submarines could re-supply multiple U-boats at sea , and were consequently the prime target of Allied aircraft trying to disrupt U-boat activities . On 8 October , the outbound boat was attacked by a Leigh light-equipped British Wellington bomber of No . 612 Squadron RAF in the Bay of Biscay . U-256 was not damaged by the six depth charges that straddled her , and escaped by crash-diving . U-256s return fire had hit the starboard elevator and rear turret of the aircraft , but it returned safely to base . U-flak 2 was caught on the surface by the American destroyer USS Borie on 31 October . The U-boat escaped , but with minor depth charge damage . On 16 November the inbound boat encountered a Halifax Mk.II aircraft of No . 502 Squadron RAF in the Bay of Biscay . The aircraft was damaged by flak and turned away . When the Halifax returned to the area , the U-boat had already escaped by crash-diving . U-flak 2 returned to her base at Brest on 17 November . The Flak conversion was not considered a success , U-flak 2 was converted back to her original configuration in the winter of 1943/44 and renamed U-256 . 3rd patrol . U-256s third patrol started on 25 January 1944 . She steamed west and southwest of Ireland and on 20 February damaged the anti-submarine sloop , which later sank while under tow . On 19 March , inbound in the Bay of Biscay , the U-boat was strafed by a Leigh light-equipped British Liberator of 224 Squadron . The Germans observed hits from their 20 mm and 37 mm AA guns , before the aircraft dropped six depth charges , and then crashed into the sea 500 meters away . The boat was not damaged in the attack , and returned to Brest on the 22nd . 4th patrol . U-256 sailed from Brest on 6 June 1944 ( D-Day ) , but was seriously damaged when attacked by another Liberator , also of 224 Squadron the next day , and returned to Brest on the 8th . 5th patrol . On 4 September 1944 , under the command of Korvettenkapitän Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock , U-256 became the last U-boat to leave Brest before the port was captured by the Allies . The transit from Brest to Bergen in Norway , would be U-256s last patrol . She reached her destination on 17 October , and was decommissioned there on 23 October . Wolfpacks . U-256 took part in five wolfpacks , namely . - Steinbrinck ( 7–11 August 1942 ) - Lohs ( 11–25 August 1942 ) - Igel 2 ( 3–17 February 1944 ) - Hai 1 ( 17–22 February 1944 ) - Preussen ( 22 February - 13 March 1944 )