Adalbert Schnee Lieutenant Commander Adalbert Schnee ( 31 December 1913 – 4 November 1982 ) was a " Korvettenkapitän " with the " Kriegsmarine " during World War II . He commanded the U - boat s , , , and , sinking twenty - one merchant ships on twelve patrols , for a total of of Allied shipping , and received the Knight ' s Cross with Oak Leaves . He is thirty - seventh in the list of U - Boat ace s of World War II . Career . Schnee joined the " Kriegsmarine " in April 1934 . After serving aboard the light cruiser , he transferred to the U - boat arm in May 1937 . He spent two years on board the Type IIB U - boat , under the command of " Oberleutnant zur See " Otto Kretschmer , completing five combat patrols as 1 . WO ( second - in - command ) , between October 1939 and January 1940 . Schnee ' s first command , from January to July 1940 , was the Type IIA U - boat , in which he sailed on only a single short patrol in April supporting " Operation Weserübung " ( the invasion of Norway ) . His next command , between July and October 1940 , was the Type IIC U - boat . In her he sailed on three more patrols around the coasts of the British Isles sinking two ships for a total of 3 , 188 tons , and damaging one of 15 , 434 tons . Schnee commanded the Type IIB training boat during November 1940 , but as this class of U - boat were withdrawn from front - line service , in January 1941 Schnee was given command of the newer , larger Type VIIC U - boat . Schnee sailed on seven combat patrols in " U - 201 " between April 1941 and August 1942 , sinking 19 merchant ships ( totalling 87 , 001 tons ) and damaged two others ( 13 , 386 tons ) . He also sank two British Royal Navy auxiliary warships , the fighter catapult ship and the anti - submarine naval trawler . In August 1941 he was awarded the Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross , and in July 1942 with the Oak Leaves . In October 1942 Schnee joined the BdU staff . In his position as the " Geleitzugs - Admiralstabsoffizier " , he planned and organized operations against Allied convoys . In September 1944 Schnee took command of the new " Elektroboot " , one of only two Type XXI U - boats to go on patrol ( being the other ) . " U - 2511 " s first and only patrol began on 3 May 1945 at Bergen . The next day Schnee received the cease - fire order , prior to the German surrender , and a few hours later spotted a group of British warships . Simulating an attack , he evaded the destroyer screen , closed to within of the British cruiser , and then left the area without being detected . " U - 2511 " returned to Bergen on 5 May to surrender as ordered . Schnee spoke to officers from " Norfolk " a few days later , who could not believe that " U - 2511 " was able to get so close without any sonar contact . Schnee is said to have requested a comparison of the respective ships ' logs , which confirmed his account . His " Leitender Ingenieur " ( " Engineer Officer " ) on this patrol was Gerd Suhren . Post - war . After the war Schnee served for six months in a German minesweeper unit . In October 1945 he was called to testify at the trial of Heinz - Wilhelm Eck and the officers of , for their actions after the sinking of . Although appearing for the defence , Schnee was forced to admit he would not have acted as Eck did . He then worked for some years as a commercial representative before becoming the director of a sailing school on Elba . He was also for many years the chairman of the " Verband der U - Boots - Fahrer " ( " Association of U - boat Crews " ) in Germany . He died in 1982 .