Peter-Erich Cremer
Peter-Erich Cremer (25 March 1911 – 5 July 1992) was a German U-boat commander during the Second World War. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Biography. Peter-Erich Cremer was born in Metz, Alsace-Lorraine, on 25 March 1911. After high school, Cremer enlisted in the "Reichsmarine" in 1932. After serving on cruisers and destroyers, Cremer became captain in February 1940. He received the Iron Cross 2nd class. He was promoted to the rank of submarine commander in August 1940, and was given the "U-152". He  commanded the from 25 August 1941 to 6 October 1942 and again from 18 May 1943, to 19 July 1944. On 31 January 1942 he mistakenly attacked and sunk the ; he was court-martialed and found not guilty. After several victorious trips, he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross ("Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes") on 5 June 1942, and in that same year was severely wounded. He sailed again from 1943 until July 1944, before giving his boat to his lieutenant. On November 1944, Cremer, now Lieutenant Commander, aimed to convey the new submarine "U-2519" Class XXI. Citing  several design flaws, Cremer scuttled the submarine at Kiel, on May 1945. As the War drew to a close, he was attached to the personal security unit of Karl Dönitz. In this role he was involved in the incident in which "Kapitän zur See" Wolfgang Lüth was shot to death by a German sentry. Peter-Erich Cremer appeared in Episode 10: 'Wolf Pack: U-Boats in the Atlantic' of the British television documentary "The World at War" in the early 1970s. Later he recounted his life in his books "U-333: The story of a U-boat ace" and "U-Boat  Commander: a periscope view of the Battle of the Atlantic". He died in Hamburg on 5 July 1992. Summary of career. Ships sunk and damaged. As commander of "U-333" Cremer sank six merchant ships totalling , damaged another , and also engaged and damaged the .