Helmut Patzig
| Helmut Brümmer-Patzig | |
|---|---|
| Born |
26 October 1890 Danzig (now Gdańsk) |
| Died | 11 March 1984 (aged 93) |
| Allegiance |
 German Empire Weimar Republic Nazi Germany
|
| Service/branch |
 Kaiserliche Marine Reichsmarine Kriegsmarine
|
| Years of service | 1910–45 |
| Rank | Fregattenkapitän (frigate captain) |
| Commands held |
SM U-86, January – August 1918 SM U-90, August – November 1918 U-D4, January – October 1941 26th U-boat Flotilla, April 1943 – March 1945 |
| Battles/wars |
World War I World War II |
| Awards | Iron Cross 1st Class War Merit Cross |
Helmut Patzig, also known as Helmut Brümmer-Patzig (26 October 1890 – 11 March 1984) was a German U-boat commander in the Kaiserliche Marine in World War I, and the Kriegsmarine in World War II. He was captain of U-86, the vessel that sank a Canadian hospital ship, HMHS Llandovery Castle, in 1918. Patzig evaded conviction for the war crime at the Leipzig War Crimes Trials in 1921 because he fled German jurisdiction. During the Second World War he returned to naval service, serving as commander of the 26th U-boat Flotilla, a U-boat training group, from 1943 into 1945.
Patzig was born in the historic German port city of Danzig (now Gdańsk) in 1890, and, as Helmut Patzig, joined the German Navy as a 19-year-old cadet in April 1910. At first assigned to surface ships, the young seaman switched to U-boat service in November 1915, by which time World War I had begun. As a submarine watch officer, Patzig was awarded the Iron Cross – First Class in March 1917. He was assigned to his first sea command, the U-boat U-86, in January 1918.
Under Patzig, the U-86 was assigned to patrol the Western Approaches to the British Isles during a pivot-point in the war. By 1918, the Kaiser's fleet of U-boats had acquired sufficient strength to be able to sight, and sink, a substantial percentage of the ships that attempted to deliver necessary supplies to Great Britain. Germany had declared unrestricted submarine warfare against Great Britain, which in its eyes gave it the right to "sink on sight" ships bound to or from the enemy nation. As commander, Patzig was responsible for the sinking of twenty-four enemy vessels totaling 89,318 gross register tons (GRT).
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