Helmuth von Ruckteschell
| Hellmuth von Ruckteschell | |
|---|---|
| Born |
23 March 1890 Hamburg |
| Died | 24 September 1948 (aged 58) prison Hamburg-Fuhlsbüttel |
| Allegiance |
 German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany (to 1945) |
| Service/branch |
 Kaiserliche Marine Reichsmarine Kriegsmarine
|
| Years of service | 1910–45 |
| Rank | Kapitän zur See of the Reserves |
| Commands held |
German auxiliary cruiser Widder German auxiliary cruiser Michel UB-34 U-54 |
| Battles/wars |
World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves |
Hellmuth Max von Ruckteschell (22 March 1890, Eilbek - 24 September 1948, Hamburg) was an officer in the Kaiserliche Marine and the Kriegsmarine, serving in both World War I and World War II. He was one of the most successful merchant raider commanders, serving as the captain of the German commerce raiders Widder and Michel during World War II. However, he was ruthless in the execution of his duties, and after the war was convicted of war crimes.
Born in 1890 in Hamburg, Ruckteschell joined the German navy in 1908. In 1916, with the rank of Oberleutnant zur See, he transferred to the U-boat Arm. He served as Watch Officer on U-3 and U-57, before being given his own command in July 1917, first of UB-34, then in March 1918, of U-54. He earned a reputation as an overly aggressive commander, which caused him to be placed on a black-list of officers the Allied powers considered to have breached the laws of war. This contrasted with his artistic and cultured nature, since he was an avid reader, loved classical music, and was a student of Rudolf Steiner's Anthroposophy.
After the end of World War I, he left Germany to escape the harassment suffered by former submarine crewmen by the victor nations. He lived in Sweden and Lapland for several years, earning a living as a lumberjack and a surveyor, before returning to Germany in the early 1930s.
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