Werner Hartenstein
| Werner Hartenstein | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
27 February 1908 Plauen |
| Died | 8 March 1943 (aged 35) Atlantic Ocean |
| Buried at | (12°38′N 54°39′W / 12.633°N 54.650°W) |
| Allegiance |
 Weimar Republic Nazi Germany
|
| Service/branch |
 Reichsmarine Kriegsmarine
|
| Years of service | 1928–43 |
| Rank | Korvettenkapitän |
| Commands held |
torpedo boat Seeadler torpedo boat Jaguar U-156 |
| Battles/wars |
World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
World War II
Werner Hartenstein (27 February 1908 – 8 March 1943) was a German naval officer during World War II who commanded the U-boat U-156. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Hartenstein was credited with sinking 20 ships totaling 97,504 gross register tons (GRT), and with damaging three ships and a destroyer.
Born in Plauen, Hartenstein joined the navy in 1928. After serving on torpedo boats during the Spanish Civil War and the first year of World War II, he transferred to the U-boat service in 1941. In September 1942, Hartenstein torpedoed and sank the RMS Laconia, then attempted to rescue the survivors. He was forced to abort the rescue operations when his U-boat came under attack by a U.S. Air Force bomber. The event became known as the "Laconia incident" and resulted in the "Laconia Order", an order from the Command of the U-boat Arm to the entire German U-boat force that forbade rescuing the survivors of sunken ships. Hartenstein and the entire crew of U-156 were killed in action by depth charges from by U.S. aircraft on 8 March 1943.
Hartenstein was born in Plauen in the Vogtland of the Kingdom of Saxony, German Empire, on 27 February 1908. He was the second child of William Karl Adolf Hartenstein, an export merchant, and Selma Emma Hartenstein, née Schlingensiepen. Hartenstein had two sisters. He graduated from a gymnasium (humanities-oriented secondary school) in Plauen with his diploma (Abitur) in 1926. He applied for a naval officer cadetship but was rejected at first, and instead studied two semesters of jurisprudence. He matriculated at the University of Freiburg on 29 April 1927.
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