Werner Hartenstein, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Werner Hartenstein

German naval officer and U-boat commander during World War II

Date of Birth: 27-Feb-1908

Place of Birth: Plauen, Saxony, Germany

Date of Death: 08-Mar-1943

Profession: submariner, soldier

Nationality: Germany

Zodiac Sign: Pisces

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 U.S.
aircraft on 8 March 1943.