Albrecht Brandi

Albrecht Brandi (20 June 1914 – 6 January 1966) was a German U-boat commander in Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.

Together with Wolfgang Lüth, he was the only Kriegsmarine sailor who was awarded with the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds.

The Knight's Cross (Ritterkreuz), and its variants were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.

Brandi is credited with the sinking of eight merchant ships for a total of, one auxiliary warship of , and three warships of 5000 LT.

Brandi, the son of the industrial-manager Ernst Brandi, was born in Dortmund, Germany and grew up in the Weimar Republic.

Brandi was born on 20 June 1914 in Dortmund at the time in the Province of Westphalia, a province of the Kingdom of Prussia.

He was the sixth and youngest child of Ernst Brandi, a mining director and board member of the Vereinigte Stahlwerke (United Steelworks), and his wife Clara, née Jucho.

After the rise of the Third Reich in 1933, he joined the navy in 1935.

Following graduation with his Abitur (university-preparatory high school diploma) from a Gymnasium, he joined the Reichsmarine on 1 April 1935 as a member of "Crew 35" (the incoming class of 1935).

He received his military basic training in the 2nd company in the 2nd department of the standing ship division of the Baltic Sea in Stralsund.

He was then transferred to the school ship Gorch Fock attaining the rank of Seekadett (midshipman) on 25 September 1935.

Following his promotion he was posted to the light cruiser GERMAN CRUISER Karlsruhe (26 September 1935 – 19 June 1936).

Brandi sailed on Karlsruhe fifth training cruise, which started on 21 October 1935 in Kiel and ended on 13 June 1936.

The journey took him and her crew to Tenerife, São Tomé, Lobito, Durban, Port Victoria on the Seychelles, Batavia present-day Jakarta, Iloilo City on the Philippines, Hong Kong, various Japanese ports, Dutch Harbor on the Aleutian Islands, San Diego, through the Panama Canal and via Saint Thomas and Pontevedra back to Kiel.

Following his journey on Karlsruhe, Brandi attended the main cadet course at the Naval Academy Mürwik (20 June 1936 – 31 March 1937).

During this time frame at the naval academy he advanced in rank to Fähnrich zur See (officer cadet) on 1 July 1936.

Starting on 1 April, he underwent a number of specialized weapons training courses for cadets at Mürwik.

Brandi was then transferred to the minesweeper M-125, serving as third watch officer.

On 2 October 1937, he then transferred to the minesweeper GERMAN MINESWEEPER M-1, under the command of Kapitänleutnant (Captain Lieutenant) Hans Bartels, in the 1.

Minensuchflottille (1st Minesweeper Flotilla), again holding the position of a watch officer.

On this assignment he was promoted to Oberfähnrich zur See (Senior Ensign) on 1 January 1938 and to Leutnant zur See (Second Lieutenant) on 1 April 1938.

At the outbreak of World War II, Brandi continued to serve on minesweeper M-1 under Bartels.

M-1 transported the Marinestosstruppkompanie, a reinforced naval infantry platoon, to the battleship SMS Schleswig-Holstein prior to the attack of the Polish base at Danzig's Westerplatte in the early morning hours of 1 September 1939.

On 1 October 1939, he was promoted to Oberleutnant zur See (First Lieutenant).

Following the Invasion of Poland, M-1 undertook various minefield clearing operations in the North and Baltic Sea.

On 24 February 1940, without prior warning, M-1 rammed and sank four Esbjerg based Danish trawlers, Ejjam (E 92), Gerlis (E 456), Mercator (E 348) and Polaris (E 504) in the vicinity of the Dogger Bank.

Bartels reported to his superiors that no one was rescued due to "military reasons"; 16 fishermen from the then neutral Denmark lost their lives.

In April 1940 on M-1, Brandi participated in Operation Weserübung, Germany's assault on Denmark and Norway, and was awarded both classes of the Iron Cross (Eisernes Kreuz).

Following service on minesweepers, Brandi began his U-boat career in April 1941.

He first served as a commander-in-training on GS U-552, which was commanded by Erich Topp, before taking command of GS U-617 in April 1942 on seven war patrols, all but one in the Mediterranean theater of operations.

On 12 September 1943, U-617 came under aerial attack off the Moroccan coast.

U-617 was severely damaged forcing Brandi to beach the boat.

The crew abandoned ship and were interned by Spanish forces.

Brandi escaped internment and returned to Germany, where he was given command of GS U-380 which he took on one patrol before the submarine was destroyed in an aerial attack while at port in Toulon.

He was then given command of GS U-967.

After one patrol, Brandi was appointed chief of U-boat operations in the eastern Baltic Sea.

In January 1945, Brandi was placed in charge of the Marinekleinkampfverbände (small naval battle units) in the Netherlands where he surrendered to Canadian forces at the end of the war.

Following his release from captivity in September 1945, Brandi became a bricklayer and then studied architecture.

For three years he served as chairman of the Association of German Architects.

Brandi fell ill and died suddenly on 6 January 1966 at a hospital in Cologne and was buried with military honors in Dortmund.