Reinhard Suhren

Reinhard Johann Heinz Paul Anton Suhren (16 April 1916 – 25 August 1984) was a German U-boat commander in World War II and younger brother of Korvettenkapitän (Ing.) and Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross recipient Gerd Suhren.

Suhren was born in Langenschwalbach, the second of four children, and grew up in the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany.

Suhren was born on 16 April 1916 in Langenschwalbach in the Taunus in his grandmothers house.

He was the second child of Geert Suhren and his wife Ernestine Ludovika Suhren, née Ludovika.

Suhren had an older brother Gerd and a younger brother Ernst, and sister Almut.

He received his Abitur from the Landständischen Oberschule in Bautzen.

Prior to graduation, during his last summer vacation, Suhren was allowed and accepted at a sailing course at the Hanseatic Yacht School in Neustadt in Holstein.

The course had some paramilitary components and learning to march was one of them.

During one of these marches the boy behind Suhren yelled out: "Hey Reinhard, when I look at you marching, it reminds me of a Teddy bear."

Later, the same boy met Suhren again during basic military training and greeted Suhren with the words: "Hey, Teddy, you're here too?"

The nickname "Teddy" would stick with him from then on.

He then served in the 27th U-boat Flotilla along with Korvettenkapitän Erich Topp.

He joined the navy in 1935 and began his U-boat career in March 1938.

He began his naval career with the Reichsmarine on 5 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 (5 April 1935 – 17 June 1935).

He was then transferred to the school ship Gorch Fock (18 June 1935 – 26 September 1935) attaining the rank of Seekadett (midshipman) on 25 September 1935.

Following his promotion he was posted to the light cruiser GERMAN CRUISER Emden (27 September 1935 – 16 June 1936).

Suhren sailed on Emden's sixth training cruise, which started on 23 October 1935 and took him and her crew to the Azores, West Indies and Venezuela, through the Panama Canal to Guayaquil, where they celebrated Christmas.

The journey then continued to Puerto San José and Portland, Oregon to Honolulu.

From Honolulu they continued to Middle America, back through the Panama Canal and after visiting a few harbours in the West Indies to Baltimore and Montreal.

The cadets of "Crew 1935" had been given special leave to celebrate carnival.

Every company had to be back at the academy by 6:00, except for Suhren's company, who had to return by 5:00.

Suhren missed the curfew and was reported to the company chief.

Naval cadets at the time were rated on scale of 1 to 9 regarding the service worthiness (Diensttüchtigkeit).

Prior to this incidence, Suhren was rated at 7.5, which had placed him at the top of his class.

After this incidence, he was down rated to 4, later corrected to 5, which then placed him last in his class.

The service worthiness rating in combination with the officers' final exam would determine the ranking in the navy and had implications on an officers' future naval career.

Suhren was especially disappointed by the behavior of his commanding officer, his group commander Kapitänleutnant Walther Kölle.

Kölle, who was present during the inquiry, could have spoken on Suhren's behalf, but chose to remain quiet.

Their final stopover was Pontevedra, Spain before they returned home on 11 June 1936.

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

This course was briefly interrupted for two navigational training courses, the first on the tender Nordsee (10–15 August 1936) and the second on the steamer Hecht (16–21 November 1936).

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

His military career almost came to an unexpected end on Rosenmontag (Rose Monday), the highlight of the German "Karneval" (carnival), 8 February 1937.

He spent a year as 1st watch officer on GS U-48 (1939) where he received the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross for his contribution in the sinking of of merchant shipping.

In April 1941 he took command of GS U-564.

As a commander, he is credited with the sinking of 18 merchant vessels of, 1 warship of 900 LT and damaged four merchant vessels of for which he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords.

Suhren left the boat and became an instructor in October 1942.

During the last year of the war Fregattenkapitän Suhren was the Führer der Unterseeboote Norwegen (Leader of U-boats in Norwegian waters) and from September 1944 the Commander-in-Chief of U-boats of the North Sea.

After the war he worked in the petroleum industry and died of stomach cancer on 25 August 1984.