Heinrich Schuch

Comandante de U-Boot y experto técnico de la Kriegsmarine

Heinrich Schuch (Berlin, August 28, 1906 – January 21, 1968) was a Fregattenkapitän in the German Kriegsmarine. He served as commander of several Type IX submarines and ended the war in high-ranking technical positions within the U-boat command.

⚓ Military Career

Shuch commanded several Type IX submarines, used for their long range in Atlantic operations. His commands included the U-37, U-38, U-105, and U-154.

In August 1938, he was the first to command the U-37, which he was patrolling aboard when the war began.
He entered the Reichsmarine on November 16, 1925, as a midshipman.
He rose gradually through the ranks, becoming Fregattenkapitän (Commander) in September 1943.
On August 4, 1938, he assumed command of the U-37, with which he was at sea when the Second World War broke out.
In September 1939, he was assigned to the Naval High Command (OKM) as a technical advisor.
In July 1941, he returned to sea as commander of the U-38, later of the U-105, and finally of the U-154.

Submarines commanded:

U-37 (08/04/1938 – 09/24/1939)
U-38 (07/15/1941 – 01/06/1942)
U-105 (01/07/1942 – 09/30/1942)
U-154 (10/07/1942 – 02/08/1943)

Technical roles:

From February 1943, Schuch held staff positions, and in March he was appointed head of the torpedo armaments section of the U-boat Command (Waffenabteilung II BdU). He ended the war in that position.

Heinrich Schulz was commissioned for a specific ultrasecret mission in the early days of March 1944, as part of a classified operation linked to direct orders from Heinrich Himmler, he temporarily assumed operational control of U-Boat 154 during its stop along the French Atlantic coast. Although official command remained in the hands of Oblt. Gerth Gemeiner, his involvement was limited to overseeing a strategic transfer in Deauville, after which he left the submarine and returned to his duties at Headquarters.

Patrols with U-154:

Departed Lorient on October 12, 1942, and returned to base on January 7, 1943.

Ships sunk by Heinrich Schuch with the U-154 (all British-flagged):

Nov 8, 1942: D’Entrecasteaux 7,291 tons
Nov 9, 1942: Nurmahal 5,419 tons
Nov 18, 1942: Torre grange 5,226 tons

Gestapo Headquarters

Chapter 1

…You will escort Gefreiter Fabián Enériz of the 21st Panzer Division under the command of Gruppenführer Edgar Feuchtinger. At this moment, they are in France, south of the city of Caen. A launch will be waiting for you at the port of Bremerhaven to take you aboard the U-154 under the command of Captain Heinrich Schuch, with orders to drop you on the coast of Deauville…

🎖️ Decorations:

Iron Cross 2nd Class
Iron Cross 1st Class
U-Boat War Badge 1939

Military career:

11/16/1925 Midshipman
01/04/1927 Ensign
06/01/1928 Senior Ensign
10/01/1929 Lieutenant
07/01/1931 Senior Lieutenant
10/01/1935 Lieutenant Commander
11/01/1939 Kapitänleutnant
09/01/1943 Fregattenkapitän

Campaign in figures:

7 combat patrols
265 days at sea
7 ships sunk (including three British warships)

Total tonnage sunk: 39,187

Did you know…?

🔹In August 1938, Heinrich Schuch was patrolling in the long-range Type IX U-37 when the war broke out.
Heinrich Schuch was one of the few German U-boat officers to command four different long-range U-boats and survive the war.
🔹After sinking the Norwegian tanker Svenør (March 27, 1942), Schuch refused to abandon the castaways. Instead of capturing them or ignoring them, he alerted the neutral Portuguese merchant Cunene and guided it toward the lifeboats.
🔹Thanks to his decision, all survivors were rescued and landed safely in Philadelphia on March 31. A silent but profoundly human gesture amid the horror of submarine warfare.