12 Facts About Adalbert Schnee

Otto Adalbert Schnee was a Korvettenkapitan with Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.

Adalbert Schnee spent two years on board the Type IIB U-boat U-23, under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Otto Kretschmer, completing five combat patrols as 1.

Adalbert Schnee commanded the Type IIB training boat U-121 during November 1940, but as this class of submarine were withdrawn from front-line service, in January 1941 Adalbert Schnee was given command of the newer, larger Type VIIC U-boat U-201.

Adalbert Schnee sailed on seven combat patrols in U-201 between April 1941 and August 1942, sinking 19 merchant ships and damaged two others.

In September 1944 Adalbert Schnee took command of the new Elektroboot U-2511, one of only two Type XXI U-boats to go on patrol.

The next day Adalbert Schnee received the cease-fire order, prior to the German surrender, and a few hours later spotted a group of British warships.

Adalbert Schnee spoke to officers from Norfolk a few days later, who could not believe that U-2511 was able to get so close without any sonar contact.

Adalbert Schnee is said to have requested a comparison of the respective ships' logs, which confirmed his account.

Adalbert Schnee served for six months in the German Mine Sweeping Administration.

Adalbert Schnee then worked for some years as a commercial representative before becoming the director of a sailing school on Elba.

Adalbert Schnee was for many years the chairman of the Verband Deutscher Ubootfahrer.

In 1980 Adalbert Schnee published an article in the official VDU periodical defending the German festivities following the funeral of Admiral Donitz, which had been severely criticized, and in which not only war veterans but members of German Neo-Nazi associations had taken part.