35 Facts About Albrecht Brandi

Albrecht Brandi was a German U-boat commander in Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.

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

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

In January 1945, Albrecht Brandi was placed in charge of the Marinekleinkampfverbande in the Netherlands where he surrendered to Canadian forces at the end of the war.

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

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

Albrecht Brandi was the sixth and youngest child of Ernst Brandi, a mining director and board member of the Vereinigte Stahlwerke, and his wife Clara, nee Jucho.

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

Albrecht Brandi was then transferred to the school ship Gorch Fock attaining the rank of Seekadett on 25 September 1935.

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

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

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

On 25 May 1940, Albrecht Brandi was appointed commander of M-1.

Albrecht Brandi applied for service with U-boat arm but was rejected at first.

On 25 December 1941, Albrecht Brandi became a Kommandantenschuler aboard U-552, which was commanded by Kapitanleutnant Erich Topp, for one war patrol.

On 9 April 1942, Albrecht Brandi commissioned U-617 in Kiel and completed various trainings with this boat in the 5th U-boat Flotilla.

On this patrol, Albrecht Brandi was promoted to Kapitanleutnant on 1 October 1942.

On his second patrol, Albrecht Brandi was ordered to the Mediterranean Sea where he was placed under the command of the 29th U-boat Flotilla.

At 16:00 on 23 November, Albrecht Brandi unsuccessfully attacked a cruiser before arriving in La Spezia on 28 November 1942.

On this patrol, Albrecht Brandi was awarded Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves on 11 April 1943, the 224th officer or soldier of the Wehrmacht so honored.

Albrecht Brandi was loosely confined in the officers' camp near Cadiz.

On 19 November 1943, Albrecht Brandi returned to Toulon and took command of U-380 from Kapitanleutnant Josef Rother.

Albrecht Brandi completed one patrol with U-380, it was U-380 tenth and last patrol before the boat was destroyed on 11 March 1944 in Toulon by a bombing raid of the United States Army Air Forces Ninth Air Force.

In particular his report stated that Albrecht Brandi failed to maintain a proper war diary, which makes it difficult to assess Albrecht Brandi's decisions.

Albrecht Brandi went on that Brandi's attacks were carried out to passively, avoiding contact with the enemy, apparently diving away too early.

Albrecht Brandi made a number of claims for sinking ships that cannot be substantiated.

Albrecht Brandi was the 66th member of the Wehrmacht and last sailor of the Kriegsmarine who received this award.

Albrecht Brandi had to surrender command of U-967 because he had fallen seriously ill with tonsillitis on his last patrol.

In July 1944, Albrecht Brandi was then appointed U-Admiralstabsoffizier commander of all U-boat operations in the Gulf of Finland with commanding admiral of the eastern Baltic Sea in Helsinki, under the command of Admiral Theodor Burchardi.

Albrecht Brandi was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds on 24 November 1944 for his leadership of the U-boat fleet.

On 6 May 1945, Albrecht Brandi surrendered to Canadian forces in the Netherlands and was taken prisoner of war.

Albrecht Brandi became a bricklayer and then studied architecture at the Staatsbauschule in Essen.

Albrecht Brandi designed a number of buildings which were built in Dortmund and in Saudi Arabia.

Albrecht Brandi fell ill and died on 6 January 1966 at a hospital in Cologne.

Albrecht Brandi was buried with military honors at the Hauptfriedhof Dortmund.