Heinrich Schuch

Fregattenkapitän (Crew 25)

Successes
6 ships sunk, total tonnage 37,641 GRT
1 warship sunk, total tonnage 1,546 tons

Born	28 Aug 1906		Berlin
Died	21 Jan 1968	(61)

U-boat Commands

U-boat	From	To
U-37	4 Aug 1938	24 Sep 1939	1 patrol (28 days)
U-38	15 Jul 1941	6 Jan 1942	2 patrols (78 days)
U-105	7 Jan 1942	30 Sep 1942	3 patrols (71 days)
U-154	7 Oct 1942	8 Feb 1943	1 patrol (88 days)

Heinrich Schuch joined the German Navy (Reichsmarine) in 1925. In the pre-war years he commanded the U-37 for more than a year having taken the boat on a 28-day patrol in Sept 1939 - no successes.

Schuch then became an adviser to German Navy High Command until July 1941 when he took command of the successful U-38 on 15 July. He took the boat out on 2 patrols sinking the small Panaman merchant Longtaker on 18 Aug 1941. This was the last ship U-38 sank before being retired as a school boat. Schuch delivered the boat to Stettin on 29 Nov 1941.

Heinrich Schuch took command of the experienced boat U-105 from Geoerg Schewe on 7 Jan 1942. During 3 patrols, 71 days at sea, Schuch sank 3 ships, including the British sloop HMS Culver (Y 87) on 31 Jan.

On 12 June 1942 his boat, the U-105, was severely damaged by an Australian Sunderland aircraft in the Bay of Biscay and had to seek shelter in neutral Spain before returning to France (Blair, 1996). The boat would need months for repairs and on 7 Oct 1942 Schuch took command of his fourth large U-boat, the U-154. He only went out on one patrol of 88 days where he sank 3 vessels for almost 18,000 GRT.

From Feb 1943 Heinrich Schuch would serve in various staff positions until the end of the war.

Sources

Blair, C. (1996). Hitler’s U-boat War. The Hunters, 1939-1942.
Busch, R and Röll, H-J. (1998). German U-boat commanders of World War II.

Patrol info for Heinrich Schuch

	U-boat	Departure		Arrival
1.	U-37	19 Aug 1939	Wilhelmshaven	15 Sep 1939	Wilhelmshaven	Patrol 1,	28 days
2.	U-38	6 Aug 1941	Lorient	14 Sep 1941	Lorient	Patrol 2,	40 days
3.	U-38	15 Oct 1941	Lorient	21 Nov 1941	Bergen	Patrol 3,	38 days
4.	U-38	23 Nov 1941	Bergen	29 Nov 1941	Stettin		7 days
5.	U-105	25 Jan 1942	Lorient	8 Feb 1942	Lorient	Patrol 4,	15 days
6.	U-105	25 Feb 1942	Lorient	15 Apr 1942	Lorient	Patrol 5,	50 days
7.	U-105	7 Jun 1942	Lorient	12 Jun 1942	El Ferrol	Patrol 6,	6 days
8.	U-105	28 Jun 1942	El Ferrol	30 Jun 1942	Lorient		3 days
9.	U-154	12 Oct 1942	Lorient	7 Jan 1943	Lorient	Patrol 7,	88 days
7 patrols, 265 days at sea

Ships hit by Heinrich Schuch

Date	U-boat	Name of ship	Tons		Convoy
18 Aug 1941	U-38	Longtaker	1,700	pa

31 Jan 1942	U-105	HMS Culver (Y 87)	1,546	br	SL-98
25 Mar 1942	U-105	Narragansett	10,389	br
27 Mar 1942	U-105	Svenør	7,616	nw
8 Nov 1942	U-154	D´Entrecasteaux	7,291	br
9 Nov 1942	U-154	Nurmahal	5,419	br
18 Nov 1942	U-154	Tower Grange	5,226	br
			39,187
7 ships sunk (39,187 tons). Legend We have a picture of this vessel.