Background
He was half-English on his mother"s side. Peter-Erich Cremer, also known by the nickname "Ali Cremer", was born in Metz, Alsace-Lorraine, on 25 March 1911.
Soldier submariner Korvettenkapitän
He was half-English on his mother"s side. Peter-Erich Cremer, also known by the nickname "Ali Cremer", was born in Metz, Alsace-Lorraine, on 25 March 1911.
The Knight"s Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. After high school, Cremer enlisted in the Reichsmarine in 1932. After serving on cruisers and destroyers, Cremer became captain in February 1940.
On August 1940, Cremer was promoted to the rank of commander of submarine.
After a perilous sea trip, his crew gave him the nickname "Ali". After this epic trip, "Ali" Cremer commanded the U-152.
Then, Cremer commanded the U-333 from 25 August 1941 to 6 October 1942 and again from 18 May 1943, to 19 July 1944. On 31 January 1942 he mistakenly attacked and sunk the Steamship Spreewald.
Subsequently he was court-martialed and found not guilty.
The same year, Cremer was severely wounded. He sailed again from 1943 until July 1944, before giving his boat to his lieutenant. On November 1944, Cremer, now Lieutenant Commander, aimed to convey the new submarine U-2519 Class XXI. Citing "several design flaws", Cremer scuttled the submarine at Kiel, on May 1945.
As the War drew to a close, he was attached to the personal security unit of Karl Dönitz.
In this role he was involved in the incident in which Kapitän zur See Wolfgang Lüth was shot to death by a German sentry. Peter-Erich Cremer appeared in the British television documentary, "World at War" in the early 1970s.
Later he recounted his life in his books "U-333: The story of a u-boat ace" and "U-Boat Commander: a periscope view of the Battle of the Atlantic.". He died at Hamburg on 5 July 1992.
Ships sunk and damaged Peter-Erich Cremer as commander of U-333 sank six merchant ships totalling 26,873 GRT, damaged another of 8,327 GRT, and also engaged and damaged the 925 GRT Flower class corvette HMS Crocus.
Wehrmachtbericht references Promotions Bibliography.