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THE LIFE OF THE “CONTEMPORARY KNIGHT” U-BOAT CAPTAIN HANS ROSE

“DURING THE COURSE OF WWI, GERMAN U-BOATS DESTROYED 6,394 ALLIED MERCHANT VESSELS, TOTALLING ALMOST 12 MILLION TONS”

Authors: Markus F. Robinson and Gertrude J. Robinson Publisher: Amberley Price: £20.00

Hans Rose was Germany’s most successful U-boat ace during the convoy period of World War I, when submarine attacks were at their most difficult and dangerous. Rose was also one of the most highly decorated German naval commanders of the war, respected even by his enemies and famous for his humanity and fairness in battle. There were engagements in which Rose would torpedo a ship and then wait until all the lifeboats were filled. He would then throw a tow line, give the victims food, keeping all the survivors together until a rescuing destroyer appeared on the horizon, when he would let go and submerge.

The authors have put together a narrative that is likely to stand as the definitive biography of this remarkable officer. Their research is well documented and unique, and thanks to the generosity of the Rose family, they present for the first time Rose’s personal papers, along with new information from the naval archives in Germany and the Krupp archives.

Rose served Germany with distinction in both world wars. In WWII, however, he ran a serious risk by crossing paths with Hitler on several occasions. “Rose was a truly contemporary knight,” the authors say, “though one called upon to play his chivalrous role at a dark time in Germany’s history”.

During the course of WWI, German U-boats destroyed 6,394 Allied merchant vessels, totalling almost 12 million tons – a devastating toll that even First Sea Lord Admiral John Jellicoe believed would force an Allied surrender. The German onslaught was blunted thanks to the introduction of armed convoys, but in the interim, Rose alone chalked up at least 80 kills.