Click for RUSSIANlanguage

WW2 submarine aces in Soviet waters

 Work of Lupetto Solitario

During the Great Patriotic War there was not a clear title as “submarine ace”: Royal Navy was used to give attentions to the boats and the crew often used personal “Jolly Roger” war-flags for submarines with painted on them the recorded victories. German Navy gave more focus to the Submarine Commander, calling “Aces” the ones that achieved large tonnages (at least 100.000 GRT) of enemy shipping sunk. Soviet Navy both awarded the crewmembers, the submarine (with titles as “Guards Badge” or “Order of the Red Banner”) and the commanders.

The list includes the submarine commanders in Soviet waters that achieved at least 5 confirmed victories (both sinking or damaging enemy units).

Name:

Navy / Submarine: 

Victories:

Notes:

Fate:

Polyakov Yevgeniy Petrovich

 

L-4

9 victories

(8 +1)

Soviet Black Sea Fleet

Sunk:

Chipka (2304 GRT)

Minelayer Regele Carol I

Minesweeper D-2

Tayyari Bahri (55/60 GRT)

Gurpinar (35/40 GRT)

EL-74 (139 GRT)

Santa Fè (4627 GRT)

Friederike (7327 GRT)

Damaged:

MFP  F-329 (155 GRT)

Survived at War

Орден Красного знамениОрденом Ушакова II степениОрден Отечественной войны I ст.

Mogilevsky Sergey Sergeyevich

File:Naval Ensign of the Soviet Union 1935.svg

 

L-21

9 victories

(7 + 2)

Soviet Baltic Fleet

Sunk:

Elie (1837 GRT)

Hansa (563 GRT)

Submarine U-367

Torpedo boat T-3

Torpedo boat T-5

Patrol ship V-2022

Gunboat LAT-7

Damaged:

Eichberg (1923 GRT)

Patrol ship Vs-302

Survived at War

Орденом Ушакова II степениОрден Отечественной войны I ст.

Greshilov Mihail Vasilievich

File:Naval Ensign of the Soviet Union 1935.svg

 

M-35 (until Nov 42)

ShCh-215 (from Oct 42  to Apr 44)

9 victories

(6 + 3)

Soviet Black Sea Fleet.

Sunk:

SF-35  (140 GRT)

Le Progress (511 GRT)

----

Thisbé  (1782 GRT)

MFP F-592 (155 GRT)

Mefkure (60/65 GRT)

Vita (135 GRT)

Damaged:
Stralsund (190 GRT)

L-1357 (? GRT)

Aux. minesweeper R-164

Survived at War

Золотая звезда Героя Советского СоюзаОрден Красного знамениОрден Красного знамениОрден Красного знамениОрденом Нахимова II степениОрден Отечественной войны I ст.Орден Отечественной войны I ст.

 Avgustinovich Mihail Petrovich

File:Naval Ensign of the Soviet Union 1935.svg

 

K-1

8 victories

(7 + 1)

Soviet Northern Fleet.

Sunk:
Flottbeck (1930 GRT)

Kong Ring (1994 GRT)

Kurzsee (754 GRT)

Asuncion (4626 GRT)

Robert Bornhofen (6643 GRT)

Patrol ship NM-01

Patrol ship NM-21

Damaged:
Moltkefels (7863 GRT)

Survived at War.

Орден Красного знамениОрден Красного знамениОрденом Нахимова II степениОрден Отечественной войны I ст.Орден Отечественной войны II ст.

 

 

Klaus Petersen

 

File:War Ensign of Germany 1938-1945.svg

 

U-24 (from Apr43 to Apr44)

U-9 (from April 44)

 

7 victories

(5 + 2)

Kriegsmarine

(Black Sea)

Sunk:

Minesweeper Tszcz-411

Emba (7886 GRT)

DB-36  (7 GRT)

DB-37  (7 GRT)                                        Patrol boat CKA-088

---

Damaged:

schooner Petrel
Torpedo boat Storm

Survived at War. (His second submarine was sunk in Soviet air raid of Pe-2 bombers, but he survived).

 Rolf Birger Wahlen

File:War Ensign of Germany 1938-1945.svg

 

U-23

7 victories

(5 + 2  )

Kriegsmarine

(Black Sea)

Sunk:

Patrol boat Shval

a motorboat

Tanais (180 GRT)

Tug Smely

a fishing boat

---

Damaged:
Minesweeper Tszcz-486

Patrol boat SKA-099

Survived at War

 

Vlasov Vladimir Yakovlevich

File:Naval Ensign of the Soviet Union 1935.svg

 

ShCh-214

6 victories

 

Soviet Black Sea

Sunk:

Kaynakdere (ext. 75 GRT)

Torcello (3336 GRT)

Koraltepe (60/65 GRT)

Schooner (? GRT)

Schooner (? GRT)

Schooner (? GRT)

 

KIA  20 June 42 when the submarine was sunk by Italian motor torpedo boat MAS-571

Орден Красного знамени

 Geoffrey Mainwaring Sladen

(with the reindeer Pollyanna)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9c/Naval_Ensign_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg/300px-Naval_Ensign_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg.pngTrident

 

Note: Soviets gifted a reindeer foal to the submarine crew: the animal was kept as mascot into the submarine!

6 victories

(4 + 2)

Royal Navy (operating from Soviet base)

Sunk:
Ostpreufen (3030 GRT)

Donau II (2931 GRT)

Bahia Laura (8561 GRT)

Submarine hunter UJ-1213

Damaged:
Levante (4769 GRT)

Submarine hunter UJ-1201

Survived at War

grishenko

Grishchenko Petr Denisovich

Naval Ensign of the Soviet Union 1935

 

L-3 (until 9-March-43)

5 victories

Soviet Baltic Fleet

Sunk:

C.F.Liljevalch (5513 GRT)

Walter (177 GRT)

Hindenburg (7880 GRT)

Dirschau (762 GRT)

Edith Bosselmann (952 GRT)

Survived at War

Коновалов Владимир Константинович

Konovalov Vladimir Konstantinovich

Naval Ensign of the Soviet Union 1935

 

L-3 (from 9-March-43)

5 victories

(4 + 1)

Soviet Baltic Fleet

Sunk:

Fleet torpedo boat T-34

Henry Lutgens (1141 GRT)

Goya (5230 GRT)

a minesweeper cutter

Damaged:

Sailing ship Albert L. Schlageter

Survived at War

Золотая звезда Героя Советского СоюзаОрден Красного знамениОрден Красного знамениОрденом Ушакова II степениОрден Отечественной войны I ст.

Щедрин Григорий Иванович

Schedrin Grigoriy Ivanovich

File:Naval Ensign of the Soviet Union 1935.svg

 

S-56

5 victories

(4 + 1)

Soviet Northern Fleet.

(previously Pacific Fleet)

Sunk:
Eurostadt (1118 GRT)
Minesweeper M-346
Patrol ship NKi-09
Heinrich Schulte (5056 GRT)

Damaged:
Wartheland (3676 GRT)

Survived at War

Золотая звезда Героя Советского СоюзаОрден Красного знамениОрден Красного знамениОрден Красного знамениОрден Красного знамениОрденом Нахимова II степениОрден Отечественной войны I ст.Орден Трудового Красного Знамени

no picture

 Karl Grafen

File:War Ensign of Germany 1938-1945.svgU-20

5 victories
(4 + 1)

Kriegsmarine

(Black Sea)

Sunk:

Vajian Kuture (7602 GRT)

barge Rion (187 GRT)

Pestel (1850 GRT)

Landing craft DB-26
Damaged:
Peredovik (1864 GRT)

Survived at War

Lisin Sergey Prokofievich

 

File:Naval Ensign of the Soviet Union 1935.svg

 

 

S-7

5 victories

(4 + 1)

Soviet Baltic Fleet

 

Sunk:
Margareta (1272 GRT)

Lulea (5611 GRT)

Kathe (1599 GRT)

Pojanlahti (682 GRT)

Damaged:
Ellen Larsen (1938 GRT)

POW when the submarine was sunk by the Finnish submarine Vesihisi.

Золотая звезда Героя Советского Союза (awarded post-mortem, it was not known that he actually survived and was took POW, when was freed in 1944 he was under trial but in the end he was not stripped of the honor and accusations against him were dropped and his rank was restored in January 1945)

Орден Красного знамениОрден Отечественной войны I ст.

 

Lunin Nikolay Alexandrovich

File:Naval Ensign of the Soviet Union 1935.svg

 

 

ShCh-421 (until Mar 42)

K-21 (from March 42)

5 victories

(2 + 3)

Soviet Northern Fleet.

Sunk:

Konsul Schulte (2975 GRT)

Froy  (40 GRT)

 

Damaged:

Havegga  (15 GRT)
Barein  (15 GRT)

Oeistein (15 GRT)

Survived at War

Золотая звезда Героя Советского Союза Орден Красного знамениОрден Красного знамениОрден Красного знамениОрденом Ушакова II степениОрден Отечественной войны I ст.

 

 

Other notable commanders:

Marinesko Alexander Ivanovich

File:Naval Ensign of the Soviet Union 1935.svg

 

M-96 (until Nov-43)

S-13 (from April-43)

Achieved the sinking of

40.144 GRT

(the best soviet result in terms of GRT sinking).

The two big transports were full with evacuated (both civilians and military personal) up to 13.200 killed.

Soviet Baltic Fleet

Sunk:

Wilhelm Gustloff (25484 GRT)

General Steuben (14660 GRT)

Damaged:

Siegfried (563 GRT)

 

 

Survived at War

Золотая звезда Героя Советского Союза (awarded only in 1990 he had problems with Soviet military law and because of this, the title was received only post-mortem)

Орден Красного знамениОрден Красного знамени

Бочаров Павел Иванович Pavel Ivanovich Bokarov

File:Naval Ensign of the Soviet Union 1935.svg

 

ShCh-407 (from July 1943)

Only other commander to sunk a target of more than 10.000 GRT in Soviet waters.

 

 

Soviet Baltic Fleet:

Sunk:

Nordstern (1127 GRT)

Seeburg (12181 GRT)

Survived at War

Орден Красного знамениОрденом Ушакова II степениОрден Отечественной войны I ст.

http://www.town.ural.ru/ship/photo/fin_3.jpgOlavi Aittola

Naval Ensign of Finland.svg

 

Vesikko (1941)
Vesihiisi (1942)

Best Finnish commander (with 2 sinking).

Merivoimat (Finnish Baltic) Sunk:
Submarine S-7

Vyborg (3183 GRT)

Survived at War

File:Vrijheidskruis der Tweede Klasse met Zwaarden.jpg

 

Вершинин Ф.Г. Fedor Grigorevich Vershinin

File:Naval Ensign of the Soviet Union 1935.svg

 

ShCh-311 (during Winter War)

Best commander during the Winter War (with 2 sinking).

Soviet Baltic Fleet.

Sunk:

Wilpas (775 GRT)
Fenris (484 GRT)

Survived at War

Золотая звезда Героя Советского СоюзаОрден Красного знамениОрден Отечественной войны II ст.

Кононенко Анатолий Степанович Anatoly Stepanovich Kononenko

File:Naval Ensign of the Soviet Union 1935.svg

 

L-19

Best commander during Soviet-Japan conflict in 1945 (with 2 victories).

Soviet Pacific Fleet.

Sunk:

Taito Maru (887 GRT)

Damaged:

Aux. gunship Shinko Maru n°2

 

KIA at the end of August 1945, when submarine was sunk by mine.

Орден Отечественной войны I ст.

 

 

Soviet Awards (except commemorative                    

awards or medals after supports to offensives

and other ground operations as Sebastopol or Leningrad)

British awards (only the ones received by British Aces on Eastern Front operating from Soviet base).                    

 

German and Finnish awards (only the ones received by  German Aces on Eastern Front)

Золотая звезда Героя Советского Союза =  Hero of Soviet Union

 

   = Distinguished Service Order

  = German Cross in Gold

= Order of Lenin

 

 = Distinguished Service Cross

   = Iron Cross of I Class

Орден Красного знамени  = Order of Red Banner

 

 = Iron Cross of II Class

Орденом Ушакова II степени   = Order of Ushakov of II Class

 

Орденом Нахимова II степени = Order of Nakhimov of II Class

 

File:Vrijheidskruis der Tweede Klasse met Zwaarden.jpg= Cross of Liberty of Second Class  (Finnish Award)

Орден Отечественной войны I ст.   = Order of Patriotic War of I class

 

Орден Отечественной войны II ст.   = Order of Patriotic War of II class     

 

Орден Трудового Красного Знамени = Order of Red Banner of Labour

= Order of Red Star

 = Order of the British Empire (UK award)

=  Marine Cross  (USA award)

 



Soviet submarines

Gallery of victorious submarines

Victories of Eastern front submarines

U-boats losses at Eastern front

Soviet WWII navy

War is over start page

main URL