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Erich ToppSubmariner, commander of 'U-552'
Date of Birth: 02.07.1914
Country:  Germany |
Content:
Biography of Erich Topp
Erich Topp was a German submarine commander during World War II, recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, and later an officer in the Bundesmarine. He was born into the family of engineer Johannes Topp. On April 8, 1934, he joined the Reichsmarine and on April 1, 1937, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant zur See. From April 18 to October 4, 1937, he served as an adjutant on board the light cruiser "Karlsruhe," which patrolled off the coast of Spain during the Spanish Civil War. Even before the start of World War II, Karl Dönitz convinced the young officer to join the submarine forces of the Kriegsmarine. In June 1940, he took command of the U-57 submarine type IIC, on which he sank six ships during two patrols. A collision occurred upon returning from a combat mission near Brunsbüttel. The Norwegian cargo ship "Rona" collided with the submarine, which sank within seconds. Six sailors died in the accident. In December 1940, Topp was appointed commander of the U-552 submarine, a type VIIC. He completed ten missions on this submarine, sinking 28 merchant ships and damaging four others. On October 31, 1941, his submarine sank the American destroyer USS Reuben James, marking the first sinking of an American military ship in World War II. In October 1942, Topp became the commander of the 27th submarine flotilla in Gotenhafen. Until the end of the war, he served as the commander of U-2513, an experimental XXI-class submarine. In total, Erich Topp sank 34 ships (about 200,000 tons), one destroyer, and one military auxiliary vessel, making him the third most successful submarine commander of World War II, after Otto Kretschmer and Wolfgang Lüth. From May 20 to August 17, 1945, Topp was a prisoner of war in Norway. On June 4, 1946, he began studying architecture at the Technical University of Hanover and graduated in 1950 with honors.
Post-war Career
On March 3, 1958, Topp reenlisted in the German Navy. From August 16, 1958, he served as a staff officer in the NATO military committee in Washington. On November 1, 1959, he was promoted to captain zur See, and from January 1, 1962, he served as the commander of the amphibious forces and concurrently as the acting commander of submarines for one month. On October 1, 1963, he was appointed chief of staff in the fleet command, and from July 1, 1965, he served as the head of the submarine department in the Federal Ministry of Defense. After receiving the rank of commodore on November 15, 1965, he became the deputy inspector of the German Navy on December 21, 1966. For his services in rebuilding the German Navy and integrating it into NATO structures, he was awarded the Cross for Merit to the Federal Republic of Germany on September 19, 1969. Topp retired on December 31, 1969. After leaving the Bundesmarine, he worked as a consultant for several years, including at the Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft shipyard. Erich Topp passed away on December 26, 2005, at the age of 91.
