Germany - Third Reich: A Superb U-Boat Crew Members Long Service, Battle of the Atlantic Iron Cross 2nd Class and U-Boat Badge award document grouping to Bootsmann Paul Ruben, a member of the crew of the U-Boat U-221 who having trained aboard the sailing ship ‘Albert Leo Schlageter’ would initially serve aboard the German light cruiser Leipzig at the beginning of the war most likely being aboard when she was torpedoed and damaged by the British Submarine HMS Salmon in December 1939 and also during the ship’s supporting role in Operation Barbarossa the German invasion of the Soviet Union. It was in May 1942 that Ruben would join the U-Boat service being assigned to U-221 aboard which he would undertake four war patrols and be involved in the sinking of over 70,000 tons of Allied Shipping. He would receive the Iron Cross 2nd Class at the end of his first patrol, just three days after the U-Boat arrived back in St. Nazaire. Involved in the collision with U-254 at the outset of the Submarine’s second patrol, U-221 was badly damaged and unable to dive aborted the patrol. A further successful patrol would follow when in March 1943, U-221 was involved in some of the heaviest Convoy battles of the war, a critical time in the Battle of the Atlantic, damaged by escorts of convoy HX.228, repairs were carried out at sea enabling her to complete the patrol and sink a further two allied ships. Ruben would be lucky to miss U-221s final patrol which began on 20th September 1943, the Submarine being sunk with all hands by a Halifax of No.58 Squadron, Royal Air Force on 27th September 1943. Ruben however would survive the war and passed away in March 1990.
Award Certificate:
1) Wehrmacht 4 Year Long Service Medal awarded at Wilhelmshaven on 1st July 1938 as a Matrosenhauptgefreiten, with the Segelschulschiff ‘Albert Leo Schlageter’. Signed for correctness by Rogge as Fregattenkapitan und Kommandant .
Bernhard Rogge was awarded the Knights Cross on 7th December 1940 as Kapitan Zur See and Commander of Auxiliary Cruisier Atlantis, and the Oak Leaves on 31st December 1941 as Kapitan Zur See and Commander of HSK Auxiliary Cruiser Atlantis.
2) Iron Cross 2nd Class awarded on 25th October 1942 as a Bootsmann. Signed in Ink by Donitz as Admiral und Gefehlshaber der Unterseeboote.
Karl Doenitz was awarded the Knights Cross on 21st April 1940 as Konteradmiral and Commander of U-Boats and the 223rd Oakleaves to the Knights Cross on 6th April 1943 as Grossadmiral and Head of the Kriegsmarine and Commander of U-Boats.
3) U-Boat Badge awarded on 24th December 1942 as a Bootsmann. Signed in Ink by Donitz as Admiral und Gefehlshaber der Unterseeboote.
Karl Donitz was awarded the Knights Cross on 21st April 1940 as Konteradmiral and Commander of U-Boats and the 222rd Oakleaves to the Knights Cross on 6th April 1943 as Grossadmiral and Head of the Kreigsmarine and Commander of U-Boats.
Along with a postcard photograph of Ruben in uniform.
Paul Ruben was born on 13th December 1915 in Oestrich Winkel Am Rhein, Hessen.
Having joined the Kriegsmarine Ruben would be serving aboard the Training Ship ‘Albert Leo Schlageter’ when he was awarded his 4 Year Long Service Medal on 1st July 1938.
Albert Leo Schlageter was commanded by Bernhard Rogge, a later Knight’s Cross and Oakleaves winner whilst commanding the Auxiliary Cruiser Atlantis. Rogge would later go on to be awarded an Ornate Katana by the Japanese government in 1943 for retrieving top secret documents involving the organisation of the Defence of Singapore when Atlantis scuttled the British Cargo Ship SS Automedon near Sumatra on 11th November 1940.
Ruben however would serve aboard the light cruiser Leipzig between unknown dates in 1939 and 1941, and was most likely aboard when that ship was torpedoed by the British submarine HMS Salmon in December 1939. After a long period of repair as a result of this incident, Leipzig would in June 1941 support the German invasion of the Soviet Union with naval gunfire.
Ruben would leave Leipzig and the surface fleet to join the U-Boat service, and joined U-221 on 9th May 1942. He would be aboard on 3rd September 1942 when the U-Boat would leave Kristiansand on its first patrol. Her route would take her through the gap between Iceland and the Faroe Islands. She claimed her first victim Fagersten 500 miles east of Newfoundland on 13th October, in the same attack also sinking Ashworth and Senta, there being no survivors from either of these vessels.
The next day two more ships fell to the torpedoes of U-221. The Susana was sunk in 6 minutes just to the northeast of St. Johns and the Southern Empress was also sent to the bottom along with its cargo which included ten landing craft.
After a successful first tour U-221 docked in St. Nazaire on 22nd October 1942, with Ruben being awarded his Iron Cross 2nd Class just three days later on 25th October 1942.
U-221s second tour was much less successful and although she scoured the Atlantic west of Ireland, she failed to find any targets, and on 8th December she collided with U-254 in heavy fog, resulting in the loss of U-254. U-221 badly damaged was unable to dive, and the commander aborted the patrol and returned to St. Nazaire.
The U-Boat’s third tour however was more fruitful, The Jamaica was destroyed on 7th March 1943. This ship took just two minutes to sink. As survivors took to the boats, Trojer surfaced and took the ship’s 4th Engineer prisoner, but on March 21, the man, during an exercise period, jumped overboard and was lost. The boat sank Tucurina on the tenth, southeast of Cape Farewell. In the same attack, the U-boat sank Andrea F. Luckenbach and damaged SS Lawton B. Evans (probably due to a dud Torpedo).
The convoy escorts from convoy HX.228 caused some damage to U-221. Repairs were carried out at sea, enabling the boat to sink two more ships on 18th March. Canadian Star and Walter Q. Gresham being added to her list of kills.
U-221 would only sink one ship on her 4th Patrol, Sandanger, the survivors of which had a remarkable escape. Occupying the only intact lifeboat, the found themselves in an area of low pressure created by the ship’s burning fuel cargo. The flames were split in two by strong winds which also kept them above the men’s heads by only a few feet as they rowed clear of the location.
March 1943 would see the crisis moment for Allied shipping in North Atlantic. In a series of running battles against convoys in the first twenty days of March, the German U-Boat force almost brought the allies to breaking point.
Ruben would leave U-221 before it’s fifth and final patrol in September 1943, it being sunk by a Handley Page Halifax of No. 58 Squadron, Royal Air Force with eight depth charges. The U-Boat was seen to sink by the stern but the aircraft was also hit, forcing the pilot to ditch about three miles from the encounter. Two of the gunners from the Halifax were lost and the U-Boat was sunk with all hands (50 men).
Ruben however would miss U-221s final patrol, would survive the war and passed away in March 1990.
