Frauenheim, Fritz U21, U101

Fritz Frauenheim began his naval career in April 1930 and served on the line ship Schleswig Holstein and the light cruiser Karlsruhe. In January 1936 he transferred to the U-boat force and thus received a solid pre-war training. After more than a year as a watch officer on U-25 he took over U-21 in October 1939. He served on this U-boat for several patrols at the beginning of the war and sank five ships, mostly in the North Sea. The British cruiser HMS Belfast was badly damaged by a mine laid by Frauenheim’s U-boat in November 1939. In March 1940 he commissioned the type VIIC U-boat U-101 and in the course of the next four patrols he sank 12 ships. In December 1940 he left U-101 and became a teacher in the 2nd ULD. After holding various staff positions, in September 1941 Frauenheim took command of the 23rd (Med) flotilla, and in May 1942 of the 29th flotilla. Starting in February 1944 he served on the staff of the Admiral der Kleinkampfverbände (Admiral of Midget Assault Units). After the surrender Frauenheim spent eight months in Allied captivity