Erich Topp (b. 2 July 1914 in Hanover - 26 December 2005, in Hanover) was the 3rd most successful German U-Boot (submarine) commander of WWII. [Image:http://uboat.net/men/photos/topp1.jpg] He joined the Kriegsmarine (German Navy) in 1934, serving his first stint after being commissioned as Leutnant zur See (Ensign) on the light cruiser Karlsruhe in 1937, before transferring to the U-Bootwaffe (submarine fleet) in the same year. July 2 is the 183rd day of the year (184th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 182 days remaining. ... 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Hanover (German: Hannover []), on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), Germany. ... December 26 is the 360th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, 361st in leap years. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Hanover (German: Hannover []), on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), Germany. ... U-boat is also a nickname for some diesel locomotives built by GE; see List of GE locomotives October 1939. ... German soldiers at the Battle of Stalingrad World War II was the most extensive and costly armed conflict in the history of the world, involving the great majority of the worlds nations, being fought simultaneously in several major theatres, and costing tens of millions of lives. ... The Kriegsmarine (or War Navy) was the name of the German Navy between 1935 and 1945, during the Nazi regime, superseding the Reichsmarine. ... A light cruiser is a warship that is not so large and powerful as a regular (or heavy) cruiser, but still larger than ships like destroyers. ...

He was given his first command – U-57 – on 5 June 1940, leading her on two missions during which the boat managed to sink six ships. She was sunk after a collision with a Norwegian vessel on 3 September 1940. June 5 is the 156th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (157th in leap years), with 209 days remaining. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... September 3 is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years). ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ...

Topp survived to take command of U-552, with which he mainly operated against convoys in the North Atlantic, sinking 30 ships and crippling several others on ten patrols. One of his victims during this period was the destroyer USS Reuben James, the first US warship to be sunk in WWII on 31 October 1941. Unterseeboot 552 (U-552) was a Type VIIC submarine of the Kriegsmarine notable for sinking the US Navy ship Reuben James. ... The first USS Reuben James (DD-245), a post-World War I four-stack Clemson-class destroyer, was the first United States Navy ship sunk by hostile action in World War II and the first named for a Boatswains Mate who distinguished himself fighting the Barbary pirates. ... October 31 is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 61 days remaining. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1941 calendar). ...

In October 1942 he was given command of the 27th Unterseeboot-Flotille (submarine flotilla), based in Gotenhafen (now Gdynia, Poland), which put him in charge of introducing the new Type XXI boats to active service. Gdynia (pronounce: [:gdiɲia], Kashubian Gdiniô; German Gdingen) is a city in the Pomeranian Voivodship of Poland and an important seaport at Gdansk Bay on the south coast of the Baltic Sea. ... Gdynia (pronounce: :gdiɲia; German: (until 1939 and after 1945) / Gotenhafen (1939-1945); Kashubian/Pomeranian: Gdiniô) is a city in the Pomeranian Voivodship of Poland and an important seaport at GdaÅ„sk Bay on the south coast of the Baltic Sea. ... Type 21 can mean: Type 21 frigate or Amazon-class frigate Type XXI U-boat This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Shortly before the end of the war, he took command of U-2513, on which he surrendered on 8 May 1945, in Norway to the British forces. Unterseeboot 2513 (U-2513) was a Type XXI U-boat of the Kriegsmarine that was operated by the United States Navy for several years after World War II. Her keel was laid down 19 July 1944 by Blohm + Voss of Hamburg. ... May 8 is the 128th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (129th in leap years). ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ...

After the war, he eventually rejoined the Bundesmarine (Federal German Navy), reaching the rank of Konteradmiral (Two star Rear Admiral) before retiring in 1969. The German Navy has had several names depending on the political structure of Germany at the time: Deutsche Marine (German Navy) (1848)-(1852) Norddeutsche Bundesmarine (Northern German Federal Navy) (1866_1871) Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy) (1872-1918) Vorläufige Reichsmarine (1919-1921) Reichsmarine (State Navy) (1921-1935) Kriegsmarine (War Navy) (1935_1945...

He died on 26 December 2005, in Hanover at the age of 91. December 26 is the 360th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, 361st in leap years. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Hanover (German: Hannover []), on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), Germany. ...

See also: Aces of the Deep The Aces of the Deep were the ten German U-Boat commanders during World War II who sunk the most enemy merchant ships during their naval services, ranked according to the total tonnage of the ships they sunk. ...