Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock | |
|---|---|
 Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock (center) | |
| Nickname(s) | Recke |
| Born | 11 December 1911 Bremen |
| Died | 18 April 1986 (aged 74) Bremen |
| Allegiance |  Weimar Republic Nazi Germany |
| Service/ |  Reichsmarine Kriegsmarine |
| Years of service | 1931–45 |
| Rank |  Fregattenkapitän |
| Unit | |
| Commands | U-8 U-5 U-96 9th U-boat Flotilla U-256 11th U-boat Flotilla |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves |
Fregattenkapitän Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock (11 December 1911 – 18 April 1986) was a submarine commander in the Kriegsmarine of Nazi Germany during World War II. He commanded four U-boats, including U-96, a Type VIIC U-boat, which gained widespread recognition when one of its patrols was documented and publicized by an accompanying member of a propaganda company Lothar-Günther Buchheim. Lehmann-Willenbrock was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The story of the U-96 was eventually made into a mini-series and film called Das Boot, in which the captain was portrayed by Jürgen Prochnow.
After the war, Lehmann-Willenbrock became a merchant ship captain, serving as the first captain of Germany's nuclear freighter Otto Hahn.