Kapitänleutnant Wilhelm Kleinschmidt (1907?- 4 October 1941) was captain of U-111

German submarine U-111 (1940)

German submarine U-111 was a Type IXB U-boat of the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. U-111 was ordered by the Kriegsmarine on 8 August 1939 in violation of the Treaty of Versailles and as part of the German naval rearmament program known as Plan Z. Her keel was laid down by AG Weser in...

during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 which was sunk on 4 October 1941 by HMS Lady Shirley

HMS Lady Shirley

HMS Lady Shirley was a fishing trawler requisitioned by the Royal Navy in 1940 and converted for anti-submarine warfare. In its brief career it sunk German submarine U-111.-Service record:...

 a Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 Anti-submarine warfare

Anti-submarine warfare

Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....

 trawler

Naval trawler

A naval trawler is a vessel built along the lines of a fishing trawler but fitted out for naval purposes. Naval trawlers were widely used during the First and Second world wars. Fishing trawlers were particularly suited for many naval requirements because they were robust boats designed to work...

 when he was killed in action.

Background

At the date of sinking, Kleinschmidt was 34 years old and a native of Oldenburg

Oldenburg

Oldenburg is an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the western part of the state between the cities of Bremen and Groningen, Netherlands, at the Hunte river. It has a population of 160,279 which makes it the fourth biggest city in Lower Saxony after Hanover, Braunschweig...

. He joined the German navy in 1932, but was given two years seniority on account of having formerly served for 7 years in the merchant service. From 1936-7 he served in motor torpedo boats, and in 1937 was promoted to Oberleutnant zur See (Lieutenant), and commanded a boat of the 1st MTB Flotilla. He later served in the cruiser Königsberg

German cruiser Königsberg

Königsberg was a light cruiser of the in the German Reichsmarine and Kriegsmarine. Her sisterships were Köln and Karlsruhe.After a number of foreign visits in the 1930s, the ship operated along the Spanish coast from November 1936 to January 1937 during the Spanish Civil War...

 and as Torpedo Officer in the cruiser Nürnberg

German cruiser Nürnberg

The Nürnberg, was a German light cruiser of the Leipzig class named after the city of Nuremberg. Some sources consider the Leipzig and Nürnberg to be of separate, single ship, classes...

. He was stated to have been promoted to Kapitänleutnant (Lieutenant-Commander) at the outbreak of war. He is believed to have transferred to U-Boats some time in autumn 1940, and to have taken a U-Boat course of two, or at the most, three months at Pillau. It is thought that he underwent instruction on a war cruise in another U-boat. He was appointed to U-111 while it was in the final stage of construction. He was killed in the action which resulted in the sinking of his U-Boat. He was described as having been a most careful U-Boat Captain, and had never before attacked so small a ship as the Lady Shirley. His petty officers considered him to have been too old for his job..