Walther Schwieger

Walther Schwieger
Name	Walther Schwieger
Caption	Kapitänleutnant Walther Schwieger
Birth date	7 April 1885
Birth place	Berlin, German Empire
Death date	5 September 1917
Death place	Kiel, German Empire
Allegiance	German Empire
Branch	Imperial German Navy
Serviceyears	1903–1917
Rank	Kapitänleutnant
Commands	SM U-20, SM U-88

Walther Schwieger was a German Kapitänleutnant and U-boat commander in the Imperial German Navy during World War I. He is most noted for commanding U-20 when it torpedoed the passenger liner RMS Lusitania in 1915, an act that significantly influenced United States involvement in World War I and international opinion on submarine warfare. Schwieger's career combined early naval training, active wartime command in the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea, and continued service until his death in 1917.

Early life and naval career

Schwieger was born in Berlin and entered the Imperial German Navy in 1903, undergoing training at institutions associated with the Kaiserliche Werft and serving aboard surface ships such as the pre-dreadnought SMS Deutschland and the armored cruiser SMS Friedrich Carl. He progressed through postings tied to the North Sea and Baltic Sea fleets, attending courses connected to the Naval Academy Mürwik and serving with cadet formations that trained on vessels linked to the Kaiserliche Marine. By the outbreak of World War I he had specialized in torpedo and submarine operations, transferring to the U-boat arm where officers had prior affiliations with flotillas operating from bases like Kiel and Wilhelmshaven.

Command of U-20 and sinking of RMS Lusitania

Schwieger assumed command of U-20 in 1914, joining the U-boat campaign that targeted shipping in the Atlantic Ocean, Irish Sea, and approaches to the British Isles. On 7 May 1915, while operating off the coast of Ireland near Old Head of Kinsale, Schwieger ordered torpedoes fired at the Cunard liner RMS Lusitania, which sank within minutes with heavy loss of life, including citizens of United Kingdom, United States, Canada, and other nations. The sinking provoked diplomatic protests involving the United States Department of State, heightened tensions between the United States and the German Empire, and prompted public debate in capitals such as London, Paris, and Rome over the legality and morality of unrestricted submarine warfare.

Following the attack, Schwieger and the Imperial German Navy defended the action by citing directives stemming from First Lord of the Admiralty-era blockade policies and the German declaration of maritime zones, which had been contested by neutral governments and maritime law authorities in The Hague and other forums. The incident contributed to policy exchanges at the level of heads of state including Kaiser Wilhelm II and President Woodrow Wilson, and informed subsequent wartime directives such as the Sussex Pledge and shifts in U-boat strategy.

Later wartime service and other actions

After U-20’s campaigns in 1915, Schwieger continued to command U-boats conducting patrols against Allied shipping and participated in actions affecting convoys and merchant routes connecting Liverpool, Saint-Nazaire, Cherbourg, and transatlantic lanes to New York City. His patrols resulted in the sinking and capture of a variety of vessels with registries from United Kingdom, France, Italy, Norway, and Netherlands, drawing the attention of British countermeasures developed by figures in the Admiralty and tactics evolved at institutions like the Royal Navy’s anti-submarine commands. Schwieger later took command of newer types such as U-88, participating in more aggressive phases of the campaign that overlapped with German strategic decisions under leaders including Admiral Reinhard Scheer and Grand Admiral Henning von Holtzendorff.

His operations intersected with technological and tactical developments—magneto ignition, torpedo reliability debates, convoy system trials promoted by politicians and naval officers such as Winston Churchill and David Lloyd George—and diplomatic maneuvers in neutral capitals like Madrid and Stockholm. Schwieger’s wartime record made him a figure referenced in British intelligence assessments by agencies associated with Room 40 and in contemporary press coverage by newspapers in London, New York City, and Berlin.

Postwar life and death

Schwieger did not survive to see the postwar period. On 5 September 1917, while serving as commander of U-88 in the North Sea near Kiel approaches, he was killed when his submarine was sunk by an internal explosion, a mine, or depth charge attack during patrols tied to intensified Allied anti-submarine campaigns spearheaded by Royal Navy operations and coordination with United States Navy forces. His death occurred amid broader shifts in the Imperial German Navy’s fortunes as the Central Powers faced sustained naval pressure, logistical strain, and attrition of experienced submarine commanders.

Legacy and historical assessments

Schwieger’s legacy is inextricably linked to the sinking of RMS Lusitania and the debates it spawned about submarine warfare, civilian protection, and neutrality. Historians and legal scholars—drawing on archives in Berlin, Washington, D.C., London, and The Hague—have examined Schwieger’s actions in the context of orders from the Kaiserliche Admiralität, German strategic objectives, and the evolving norms codified in documents discussed at conferences like Paris Peace Conference. Assessments range from portrayals of Schwieger as an officer executing wartime directives to critiques emphasizing the human cost and diplomatic fallout influencing United States entry into World War I. Memorialization of Schwieger appears in naval personnel records and in studies of U-boat warfare alongside figures such as Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière and Max Valentiner, and he is cited in scholarly works on maritime law, naval history, and international relations that analyze the transition from prewar conventions to total war practices.

Category:1885 births Category:1917 deaths Category:Imperial German Navy personnel