Konteradmiral Erich Topp Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oakleaves and Swords

Born  Hannover 02.07.1914
U-Bootskriegsabzeichen 07.11.1939
Knight’s Cross 20.06.1941
U-Bootskriegsabzeichen mit Brillanten 11.04.1942
Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords 17.08.1942

Erich Topp began his naval career in April 1934. He served six months on the light cruiser Karlsruhe before joining the U-boat force in October 1937. A year later he became watch officer on U-46.  After four patrols with U-46, he took over command of U-57. With this boat he sank six ships for a total of 36,862 tons. U-57 sank on 3 September 1940 after an accident with the Norwegian ship Rona.  He was then given command of the VIIC boat U-552, the famous ‘Red Devil Boat’. Topp scored most of his successes in the North Atlantic against convoys and off the North American coast. On his very successful eighth patrol in March/April 1942, he sank eight ships for a total of 45,731 tons.  September 1942 Topp became commander of the 27th U-boat Flotilla, where new U-boat crews received their tactical training. During this time he wrote the Battle Instructions for the new XXI Elektro Boat submarine in 1944, and when the war ended he was commanding one of them, U-2513, which he surrendered at Horten, Norway in May 1945.  After the war Topp worked for some months as a fisherman before he became a successful architect.  In March 1958 he rejoined the Navy.  He then spent four years in the USA as a staff member of the Military Committee of NATO. Later he served in several staff positions and for a month was commander of U-boats in deputize.  Konteradmiral Erich Topp retired in December 1969 and was decorated in the same year with the Große Bundes-Verdienst-kreuz (Great Federal Merit Cross).  From 1970 to 1984 he worked as industrial consultant for, among others, the Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft.