Erich Topp

Erich Topp was the third most successful of German UBoot Experten commanders of World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords . The Knights Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves and Swords was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. He sankships for a total of 197,460160gross register tons160. After the war he served with the Bundesmarine, reaching the rank of Konteradmiral .

Topp was born in Hannover, the son of engineer John Topp, and joined the Reichsmarine in 1934, serving his first stint after being commissioned as Leutnant zur See on the light cruiser Karlsruhe in 1937, before transferring to the UBootwaffe in October 1937. In May 1933, Topp joined the Nazi Party and in 1934 also joined the AllgemeineSS.

Source: Wikipedia