The most successful submarine commander in history preferred a deck gun to torpedoes.

History · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière sank 194 ships during the First World War, a record that remains unbroken. Surprisingly, this legendary U-boat captain achieved his massive tally primarily by using his vessel's 8.8 cm deck gun rather than relying on his limited supply of torpedoes.

Born in 1886 in Posen, Arnauld de la Perière began his naval career in 1903. By the time he took command of the U-35 in November 1915, he had already served on various battleships and as a torpedo officer on the light cruiser SMS Emden. His tactical approach during the war was remarkably efficient; while he fired 74 torpedoes throughout his career, he only recorded 39 hits. Instead, he frequently surfaced to engage merchant vessels with his deck gun, a method that allowed him to conserve his torpedoes while maximizing his destructive output in the Mediterranean.

His performance during the conflict was unparalleled. Between his 14 voyages on the U-35 and his later command of the U-139, he accounted for 453,716 gross register tons of shipping. This included the sinking of 189 merchant vessels and two gunboats on the U-35 alone. His actions earned him the Pour le Mérite in 1916, alongside various other decorations, including the Iron Cross. Despite the scale of his success, his wartime operations were often conducted under early rules of engagement that permitted crews to abandon their ships before they were finished off.

Following the war, Arnauld de la Perière continued his service in the German Navy, eventually commanding the cruiser Emden and teaching at the Turkish Naval Academy between 1932 and 1938. Recalled to active duty for the Second World War, he served in various administrative and command roles across occupied Europe, including Belgium, the Netherlands, and France. Promoted to Vizeadmiral in February 1941, his career ended abruptly later that month when his plane crashed during takeoff near Le Bourget Airport. He remains the most successful submarine commander in history, a title that has stood unchallenged for over a century.

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