Oberleutnant zur See Oskar-Heinz Kusch was a German Submarine Commander during World War Two. During his two patrols or 189 days at sea, his crew sunk the steam tanker John Worthing and damaged the motor tanker Florida and steam merchant Cardinal Gibbons. All three ships were of American nationality. He managed to escape attacks by the American warship USS PC-469, a Colombian Navy Destroyer ARC Caldas and an air attack by a Royal Air Force medium bomber Wellington of the 172 Squadron.

He joined the German Navy on April 3rd, 1937 and was a member of Officer Class 37a. Kusch was a Fähnrich (the lowest commissioned officer rank) on board the light cruiser Emden but completed training as a Watch Officer on German submarines. He was allocated to the submarine U-103 as Second Watch Officer on June 25th, 1941 where he gained valuable experience and was promoted to Oberleutnant zur See, as well as to First Watch Officer (Second-in-Command). He was also awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class and the U-boat war badge on November 10th, 1941. His final award, the Iron Cross 1st Class, came in June 1942.

In February 1943 Kusch was appointed commander of U-154 and was by all accounts a capable and efficient officer. He was handsome, athletic, intelligent and popular. However, he was also very direct and to the point. Furthermore, he was an outspoken anti-Nazi and anti-Hitler and had even ordered a photograph of Adolf Hitler removed from U-154’s wardroom, stating that “we are not in the business here of practicing idolatry.”

Kusch’s Second-in-Command was Oberleutnant zur See Doctor Ulrich Abel. Abel was a former Minesweeper officer and his service aboard U-154 was his first operational tour on a submarine. Abel was outraged when he heard that Kusch rated him as inflexible, rigid and only of average ability. After their return from the second patrol, Abel filed eleven politically motivated accusations against Kusch, including “listening to foreign radio stations” and “liberal tendencies”, for Kusch had voluntarily left the Hitler Youth when he was 17 years old. Abel held a doctorate in law and was very much aware that those accusations could likely lead to a death sentence, or at the least result in a court martial and heavy punishment. Abel had even turned the other officers on U-154 against Kusch.

At Kusch’s trial his officers still conspired against him. His defence (among them were his former U-103 commanders, Korvettenkapitän Werner Winter and Kapitänleutnant Gustav-Adolf Janssen) pointed out his successful career, record of honourable service, and claimed that he only stated his opinions to his officers to provoke debate and to raise awareness of current affairs and Germany's situation. However, on January 26th, 1944 Oberleutnant zur See Oskar-Heinz Kusch was sentenced to death for sedition and defeatism. He could have asked for clemency but chose to stand by his beliefs and morals. He was shot by firing squad on May 12th, 1944 in Kiel- Holtenau. He was only 26 years old.

Neither Grossadmiral Karl Dönitz, Commander-in-Chief of the German Navy, nor Generaladmiral Hans-Georg von Friedeburg, Commander-in-Chief of U-Boat forces, or Konteradmiral Eberhard Godt, chief of U-boat operation did anything to prevent Kusch’s execution. Their ranks and positions could have been instrumental in stopping the affair.

Ironically, Oberleutnant Doctor Ulrich Abel was killed three weeks before Kusch’s execution when his first command, U-193 was sunk within one week on its first patrol. His entire crew perished at sea.

After the war, Kusch’s father sought justice for his son under new Allied laws in May 1946, as well as former Fregattenkapitän Erich Topp tried hard to get Kusch’s record rehabilitated. The case dragged on until 1996 when Kusch's name was finally cleared, and in 1998 the City of Kiel erected a memorial and renamed a street in his honour, not far from where he had been executed 54 years earlier.