diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/submodule/SubmoduleWalk.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/submodule/SubmoduleWalk.java
index 8f9fcc1bf..ce8995ad8 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/submodule/SubmoduleWalk.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/submodule/SubmoduleWalk.java
@@ -149,20 +149,21 @@ public static SubmoduleWalk forIndex(Repository repository)
 	 */
 	public static SubmoduleWalk forPath(Repository repository,
 			AnyObjectId treeId, String path) throws IOException {
-		try (SubmoduleWalk generator = new SubmoduleWalk(repository)) {
+		SubmoduleWalk generator = new SubmoduleWalk(repository);
+		try {
 			generator.setTree(treeId);
 			PathFilter filter = PathFilter.create(path);
 			generator.setFilter(filter);
 			generator.setRootTree(treeId);
-			while (generator.next()) {
-				if (filter.isDone(generator.walk)) {
+			while (generator.next())
+				if (filter.isDone(generator.walk))
 					return generator;
-				}
-			}
-			return null;
 		} catch (IOException e) {
+			generator.close();
 			throw e;
 		}
+		generator.close();
+		return null;
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -181,20 +182,21 @@ public static SubmoduleWalk forPath(Repository repository,
 	 */
 	public static SubmoduleWalk forPath(Repository repository,
 			AbstractTreeIterator iterator, String path) throws IOException {
-		try (SubmoduleWalk generator = new SubmoduleWalk(repository)) {
+		SubmoduleWalk generator = new SubmoduleWalk(repository);
+		try {
 			generator.setTree(iterator);
 			PathFilter filter = PathFilter.create(path);
 			generator.setFilter(filter);
 			generator.setRootTree(iterator);
-			while (generator.next()) {
-				if (filter.isDone(generator.walk)) {
+			while (generator.next())
+				if (filter.isDone(generator.walk))
 					return generator;
-				}
-			}
-			return null;
 		} catch (IOException e) {
+			generator.close();
 			throw e;
 		}
+		generator.close();
+		return null;
 	}
 
 	/**