U Boat Captain Prien

U 380 u boat cap kptlt.

U boat captain prien.

To dönitz mind prienchen prien at 31 a seven year veteran of u boats was the ideal skipper for the job. U boat captains hat very worn. He was the first u boat commander to receive the knight s cross of the iron cross and the first member of the kriegsmarine to receive the knight s cross of the iron cross with oak leaves of nazi germany. Unmarked u boat captains cap.

Günther prien joined the reichsmarine in january 1933 after several years in the merchant navy at first as a seaman on full rigger sailing ships. Korvettenkapitän u 156 werner hartenstein. U 47 günther prien superior cap. It was germany s highest military decoration at the time of its presentation to prien note 1 under prien s command the submarine u 47 was credited with sinking over 30 allied ships totaling about 200 000 gross register tons.

Albrecht brandi knights cross winner u 566 hans hornkohl she wolf brunswick tradition badges. Despite a short career one of the greatest u boat aces of wwii. He was also the first u boat commander to earn the knights cross of the iron cross when he slipped u 47 into britain s scapa flow and sunk the battleship royal oak. German submarine u 47 was a vii b type u boat built in 1937 in kiel germany and commissioned in 1938 under capt.

Prien is famous for several reasons. Günther prien was a german u boat commander during world war ii. In 1938 he served on u 26 under kptlt. Günther prien commanding officer u 47.

After a year on the light cruiser königsberg he transferred to the u boat force in october 1935. Prien günther born 16 01 1908 in osterfeld was one of three children of a judge. He scored the second u boat kill of the war sinking the british ship bosnia in september 1939. Germany kriegsmarine u boat commander.

During its career u 47 sank 31 enemy vessels including the british battleship hms royal oak at scapa flow in scotland on 14 october 1939. Hartmann patrolling in spanish waters during the civil war. An accomplished seaman he d won his master s papers in the german merchant marine at 24 but could find no work which compelled him to join the national socialists in 1932 and the kriegsmarine in 1933.