U Boat Captain Prien

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.

U boat captain prien.

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. U 47 günther prien superior cap. He scored the second u boat kill of the war sinking the british ship bosnia in september 1939. O on the peaceful sunday afternoon of october 1 1939 exactly a month into world war two a small launch motored across the harbor at kiel germany to tie up beside the depot ship weichsel.

Unmarked u boat captains cap. Germany kriegsmarine u boat commander. 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. Prien günther born 16 01 1908 in osterfeld was one of three children of a judge.

In 1938 he served on u 26 under kptlt. 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. 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. Albrecht brandi knights cross winner u 566 hans hornkohl she wolf brunswick tradition badges.

Deutsche u boot kapitäne schirmmütze. 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. Hartmann patrolling in spanish waters during the civil war. U 380 u boat cap kptlt.

German submarine u 47 was a vii b type u boat built in 1937 in kiel germany and commissioned in 1938 under capt. Korvettenkapitän u 156 werner hartenstein. To dönitz mind prienchen prien at 31 a seven year veteran of u boats was the ideal skipper for the job. Prien joined the handelsflotte german merchant marine in mid 1923 after several years of work and study as a seaman prien passed the required examinations and became the fourth officer on a passenger liner.

Günther prien commanding officer u 47. Prien is famous for several reasons. Despite a short career one of the greatest u boat aces of wwii.