Günther Prien

Günther Prien
Nickname Der Stier von Scapa Flow, Prientje
Born 16 January 1908(1908-01-16)
Osterfeld
Died 7 March 1941(1941-03-07) (aged 33)
200 miles south of Iceland
Buried at (approximately)
Allegiance Germany (Third Reich)
Service/branch  Kriegsmarine
Years of service 1933–1941
Rank Korvettenkapitän
Unit 7th U-boat Flotilla
Commands held U-47, 17 December 1938–7 March 1941
Battles/wars

Spanish Civil War
World War II
Awards Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub
The title of this article contains the character ü . Where it is unavailable or not desired, the name may be represented as Guenther Prien.

Lieutenant Commander Günther Prien (16 January 1908 – presumed 7 March 1941) was a German U-boat aces of the first part of the Second World War, and the first U-boat commander to win the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) and the first member of the Kriegsmarine to receive the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. It was Germany's highest military decoration at the time of its presentation to Günther Prien.[Note 1]

Under Prien's command, the submarine U-47 sank over 30 Allied ships totaling about 200,000 gross register tons (GRT). His most famous exploit was the sinking of the British battleship HMS Royal Oak at anchor in the Home Fleet's anchorage in Scapa Flow.

Contents

Early naval career

Prien was one of three children of a judge. Born in Osterfeld, Prussian Province of Saxony (Germany) and after his parents divorced raised in Leipzig, Prien joined the Handelsmarine (German Merchant Navy) in mid-1923, studying for three months at the Seaman's College in Finkenwerder in Hamburg, before going to sea as a cabin boy on the full rigged three-master Hamburg. His first voyage touched at the Azores, Pensacola, Hobart (Tasmania) and Falmouth. While sailing to Cork in October 1925, the ship was caught in a storm and ran aground near Dublin. The vessel was abandoned and later declared a wreck. Prien and the crew were taken to Bremerhaven and then Hamburg, where Prien was given his papers as seaman and found the cost of items he had drawn on board exceeded his six months wages.

Aiming for his master's certificate, Prien quickly signed on the Oldenburg (now the Suomen Joutsen), which was another full rigger (as noted in Jost Metzler's book The Laughing Cow': The Story of U69[2]). While still an ordinary seaman aboard the Oldenburg, Prien took Metzler, who later commanded U-69, under his wing. Metzler relates at the beginning of The Laughing Cow how his relationship with Prien was "very strained" at first, and how Prien, as a young seaman, "could on occasion be very hard and unjust." Later they became good friends.

After several years of work and study as a seaman, Prien took and passed the required examinations, obtaining his mate's license and a wireless operator's certificate. He signed on for his first berth as an officer, becoming the Fourth Officer on the passenger liner San Francisco out of Hamburg. He had no sooner assumed his responsibilities when the ship collided with another vessel, the Karlsruhe, in a dense fog in the ship channel near the Hoheweg lighthouse. Prien, who had gone forward at the time to supervise preparations to drop anchor as a precaution, was the first to see the oncoming Karlsruhe's light as she loomed out of the fog. Some weeks later, he was summoned to an inquiry into the accident by the Marine Court in Bremerhaven, causing him to fear that he might somehow be blamed for the collision and lose his freshly-minted license, thereby ending his budding career as a Merchant Marine officer when it was barely begun, but the Court ruled that the weather was solely to blame for the accident.[3]

Prien passed his captain's examination and received his Master's License in January 1932, but was unable to find work due to the severe contraction of the German shipping industry during the Depression years. He returned to Leipzig and, failing to find work there, was finally forced to turn to the Assistance Board for sustenance. Angry with the inept and venal government, which seemed impotent in the face of the country's economic disaster, he joined the National Socialist Party in March 1932. (In Wolf Pack: The Story of the U-Boat in World War II, Gordon Williamson states that the navy did not accept members of the Nazi Party NSDAP or the SS and one was obliged to revoke his membership in the party before joining.) Bored and restless, in August 1932 Prien joined the voluntary labor corps of Vogtsberg at Olsnitz, where he literally dug ditches for several months, quickly rising to the rank of Group Leader and then deputy to the camp commander.

Having heard that the navy was giving commissions to Merchant Marine officers in order to fill out its ranks after the loss of the Niobe, Prien applied to the Reichsmarine,[Note 2] on 16 January 1933 and was accepted as an "Officer Aspirant," with the rank of ordinary sailor. He underwent standard training and served on the light cruiser Königsberg before he was posted to the U-Boat training school at Kiel. At the end of U-Boat training he was posted to U-26 at the Deutsche Schiff- und Maschinenbau AG (Deschimag) Yard in Bremen as First Officer of the watch. U-26 at the time was under the command of Kapitänleutnant Werner Hartmann. U-26 went on two patrols in 1937 (6 May – 15 June and 15 July – 30 August) during the Spanish Civil War.

Prien rose steadily in rank, from Fähnrich zur See (midshipman) in 1933, to Oberfähnrich zur See (senior midshipman) in 1935, Leutnant zur See (sub-lieutenant) also in 1935, then Oberleutnant zur See (lieutenant) in 1937. He was appointed to the command of the new Type VIIB U-47 on her commissioning (17 December 1938) and promoted to Kapitänleutnant (lieutenant) on 1 February 1939.

World War II

First patrol

World War II commenced during Prien's first patrol in U-47. He departed Kiel on 19 August 1939 for a patrol lasting 28 days. On 5 September, he sank the British ship Bosnia, the second U-boat kill of the war. Two more British vessels fell victim to Prien over the next two days. U-47 returned to Kiel on 15 September.

Second patrol — Scapa Flow

On 14 October 1939, Prien risked shallow water, unknown shoals, tricky currents and detection by defenders to penetrate the Royal Navy's primary base, Scapa Flow. Although most of the Home Fleet was at sea, Prien sank the battleship Royal Oak and returned home to instant fame. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, personally by Adolf Hitler, and was the first sailor of the U-boat service and the second member of the Kriegsmarine to receive this award. The mission into Scapa Flow called for volunteers only; Prien had no hesitation in accepting the mission. In a token to the voluntary nature of the mission, Prien spoke to his crew while U-47 was lying off Scapa Flow, and having briefed them, he announced that anyone not wishing to volunteer could leave the boat immediately. Unsurprisingly, no one accepted the offer to disembark in the middle of the North Sea. Prien received the nickname Der Stier von Scapa Flow ("The Bull of Scapa Flow"); the emblem of a snorting bull was painted on the conning tower of U-47 and soon became the emblem of the entire 7th U-boat Flotilla. Two members of the Scapa Flow crew earned the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II: the chief engineer (Leitender Ingenieur) Johann-Friedrich Wessels and 1st watch officer (I. Wachoffizier) Engelbert Endrass.

Kept secret by the German naval command was the fact that Prien had fired a total of seven torpedoes at his target, of which five failed because of long-standing problems with their depth steering and their magnetic detonator systems. These problems continued to bedevil the German submariners for a long time and particularly during the German invasion of Norway, when the U-boats were unable to keep the Royal Navy at bay.

Prien narrated the attack in the book Mein Weg nach Scapa Flow (1940, Deutscher Verlag Berlin).

Third patrol

U-47 under the command of Prien with 1st watch officer (I. WO) Oberleutnant zur See Engelbert Endrass and chief engineer Oberleutnant (Ing.) Johann-Friedrich Wessels left Kiel on 16 November 1939.[4] U-47 attacked a British cruiser on 28 November 1939. Prien had identified the ship to be a London-class cruiser. Prien fired a spread of three torpedoes, believing to have hit the cruiser at least once. He had observed through the periscope how one torpedo struck the stern of the cruiser, causing the deck side mounted aircraft to go overboard. Prien surfaced and tried to pursue the cruiser but was driven off by depth charges dropped from the escort. It turned out the cruiser was HMS Norfolk which was slightly damaged by the torpedo detonating close by.[5] The attack was reported in the daily Wehrmachtbericht on 29 November 1939, claiming the destruction of the cruiser. The war diary of the Befehlshaber der U-Boote (BdU) on 17 December 1939 stated that even though a hit was observed the cruiser was not sunk.[4]

On 5 December 1939 U-47 spotted 12 merchant vessels escorted by 3 destroyers. Prien fired three torpedoes sinking the British steamer Navasota from Convoy OB 46 on its way to Buenos Aires, killing 37 sailors.[6] The next day at 20:29 the Norwegian tanker Britta was sunk killing 6 of her crew followed by the Dutch Tajandoen on 7 December 1939. Trimming the boat on 8 December 1939, Wessels reported that the boat only had sufficient fuel to make the return trip. The BdU ordered U-47 to return to port.[7] U-47 returned to Kiel on 18 December 1939. The claims made by Prien are noted in the war diary of the BdU on 17 December 1939:

  1. steamer of unknown origin 12,000 GRT
  2. Norwegian tanker 10,000 GRT
  3. Dutch tanker 9,000 GRT

for a total of 31,000 GRT plus one British warship damaged, while the actual tonnage was only 23,168 GRT.[4]

Later career

Following later patrols and raids on Allied merchant shipping, Prien was awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross in 1940. Not long after Prien was promoted to the rank of Korvettenkapitän (lieutenant commander), the U-47 went missing on 7 March 1941 while attacking Convoy OB-293. She has generally been thought to have been sunk by the British destroyer HMS Wolverine west of Ireland; the submarine was attacked by Wolverine and HMS Verity, which took turns covering each other's ASDIC blind spots and dropping patterns of depth charges until U-47 rose almost to the surface before sinking and then exploded with an orange flash visible from the surface.[8]

To date, there is no official record of what happened to the U-47 or her 45 crewmen, though a variety of possibilities exist, including mines, a mechanical failure, a victim of her own torpedoes, or possibly a later attack that did not confirm any kills - by the corvette team of HMS Camellia and HMS Arbutus.[9][10][11]

Prien's death was kept secret until 23 May.[8] However, Churchill had personally announced it to the House of Commons, and propaganda broadcasts to Germany had harped on the question of "Where is Prien?" until Germany was forced to acknowledge his loss.[12]

Although Prien was at sea for less than two years, his record stands high among the U-boat aces during the Second World War. He spent 238 days at sea and sank 30 enemy vessels for a total tonnage of 193,808 GRT.

Summary of career

Ships attacked

During his career Prien sank 30 commercial ships for 162,769 GRT, one warship of 29,150 GRT, and damaged eight commercial ships for 62,751 GRT and one warship of 10,035 GRT.

Date Ship Nationality Tonnage Fate
5 September 1939 SS Bosnia [13] British 2,407 Sunk at
6 September 1939 SS Rio Claro British 4,086 Sunk at
7 September 1939 SS Gartavon British 1,777 Sunk at
14 October 1939 HMS Royal Oak British 29,150 Sunk at
28 November 1939 HMS Norfolk British 10,035 Damaged
5 December 1939 SS Novasota British 8,795 Sunk at
6 December 1939 MV Britta Norwegian 6,214 Sunk at
7 December 1939 MV Tajandoen Dutch 8,159 Sunk at
25 March 1940 SS Britta Danish 1,146 Sunk at
14 June 1940 SS Balmoralwood British 5,834 Sunk at
21 June 1940 SS San Fernando British 13,056 Sunk at
24 June 1940 SS Cathrine Panamanian 1,885 Sunk at
27 June 1940 SS Lenda Norwegian 4,005 Sunk at
27 June 1940 SS Leticia Dutch 2,580 Sunk at
29 June 1940 SS Empire Toucan British 4,421 Sunk at
30 June 1940 SS Georgios Kyriakides Greek 4,201 Sunk at
2 July 1940 SS Arandora Star British 15,501 Sunk at
2 September 1940 SS Ville de Mons Belgian 7,463 Sunk at
4 September 1940 SS Titan British 9,035 Sunk at
7 September 1940 SS Neptunian British 5,155 Sunk at
7 September 1940 SS José de Larrinaga British 5,303 Sunk at
7 September 1940 SS Gro Norwegian 4,211 Sunk at
9 September 1940 SS Possidon Greek 3,840 Sunk at
21 September 1940 SS Elmbank British 5,156 Damaged at
19 October 1940 SM Uganda British 4,966 Sunk at
19 October 1940 MV Shirak Belgian 6,023 Damaged at
19 October 1940 SS Wandby British 4,947 Sunk at
20 October 1940 SS La Estancia British 5,185 Sunk at
20 October 1940 SS Whitford Point British 5,026 Sunk at
20 October 1940 MV Athelmonarch British 8,995 Damaged at
8 November 1940 MV Gonçalo Velho Portuguese 8,995 Damaged at
2 December 1940 SS Ville d'Arlon Belgian 7,555 Sunk at
2 December 1940 MV Conch British 8,376 Damaged at
2 December 1940 MV Dunsley British 8,376 Damaged at
26 February 1941 SS Kasongo Belgian 5,254 Sunk at
26 February 1941 MV Diala British 8,106 Damaged at
26 February 1941 MV Rydboholm Swedish 3,197 Sunk at
26 February 1941 MV Borgland Norwegian 3,636 Sunk at
28 February 1941 SS Holmlea British 4,233 Sunk at
7 March 1941 MV Terje Viken British 8,106 Damaged at

Awards

References in the Wehrmachtbericht

Date Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording Direct English translation
Wednesday, 29 November 1939 Wie bereits durch Sondermeldung bekanntgegeben, ist ein britischer schwerer Kreuzer der "London" Klasse durch Kapitänleutnant Prien ostwärts der Shetland-Inseln torpediert und vernichtet worden.[17] As already announced, Kapitänleutnant Prien torpedoed and destroyed a heavy British cruiser of the "London" class east of the Shetland islands.
Friday, 28 June 1940 Kapitänleutnant Prien meldet die Versenkung von 40 100 BRT feindlichen Handelsschiffsraums.[18] Kapitänleutnant Prien reports the sinking of 40,100 GRT enemy merchant shipping.
Monday, 1 July 1940 Kapitänleutnant Prien hat in den letzten Tagen weitere feindliche Handelsschiffe vernichtet; die im OKW-Bericht vom 28. Juni bekanntgegebene Versenkungsziffer seines Bootes erhöht sich dadurch auf 51 086 BRT.[19] Kapitänleutnant Prien destroyed further enemy ships in the last few days; the reported tonnage sunk of the OKW report from 28 June thus increased to 51 086 GRT.
Saturday, 6 July 1940 Kapitänleutnant Prien hat mit seinem Unterseeboot auf der soeben beendeten Fahrt gegen den Feind insgesamt 66 587 BRT feindlichen Handelsschiffsraums versenkt. Dies ist das bisher höchste Ergebnis einer einzigen Feindfahrt.[20] Kapitänleutnant Prien with his submarine sank 66 587 GRT of enemy merchant shipping on the patrol against the enemy that just finished. This is the highest achievement of a single patrol so far.
Tuesday, 10 September 1940 Ein Unterseeboot unter Führung des Kapitänleutnant Prien, von dem am 8. September bereits ein Teilergebnis von 33 400 BRT gemeldet worden ist, hat auf einer Unternehmung insgesamt sechs bewaffnete Handelsschiffe mit 40 250 BRT versenkt. Ein weiterer Dampfer wurde beschädigt.[21] A submarine under the leadership of Kapitänleutnant Prien, of which a partial result of 33 400 GRT was reported on 8 September, on a mission sank six armed merchant ships of 40 250 GRT. A further steamer was damaged.
Wednesday, 25 September 1940 Das Gesamtversenkungsergebnis des Kapitänleutnants Prien auf seiner letzten Feindfahrt hat sich auf 45 130 BRT erhöht. Damit hat Kapitänleutnant Prien außer der Vernichtung des britischen Schlachtschiffes "Royal Oak" 151 400 BRT feindlichen Handelsschiffsraums versenkt. Er steht mit diesen Erfolgen an der Spitze aller Unterseebootkommandanten.[22] The accumulated result of Kapitänleutnant Prien last war patrol increased to 45 130 GRT. The total tonnage of enemy merchant shipping sunk by Kapitänleutnant Prien, excluding the destruction of the British battleship "Royal Oak", thus stands at 151 400 GRT. With these successes he leads the list of all U-boat commanders.
Sunday, 20 October 1940 An dieser Versenkungsziffer ist das Unterseeboot des Kapitänleutnants Prien mit acht Schiffen von zusammen 50 500 BRT beteiligt. Kapitänleutnant Prien hat damit als erster der Unterseebootkommandanten die 200 000 Tonnen-Grenze überschritten. Mit einer Gesamtversenkungsziffer von 202 000 BRT feindlichen Handelsschiffsraums steht er weiter an der Spitze aller Unterseebootskommandanten.[23] This tonnage sunk includes eight ships of 50 500 GRT sunk by the U-boat of Kapitänleutnant Prien. Kapitänleutnant Prien is the first U-boat commander who exceeded the 200 000 tons. He still leads the list of U-boat commanders with a combined tonnage of 202 000 GRT enemy merchant shipping.
Friday, 23 May 1941 Das von Korvettenkapitän Günter Prien geführte Unterseeboot ist von seiner letzten Fahrt gegen den Feind nicht zurückgekehrt. Mit dem Verlust dieses Bootes muß gerechnet werden. Korvettenkapitän Günter Prien, der Held von Scapa Flow, der vom Führer in Anerkennung seiner überragenden Verdienste mit dem Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes ausgezeichnet worden war, und seine tapfere Besatzung leben im Herzen aller Deutschen weiter.[24] The U-boat under the command of Korvettenkapitän Günter Prien did not return from his last patrol against the enemy. The loss of the boat has to be assumed. Korvettenkapitän Günter Prien, the hero from Scapa Flow, who had received the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross from the Führer for his exceptional achievements, and his brave crew, will continue to live in every German heart.

Dates of rank

1 March 1933: Fähnrich zur See[25]
1 January 1935: Oberfähnrich zur See[25]
1 April 1935: Leutnant zur See[25]
1 January 1937: Oberleutnant zur See[25]
1 February 1939: Kapitänleutnant[25]
18 March 1941: Korvettenkapitän, effective as of 1 March 1941[25]

Notes

  1. ^ In 1940, the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves was second only to the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross (Großkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), which was awarded only to senior commanders for winning a major battle or campaign, in the military order of the Third Reich. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves as highest military order was surpassed on 28 September 1941 by the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern).[1]
  2. ^ The German Reichsmarine was renamed to Kriegsmarine on 1 June 1935.

References

Citations
  1. ^ Williamson and Bujeiro 2004, pp. 3, 7.
  2. ^ Uboat.net - Naval Warfare Books - Laughing Cow, The by Metzler, Jost at uboat.net
  3. ^ U-Boat Commander, by Gunther Prien, Award Books, 1969
  4. ^ a b c Busch and Röll 2003, p. 18.
  5. ^ Kurowski 2008, pp. 57–58.
  6. ^ Kurowski 2008, p.59.
  7. ^ Kurowski 2008, pp.59–60.
  8. ^ a b Standard of Power, Dan van der Vat, 2000: Hutchinson ISBN 009 180121 4, p212
  9. ^ Blair p249-253
  10. ^ Kemp p68
  11. ^ Neistle p39, 223
  12. ^ Andrew Williams, The Battle of the Atlantic: Hitler's Gray Wolves of the Sea and the Allies' Desperate Struggle to Defeat Them p 124-6 ISBN 0-465-09153-9
  13. ^ http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?134792
  14. ^ a b c Busch and Röll 2003, p. 15.
  15. ^ a b Williamson and Bujeiro 2004, p. 23.
  16. ^ a b Scherzer 2007, p. 604.
  17. ^ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939-1945 Band 1, p. 60.
  18. ^ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939-1945 Band 1, p. 247.
  19. ^ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939-1945 Band 1, p. 249.
  20. ^ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939-1945 Band 1, p. 252.
  21. ^ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939-1945 Band 1, p. 300.
  22. ^ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939-1945 Band 1, p. 311.
  23. ^ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939-1945 Band 1, p. 336.
  24. ^ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939-1945 Band 1, p. 536.
  25. ^ a b c d e f Kurowski 2008, p. 149.
Bibliography
  • Blair, Clay (1996). Hitler’s U-Boat War Vol I. ISBN 0-304-35260-8.
  • Busch, Rainer & Röll, Hans-Joachim (2003). Der U-Boot-Krieg 1939-1945 - Die Ritterkreuzträger der U-Boot-Waffe von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 (in German). Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn Germany: Verlag E.S. Mittler & Sohn. ISBN 3-8132-0515-0.
  • Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945. Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
  • Kemp, Paul (1997). U-Boats Destroyed. ISBN 1-85409-515-3.
  • Kurowski, Franz (1995). Knight's Cross Holders of the U-Boat Service. Schiffer Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0-88740-748-X.
  • Kurowski, Franz (2008). Korvettenkapitän Günther Prien Der Stier von Scapa Flow (in German). Würzburg, Germany: Flechsig Verlag. ISBN 978-3-88189-766-2.
  • Neistle, Axel (1998). German U-Boat Losses during World War II. ISBN 1-85367-352-8.
  • Prien, Günther (1969). U-Boat Commander. Deutscher Verlag.
  • Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
  • Williamson, Gordon & Pavlovic, Darko (1995). U-Boat Crews 1914-45. Oxford, United Kingdom: Osprey Publishing Limited. ISBN 1-85532-545-4.
  • Williamson, Gordon and Bujeiro, Ramiro (2004). Knight's Cross and Oak Leaves Recipients 1939-40. Osprey Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-84176-641-0.
  • Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939-1945 Band 1, 1. September 1939 bis 31. Dezember 1941 (in German). München: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, 1985. ISBN 3-423-05944-3.
  • Helden der Wehrmacht - Unsterbliche deutsche Soldaten (in German). München, Germany: FZ-Verlag GmbH, 2004. ISBN 3-924309-53-1.

External links