Günther Prien

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Günther Prien
16 January 1908(1908-01-16) – 7 March 1941 (aged 33)
Nickname	Der Stier von Scapa Flow, Prientje
Place of birth	Osterfeld
Place of death	200 Miles South of Iceland
Resting place	(approximately 60°N 19°W / 60°N 19°W / 60; -19)
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Kriegsmarine
Years of service	1933–1941
Rank	Korvettenkapitän
Unit	7. Unterseebootsflottille
Commands held	U-47, 1938-12-17 – 1941-03-07
Battles/wars	Spanish Civil War World War II Second Battle of the Atlantic
Awards	Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub

Lieutenant Commander Günther Prien (16 January 1908 – 7 March 1941) was one of the outstanding 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. Under Prien's command, the submarine U-47 sank over 30 Allied ships totaling about 200,000 gross register tons (GRT). By far his most famous exploit, however, was the sinking of the British battleship HMS Royal Oak at anchor in the Home Fleet's anchorage in Scapa Flow.

Contents 1 Early Naval Career 2 World War II 2.1 2nd war patrol — Scapa Flow 2.2 3rd war patrol 2.3 Later career 3 Summary of career 3.1 Ships attacked 3.2 Awards 3.3 References in the Wehrmachtbericht 4 Notes 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Early Naval Career

Born in Osterfeld, Prussian Province of Saxony (Germany) and raised in Leipzig, Prien joined the Handelsmarine (German Merchant Navy) in the summer of 1923, studying for just 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 of wages. Aiming for his master's certificate he quickly signed on the Oldenburg, which was another full rigger (as noted in Jost Metzler's "The Laughing Cow"^[1]). Jost Metzler, who later commanded U-69, was taken under Prien's wing when an ordinary sailor aboard the sailing ship Oldenburg (now the Suomen Joutsen). He relates at the beginning of his book "The Laughing Cow: The Story Of U-69" 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 would become good friends. He obtained his mate's ticket and a wireless operator's certificate, becoming Fourth Officer of the San Francisco out of Hamburg, again, the ship was involved in a collision with another vessel in fog near the Hoheweg lighthouse. As look-out Prien was summoned to an enquiry at the Marine Court the Nautical Court House in Bremerhaven, where the weather was blamed.

Prien passed his captain's examination in January 1932 but could not find work as German shipping severely contracted during the Depression years. He returned to Leipzig and, failing to find work, went to the Assistance Board. In March 1932 he joined the National Socialist Party. (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 NSDAP or the SS and one was obliged to revoke their membership in these parties before joining the Navy.) In August, he joined the voluntary labor corps of Vogtsberg at Olsnitz. On 16 January 1933 he joined the Reichsmarine^{[Notes 1]}, which was bringing in Merchant Navy personnel in order to quickly increase its strength after the loss of the Niobe. Prien was accepted as an ordinary sailor, but with officer aspirations. He underwent normal training and served on the light cruiser Königsberg before he was posted for U-Boat training at Kiel. At the end of 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 (6 May 1937 – 15 June 1937 and 15 July 1937 – 30 August 1937) during the Spanish Civil War.

[edit] World War II

Prien progressed 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.

[edit] 2nd war 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, 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 7. Unterseebootsflottille. Two members of the Scapa Flow crew would earn the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross before the end of 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).

[edit] 3rd war 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.^[2] 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 cruise, causing the deck side mounted aircraft to go overboard. Prien surfaced and tried to pursue the cruiser but was driven off by water bombs dropped from the escort. It turned out the the cruiser was HMS Norfolk which was slightly damaged by the torpedo detonating close by.^[3] 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.^[2]

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.^[4] The next day at 20.29 o'clock 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.^[5] 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.^[2]

[edit] 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 being promoted to the rank of Korvettenkapitän (lieutenant commander), the U-47 went missing on March 7, 1941 while attacking Convoy OB-293. She was once thought to have been sunk by the British destroyer HMS Wolverine west of Ireland, but new research suggests that the ship attacked there was actually the U-A, part of the Foreign U-Boats corps. 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 didn't confirm any kills - by the corvette team of HMS Camellia and HMS Arbutus.

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

[edit] Summary of career

[edit] Ships attacked

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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 on warship of 10,035 GRT.

Date	Ship	Nationality	Tonnage	Fate
5 September 1939	SS Bosnia	Belgian	2,407	sunk at 45°29′N 09°45′W / 45.483°N 9.75°W / 45.483; -9.75 (Bosnia (ship))
6 September 1939	SS Rio Claro	British	4,086	sunk at 46°30′N 12°00′W / 46.5°N 12°W / 46.5; -12 (Rio Claro (ship))
7 September 1939	SS Gartavon	British	1,777	sunk at 47°04′N 11°32′W / 47.067°N 11.533°W / 47.067; -11.533 (Gartavon (ship))
14 October 1939	HMS Royal Oak	British	29,150	sunk at 58°55′N 02°59′W / 58.917°N 2.983°W / 58.917; -2.983 (Royal Oak (ship))
28 November 1939	HMS Norfolk	British	10,035	damaged
5 December 1939	SS Novasota	British	8,795	sunk at 50°43′N 10°16′W / 50.717°N 10.267°W / 50.717; -10.267 (Novasota (ship))
6 December 1939	MV Britta	Norwegian	6,214	sunk at 49°19′N 05°35′W / 49.317°N 5.583°W / 49.317; -5.583 (Britta (ship))
7 December 1939	MV Tajandoen	Dutch	8,159	sunk at 49°09′N 04°51′W / 49.15°N 4.85°W / 49.15; -4.85 (Tajandoen (ship))
25 March 1940	SS Britta	Danish	1,146	sunk at 60°00′N 04°19′W / 60°N 4.317°W / 60; -4.317 (Britta (ship))
14 June 1940	SS Balmoralwood	British	5,834	sunk at 50°19′N 10°28′W / 50.317°N 10.467°W / 50.317; -10.467 (Balmoralwood (ship))
21 June 1940	SS San Fernando	British	13,056	sunk at 50°20′N 10°24′W / 50.333°N 10.4°W / 50.333; -10.4 (San Fernando (ship))
24 June 1940	SS Cathrine	Panamanian	1,885	sunk at 50°08′N 14°00′W / 50.133°N 14°W / 50.133; -14 (Cathrine (ship))
27 June 1940	SS Lenda	Norwegian	4,005	sunk at 50°12′N 13°18′W / 50.2°N 13.3°W / 50.2; -13.3 (Lenda (ship))
27 June 1940	SS Leticia	Dutch	2,580	sunk at 50°11′N 13°15′W / 50.183°N 13.25°W / 50.183; -13.25 (Leticia (ship))
29 June 1940	SS Empire Toucan	British	4,421	sunk at 49°20′N 13°52′W / 49.333°N 13.867°W / 49.333; -13.867 (Empire Toucan (ship))
30 June 1940	SS Georgios Kyriakides	Greek	4,201	sunk at 50°25′N 14°33′W / 50.417°N 14.55°W / 50.417; -14.55 (Georgios Kyriakides (ship))
2 July 1940	SS Arandora Star	British	15,501	sunk at 55°20′N 10°33′W / 55.333°N 10.55°W / 55.333; -10.55 (Arandora Star (ship))
2 September 1940	SS Ville de Mons	Belgian	7,463	sunk at 58°20′N 12°00′W / 58.333°N 12°W / 58.333; -12 (Ville de Mons (ship))
4 September 1940	SS Titan	British	9,035	sunk at 58°14′N 15°50′W / 58.233°N 15.833°W / 58.233; -15.833 (Titan (ship))
7 September 1940	SS Neptunian	British	5,155	sunk at 58°27′N 17°17′W / 58.45°N 17.283°W / 58.45; -17.283 (Neptunian (ship))
7 September 1940	SS José de Larrinaga	British	5,303	sunk at 58°30′N 16°10′W / 58.5°N 16.167°W / 58.5; -16.167 (José de Larrinaga (ship))
7 September 1940	SS Gro	Norwegian	4,211	sunk at 58°30′N 16°10′W / 58.5°N 16.167°W / 58.5; -16.167 (Gro (ship))
9 September 1940	SS Possidon	Greek	3,840	sunk at 56°43′N 09°16′W / 56.717°N 9.267°W / 56.717; -9.267 (Possidon (ship))
21 September 1940	SS Elmbank	British	5,156	damaged at 55°20′N 22°30′W / 55.333°N 22.5°W / 55.333; -22.5 (Elmbank (ship))
19 October 1940	SM Uganda	British	4,966	sunk at 56°35′N 17°15′W / 56.583°N 17.25°W / 56.583; -17.25 (Uganda (ship))
19 October 1940	MV Shirak	Belgian	6,023	damaged at 57°00′N 16°53′W / 57°N 16.883°W / 57; -16.883 (Shirak (ship))
19 October 1940	SS Wandby	British	4,947	sunk at 56°45′N 17°07′W / 56.75°N 17.117°W / 56.75; -17.117 (Wandby (ship))
20 October 1940	SS La Estancia	British	5,185	sunk at 57°N 17°W / 57°N 17°W / 57; -17 (La Estancia (ship))
20 October 1940	SS Whitford Point	British	5,026	sunk at 56°38′N 16°00′W / 56.633°N 16°W / 56.633; -16 (Whitford Point (ship))
20 October 1940	MV Athelmonarch	British	8,995	damaged at 56°45′N 15°58′W / 56.75°N 15.967°W / 56.75; -15.967 (Athelmonarch (ship))
8 November 1940	MV Gonçalo Velho	Portuguese	8,995	damaged at 52°30′N 17°30′W / 52.5°N 17.5°W / 52.5; -17.5 (Gonçalo Velho (ship))
2 December 1940	SS Ville d'Arlon	Belgian	7,555	sunk at 55°00′N 18°30′W / 55°N 18.5°W / 55; -18.5 (Ville d'Arlon (ship))
2 December 1940	MV Conch	British	8,376	damaged at 55°40′N 19°00′W / 55.667°N 19°W / 55.667; -19 (Conch (ship))
2 December 1940	MV Dunsley	British	8,376	damaged at 54°41′N 18°41′W / 54.683°N 18.683°W / 54.683; -18.683 (Dunsley (ship))
26 February 1941	SS Kasongo	Belgian	5,254	sunk at 55°50′N 14°20′W / 55.833°N 14.333°W / 55.833; -14.333 (Kasongo (ship))
26 February 1941	MV Diala	British	8,106	damaged at 55°50′N 14°00′W / 55.833°N 14°W / 55.833; -14 (Diala (ship))
26 February 1941	MV Rydboholm	Swedish	3,197	sunk at 55°32′N 14°24′W / 55.533°N 14.4°W / 55.533; -14.4 (Rydboholm (ship))
26 February 1941	MV Borgland	Norwegian	3,636	sunk at 55°45′N 14°29′W / 55.75°N 14.483°W / 55.75; -14.483 (Borgland (ship))
28 February 1941	SS Holmlea	British	4,233	sunk at 54°24′N 17°25′W / 54.4°N 17.417°W / 54.4; -17.417 (Holmlea (ship))
7 March 1941	MV Terje Viken	British	8,106	damaged at 60°00′N 12°50′W / 60°N 12.833°W / 60; -12.833 (Terje Viken (ship))

[edit] Awards

• Dienstauszeichnung 4th Class (22 January 1937)^[6]
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (25 September 1939)^[6]
  • 1st Class (17 October 1939)^[6]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 18 October 1939 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-47^[7]
  • Oak Leaves on 20 October 1940 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-47^[7]
• Mentioned eight times in the Wehrmachtbericht (29 November 1939, 28 June 1940, 1 July 1940, 6 July 1940, 10 September 1940, 25 September 1940, 20 October 1940 and 23 May 1941)

[edit] 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.[8]	As already annonced, 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.[9]	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.[10]	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.[11]	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.

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

Citations

Bibliography

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Günther Prien

• Günther Prien in the German National Library catalogue (German)
• u47.org
• Günther Prien @ Uboat.net
• Günther Prien @ Geschichtsthemen (German)

v • d • e Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of the U-boat service Albrecht Achilles · Klaus Bargsten · Ernst Bauer · Gerhard Bielig · Gerhard Bigalk · Heinrich Bleichrodt (Oak Leaves) · Albrecht Brandi (Oak Leaves, Swords & Diamonds) · Paul Brasack · Otto von Bülow (Oak Leaves) · Nicolai Clausen · Peter-Erich Cremer · Heinrich Dammeier · Dr. jur. Kurt Dobratz · Wilhelm Dommes · Karl Dönitz (Oak Leaves) · Alfred Eick · Carl Emmermann (Oak Leaves) · Engelbert Endrass (Oak Leaves) · Horst-Arno Fenski · Karl Fleige · Ulrich Folkers · Hans-Joachim Förster · Siegfried Freiherr von Forstner · Heinz Franke · Wilhelm Franken · Fritz Frauenheim · Harald Gelhaus · Friedrich Guggenberger (Oak Leaves) · Robert Gysae (Oak Leaves) · Reinhard Hardegen (Oak Leaves) · Werner Hartenstein · Werner Hartmann (Oak Leaves) · Ernst Hechler · Hans Heidtmann · Hans-Jürgen Hellriegel · Werner Henke (Oak Leaves) · Hans-Georg Hess · Günther Hessler · Günther Heydemann · Ulrich Heyse · Horst Hofmann · Otto Ites · Karl Jäckel · Gunter Jahn · Hans Jenisch · Hans Johannsen · Walter Käding · Ernst Kals · Gerd Kelbling · Eitel-Friedrich Kentrat · Siegfried Koitschka · Reinhard König · Claus Korth · Hans-Werner Kraus · Günther Krech · Otto Kretschmer (Oak Leaves & Swords) · Heinz Krey · Günter Kuhnke · Herbert Kuppisch · Carl-August Landfermann · Hans-Günther Lange (Oak Leaves) · Georg Lassen (Oak Leaves) · Dipl.-Ing. Willi Lechtenbörger · Hans Lehmann · Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock (Oak Leaves) · Fritz-Julius Lemp · Philipp Lichtenberg · Heinrich Liebe (Oak Leaves) · Johannes Limbach · Siegfried Lüdden · Wolfgang Lüth (Oak Leaves, Swords & Diamonds) · Karl-Heinz Marbach · Friedrich Markworth · August Maus · Waldemar Mehl · Ernst Mengersen · Karl-Friedrich Merten (Oak Leaves) · Jost Metzler · Karl-Heinz Moehle · Helmut Möhlmann · Johann Mohr (Oak Leaves) · Rudolf Mühlbauer · Günther Müller-Stöckheim · Rolf Mützelburg (Oak Leaves) · Karl Neitzel · Victor Oehrn · Jürgen Oesten · Georg Olschewski · Herbert Panknin · Heinrich Petersen · Adolf Piening · Gustav Poel · Fritz Poske · Heinrich Praßdorf · Günther Prien (Oak Leaves) · Günther Pulst · Hermann Rasch · Reinhart Reche · Hellmut Rohweder · Wilhelm Rollmann · Helmut Rosenbaum · Hans-Rudolf Rösing · Erwin Rostin · Gerhard Schaar · Harro Schacht · Joachim Schepke (Oak Leaves) · Georg Schewe · Egon-Reiner Freiherr von Schlippenbach · Adalbert Schnee (Oak Leaves) · Herbert Schneider · Klaus Scholtz (Oak Leaves) · Heinrich Schonder · Dietrich Schöneboom · Heinrich Schroeteler · Horst von Schroeter · Otto Schuhart · Heinz-Otto Schultze · Herbert Schultze (Oak Leaves) · Georg-Wilhelm Schulz · Viktor Schütze (Oak Leaves) · Günther Seibicke · Heinz Sieder · Georg Staats · Hans-Gerrit von Stockhausen · Siegfried Strelow · Hermann Stuckmann · Gerd Suhren · Reinhard Suhren (Oak Leaves & Swords) · Max-Martin Teichert · Rolf Thomsen (Oak Leaves) · Karl Thurmann · Hans-Dietrich Freiherr von Tiesenhausen · Heinrich Timm · Erich Topp (Oak Leaves & Swords) · Hans-Hartwig Trojer · Johann-Friedrich Wessels · Otto Westphalen · Karl-Heinz Wiebe · Werner Winter · Hans Witt · Helmut Witte · Herbert Wohlfarth · Erich Würdemann · Robert-Richard Zapp · Erich Zürn in alphabetical order see also List of Knight's Cross recipients of the Kriegsmarine

Persondata
NAME	Prien, Günther
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	German World War II U-boat commander
DATE OF BIRTH	January 16, 1908
PLACE OF BIRTH	Osterfeld, Germany
DATE OF DEATH	March 7, 1941 (Missing in action)
PLACE OF DEATH	200 Miles South of Iceland, North Atlantic