Günter Kuhnke (7 September 1912 – 11 October 1990) was a German submarine commander during World War II and later a Konteradmiral with the Bundesmarine, West Germany's navy. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany.
Günter Kuhnke | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 7 September 1912 Elbing, West Prussia |
| Died | 11 October 1990 (aged 78) Schortens |
| Allegiance |  Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany (to 1945) West Germany |
| Service |  Reichsmarine Kriegsmarine German Navy |
| Years of service | 1931–45 1955–72 |
| Rank | Korvettenkapitän (Kriegsmarine) Konteradmiral (Bundesmarine) |
| Commands | U-28 U-125 U-853 10th U-boat Flotilla 33rd U-boat Flotilla destroyer Z-2 (D171) |
| Battles / wars | World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Stern zum Großen Verdienstkreuz des Verdienstordens der Bundesrepublik Deutschland |
Career
editKuhnke commanded the U-28, U-125 and U-853, sinking eleven ships on nine patrols, for a total of 42,252 gross register tons (GRT) of Allied shipping plus the special service vessel HMS Prunella. He commanded 10th U-boat Flotilla from January 1942 until October 1944, then 33rd U-boat Flotilla until May 1945.
Kuhnke joined Bundesmarine in 1955.[1] commanded the destroyer Z-2 (D171) (formerly USS Ringgold (DD-500)) from 14 July 1959 until 15 November 1960. In 1966, he was promoted to Konteradmiral (rear admiral) in 1966. Kuhnke retired from service in September 1972.[2]
Awards
edit- Wehrmacht Long Service Award, 4th class (2 October 1936)[3]
- Iron Cross (1939)
- War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords (30 January 1944)[3]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 19 September 1940 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-28[4]
- Grand Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (26 June 1969)[5]
- Grand Merit Cross with Star of the Federal Republic of Germany (30 September 1972)[5]
References
editCitations
edit- ^ "Bundesarchiv/Militärarchiv Bestand BM 25". Archived from the original on 2014-03-20. Retrieved 2013-09-08.
- ^ "Bundesarchiv/Militärarchiv Bestand BM 10". Archived from the original on 2014-03-20. Retrieved 2013-09-08.
- ^ a b c d Busch and Röll 2003, p. 67.
- ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 279.
- ^ a b Busch and Röll 2003, p. 68.
Bibliography
edit- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (2003). Der U-Boot-Krieg 1939–1945 — Die Ritterkreuzträger der U-Boot-Waffe von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [The U-Boat War 1939–1945 — The Knight's Cross Bearers of the U-Boat Force from September 1939 to May 1945] (in German). Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn Germany: Verlag E.S. Mittler & Sohn. ISBN 978-3-8132-0515-2.
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
- 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 [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
