Hans-Günther Lange

Hans-Günther Lange (born 28 September 1916) was a Kapitänleutnant with the Kriegsmarine during World War II and later served with the Bundesmarine. He is also a recipient of the coveted 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. He was born in Hanover.

Career
U-711 under the command of Lange attacked and sank the HMS Bluebell on 17 February 1945. On 4 May 1945 U-711 was damaged in Operation Judgement, an attack by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy at Kilbotn aimed at the depot ships Black Watch and Senja, and sank after attempts by Lange and seven other crew members to keep it afloat. The rest of the crew, who had gone on board Black Watch, did not survive. Only a few hours earlier Lange had received the signal from Germany ordering all U-boats to cease attacks on allied shipping with immediate effect. He was interviewed in 2008 at the age of 92 for a book published in Norway which also contains information from Norwegian and British eyewitnesses. The book also reveals that Lange took U-711 on patrols far along the Arctic coast of North Russia, past Novaya Zemlya and into the Kara Sea.

The wreck of U-711 was filmed in 2007.

In October 1957 Lange joined the Bundesmarine. Here he took part in the construction of a new German U-boat force within NATO. For two years he commanded the 1. Ubootgeschwader (1st U-boat squadron) and in January 1964 became commander of the entire U-boat force. Later he held several staff positions, ending his second naval career in 1972 as staff officer in the Marinedivision der Nordsee (naval forces in the North Sea).

Awards

 * Iron Cross (1939)
 * 2nd Class (7 June 1940)
 * 1st Class (12 December 1940)
 * Destroyer War Badge (24 December 1940)
 * U-boat War Badge (1939)
 * U-boat Front Clasp
 * German Cross in Gold (11 May 1944)
 * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
 * Knight's Cross on 26 August 1944 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-711
 * (853rd) Oak Leaves on 29 April 1945 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-711 (Isachsen's book describes how Lange was awarded the Oak Leaf Clasp by his commanding officer, who had no spares and presented Lange with one of his own).