| Günter Kuhnke | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 7 September 1912 |
| Died | 11 October 1990 (aged 78) |
| Place of birth | Elbing, West Prussia |
| Place of death | Schortens |
| Allegiance |
 Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany (to 1945) West Germany |
| Service/branch |
 Reichsmarine Kriegsmarine German Navy |
| Years of service | 1931–1945, 1955–1972 |
| Rank |
Korvettenkapitän (Kriegsmarine) Konteradmiral (Bundesmarine) |
| Unit |
SSS Niobe cruiser Karlsruhe |
| Commands held |
U-28 U-125 U-853 10th U-boat Flotilla 33rd U-boat Flotilla destroyer Z-2 (D171) |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards |
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Stern zum Großen Verdienstkreuz des Verdienstordens der Bundesrepublik Deutschland |
Günter Kuhnke (7 September 1912 – 11 October 1990) was a Korvettenkapitän with the Kriegsmarine during World War II and later a Konteradmiral with the Bundesmarine. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (German language: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.
He 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.
Fregattenkapitän Günter Kuhnke commanded the destroyer Z-2 (D171) (formerly USS Ringgold (DD-500)) from 14 July 1959 until November 1960.
Summary of career[]
Ships attacked[]
| Date | Name of Ship | Nationality | Tonnage | Fate[1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 September 1939 | Vancouver City |  United Kingdom |
4,955 | Sunk |
| 17 November 1939 | Sliedrecht |  Netherlands |
5,133 | Sunk |
| 25 November 1939 | Royston Grange | United Kingdom |
5,144 | Sunk |
| 21 January 1940 | Protesilaus | United Kingdom |
9,577 | Total loss (mine) |
| 9 March 1940 | P. Margoronis |  Greece |
4,979 | Sunk |
| 11 March 1940 | Eulota | Netherlands |
6,236 | Sunk |
| 18 June 1940 | Samartia |  Finland |
2,417 | Sunk |
| 19 June 1940 | Adamandios Georgandis | Greece |
3,443 | Sunk |
| 21 June 1940 | HMS Prunella |  United Kingdom |
4,443 | Sunk |
| 27 August 1940 | Eva |  Norway |
1,599 | Sunk |
| 28 August 1940 | Kyno | United Kingdom |
3,946 | Sunk |
| 9 September 1940 | Mardinian | United Kingdom |
2,431 | Sunk |
| 11 September 1940 | Harpenden | United Kingdom |
4,678 | Damaged |
| 9 September 1940 | Maas | Netherlands |
1,966 | Sunk |
| 26 October 1940 | Matina | United Kingdom |
5,389 | Damaged |
Promotions[]
Reichsmarine (1931-1935)[]
- Offiziersanwärter (officer candidate) - 1 April 1931
- Seekadett (officer cadet) - 1 April 1932
- Fähnrich zur See (midshipman) - 1 April 1933
- Oberfähnrich zur See (senior midshipman) - 1 January 1935
- Leutnant zur See (acting sub-lieutenant) - 1 April 1935
Kriegsmarine (1935-1945)[]
- Oberleutnant zur See (sub-lieutenant) - 1 January 1937
- Kapitänleutnant (lieutenant) - 1 October 1939
- Korvettenkapitän (corvette captain/lieutenant-commander) - 1 March 1943
Bundesmarine (1955-1972)[]
- Joined 16 November 1955[2]
- Fregattenkapitän (frigate captain/commander) - 16 June 1956
- Kapitän zur See (captain) - 16 October 1962
- Flottillenadmiral (flotilla admiral/commodore) - 28 January 1965
- Konteradmiral (rear-admiral) - 1 April 1966
- Retired 30 September 1972[3]
Awards[]
- Dienstauszeichnung IV. Klasse (2 October 1936)[4]
- Iron Cross (1939)
- War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords (30 January 1944)[4]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 19 September 1940 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-28[5]
- Großes Verdienstkreuz des Verdienstordens der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (26 June 1969)[6]
- Stern zum Großen Verdienstkreuz des Verdienstordens der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (30 September 1972)[6]
References[]
- Citations
- ↑ http://uboat.net/boats/successes/u28/html
- ↑ Bundesarchiv/Militärarchiv Bestand BM 25
- ↑ Bundesarchiv/Militärarchiv Bestand BM 10
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Busch and Röll 2003, p. 67.
- ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 279.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Busch and Röll 2003, p. 68.
- Bibliography
- 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.
- Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 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.
External links[]
| |||||||
The original article can be found at Günter Kuhnke and the edit history here.