Günther Hessler
| Günther Hessler | |
|---|---|
| Born | 14 June 1909 Beerfelde, Märkisch-Oderland |
| Died | 4 April 1968 (aged 58) Bochum |
| Allegiance |  Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany |
| Service/branch |  Reichsmarine Kriegsmarine |
| Years of service | 1927-1945 |
| Rank | Fregattenkapitän |
| Commands held | U-107 |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Iron Cross 1st Class Iron Cross 2nd Class U-boat War Badge Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
| Relations | Karl Dönitz (father in law) |
Günther Hessler (14 June 1909 – 4 April 1968) was a Fregattenkapitän with the Kriegsmarine during World War II. He commanded the Type IXB U-boat U-107, sinking twenty-one ships on three patrols, for a total of 118,822 gross register tons (GRT) tons of Allied shipping, of which 86,699 GRT was sunk on one patrol alone.[1] He stands 21st on the list of highest scoring U-Boat aces of World War II.
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[edit] Career
Hessler joined the Reichsmarine in April 1927, serving on torpedo boats and the battleship Schlesien. In 1937 he married Karl Dönitz's daughter, Ursula. In April 1940 he transferred to the U-boat arm, and six months later commissioned the U-107, unusually without having served as either a 1.WO (1st watch officer) or a Kommandantenschüler ("Commander-in-Training").[1] On his first patrol Hessler sank four ships for a total of 18,514 GRT,[2] but he became famous with his second patrol - the most successful patrol of the entire war - sinking 14 ships for a total of 86,699 GRT.[3] Oberleutnant zur See Helmut Witte was his first watch officer on these two patrols. His third patrol accounted for another three ships, totalling 13,641 tons, giving Hessler career total of 21 ships totalling 118,822 GRT, including two Royal Navy ocean boarding vessels HMS Crispin and Manistee. Hessler then transferred to the BdU to serve on the staff.[1]
[edit] Post-war
After the war Hessler spent over a year in Allied captivity, and testified at the Nuremberg Trials on behalf of the Ubootwaffe and his father-in-law, Großadmiral Karl Dönitz. In 1947 Hessler was commissioned by the British Royal Navy to write The U-Boat War in the Atlantic, a definitive account of the German U-boat offensive. Assisted by Alfred Hoschatt, the former commander of U-378 and also a staff officer of the BdU, he completed the three volume work in 1951. Hessler died in 1968 aged 58.[1]
[edit] Awards
- Iron Cross (1939)
- U-boat War Badge (1939) (3 July 1941)[4]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 24 June 1941 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-107[5]
- German Cross in Gold on 9 November 1944 as Korvettenkapitän with the Befehlshaber der Unterseeboote[6]
- Mentioned twice in the Wehrmachtbericht on 1 May 1941 and 8 June 1941
[edit] References
- Notes
- ^ a b c d "Fregattenkapitän Günter Hessler". uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/men/hessler.htm. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
- ^ "Patrol of U-107 from 24 Jan 1941 to 1 Mar 1941". uboat.net. http://uboat.net/boats/patrols/patrol_3724.html. Retrieved 28 April 2010.
- ^ "Patrol of U-107 from 29 Mar 1941 to 2 Jul 1941". uboat.net. http://uboat.net/boats/patrols/patrol_3725.html. Retrieved 28 April 2010.
- ^ a b c Busch and Röll 2003, p. 147.
- ^ Scherzer 2007, p. 387.
- ^ Patzwall and Scherzer 2001, p. 183.
- 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.
- Kurowski, Franz (1995). Knight's Cross Holders of the U-Boat Service. Schiffer Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0-88740-748-X.
- Patzwall, Klaus D. and Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 - 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II. Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 3-931533-45-X.
- Range, Clemens (1974). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Kriegsmarine. Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 3-87943-355-0.
- 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.
[edit] External links
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