Erich Zürn

Erich Zürn
Erich Zürn
	File:ZurnErich1.jpg
Born	23 July 1906; Stuttgart
Died	9 August 1965 (aged 59); Großholzleute near Isny
Allegiance	Weimar Republic (to 1933); Nazi Germany;
Service / branch	Reichsmarine; Kriegsmarine;
Years of service	1925–45
Rank	Kapitänleutnant (Ing.)
Unit	German cruiser Königsberg; German cruiser Admiral Hipper; U-3; U-26; U-48;
Battles / wars	Spanish Civil War; World War II Battle of the Atlantic;
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Erich Zürn (23 July 1906 – 9 August 1965) was a German U-boat engineer (Ing.) in World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, awarded by Nazi Germany for extreme battlefield bravery.

Military career

Oberleutnant (Ing.) and later Kapitänleutnant (Ing.) Zürn contributed to the success of U-48 under the command of Herbert Schultze, Hans-Rudolf Rösing and Heinrich Bleichrodt. He served as chief engineer (Leitender Ingenieur - LI) on nine patrols on one of the most successful U-boats of World War II. As flotilla engineer in the 29th U-boat Flotilla (1 June 1942 – 31 January 1944) in La Spezia and Toulon and later in the 5th U-boat Flotilla, Zürn introduced a number of improvements which helped the flotilla operate at peak efficiency.

Dienstauszeichnung 4th Class (2 October 1936)^[1]
Dienstauszeichnung 3rd Class (6 January 1937)^[1]
Spanish Cross (6 June 1939)^[1]
Iron Cross (1939)
- 2nd class (25 February 1940)^[2]
- 1st class (3 July 1940)^[2]
U-boat War Badge (1939) (20 April 1940)^[2]
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 23 April 1941 as Oberleutnant (Ing.) and chief engineer on U-48^[3]^[4]

6 January 1927:	Oberheizer^[5]
1 February 1929:	Heizergefreiter^[5]
14 September 1929:	Maschinengefreiter^[5]
1 May 1930:	Maschinenmaat^[1]
1 October 1932:	Maschinist, überzähliger Obermaschinist^[1]
1 April 1934:	Obermaschinist^[1]
1 October 1938:	Stabsobermaschinist^[1]
20 January 1939:	Ingenieursoffiziersanwärter (Engineering Officer Candidate)^[1]
24 March 1939:	Fähnrich (Ing.) (Engineering Officer Cadet)^[1]
15 September 1939:	Oberfähnrich (Ing.) (Senior Ensign)^[1]
1 November 1939:	Leutnant (Ing.) (Second Lieutenant)^[1]
1 November 1940:	Oberleutnant (Ing.) (First Lieutenant)^[2]
1 February 1942:	Kapitänleutnant (Ing.) (Captain Lieutenant)^[2]

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 978-3-8132-0515-2. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help); Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help); Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
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 Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help); Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)

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