Günter Hessler
Günter Hessler | |
|---|---|
| Born | 14 June 1909 Beerfelde, Märkisch-Oderland, Germany |
| Died | 4 April 1968 (aged 58) Bochum, Germany |
| Allegiance |  Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany |
| Service/ |  Reichsmarine Kriegsmarine |
| Years of service | 1927–45 |
| Rank | Fregattenkapitän |
| Commands held | Torpedo boat Falke U-107 |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
| Relations | Karl Dönitz (father in law) |
Günter Hessler (14 June 1909 – 4 April 1968) was a German naval officer during
Type IXB U-boat U-107, sinking twenty-one ships on three patrols, totalling 118,822 GRT of Allied shipping. Hessler was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and was commissioned after the war to write an account of the U-boat war by the British Ministry of Defence
.
Military career
Günter Hessler joined the Meteor. Hessler then advanced in rank to Fähnrich zur See (officer cadet) on 1 April 1929.[1]
On 2 October 1936 he was appointed watch officer on the
U-boat arm, and six months later commissioned the U-107, without, unusually, having served as either a 1. Wachoffizier (1. WO—1st watch officer) or a Kommandantenschüler ("Commander-in-Training").[3]
On his first patrol (24 January 1941 – 1 March 1941) Hessler sank four ships with a total of 18,514
Helmut Witte
was his first watch officer on these two patrols.
His third patrol (6 September 1941 – 11 November 1941) accounted for another three ships, totalling 13,641 tons, giving Hessler a career tally of 21 ships totalling 118,822 GRT, including two Royal Navy ocean boarding vessels HMS Crispin and Manistee. Hessler then handed over command of U-107 to Harald Gelhaus and transferred to the Befehlshaber der U-Boote (BdU). He served on the naval staff as 1. Admiralstabsoffizier (Asto—officer of the admiralty staff) from 24 November 1941 until the end of the war in Europe on 8 May 1945.[3]
Post-war
After the war Hessler spent over a year in Allied captivity, and testified at the
Großadmiral Karl Dönitz. In 1947 Hessler was commissioned to write The U-Boat War in the Atlantic, an account of the German U-boat offensive, by the British Royal Navy. 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.[3]
Awards
- Iron Cross (1939)
- U-boat War Badge (1939) (3 July 1941)[6]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 24 June 1941 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-107[7][8]
- Befehlshaber der Unterseeboote[9]
Works
- Great Britain Ministry of Defence (Navy) and Hessler, Günter (1989). U Boat War in the Atlantic 1939–1945: German Naval History. Stationery Office. ISBN 978-0117726031.
References
- ^ Busch & Röll 2003, p. 146.
- ^ Hildebrand, Röhr & Steinmetz 1993, p. 84.
- ^ a b c Helgason, Guðmundur. "Fregattenkapitän Günter Hessler". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol of U-107 from 24 Jan 1941 to 1 Mar 1941". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 28 April 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol of U-107 from 29 Mar 1941 to 2 Jul 1941". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 28 April 2010.
- ^ a b c Busch & Röll 2003, p. 147.
- ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 225.
- ^ Scherzer 2007, p. 387.
- ^ Patzwall & 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 [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.
- Hildebrand, Hans H.; Röhr, Albert; Steinmetz, Hans-Otto (1993). Die Deutschen Kriegsschiffe. Vol. 3. ASIN B003VHSRKE.
- Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
- 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.
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