Günter Kuhnke

Günter Kuhnke (7 September 1912 – 11 October 1990) was a German submarine commander during World War II and later a Konteradmiral with the Bundesmarine, West Germany's navy. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany.

Günter Kuhnke
Born(1912-09-07)7 September 1912
Elbing, West Prussia
Died11 October 1990(1990-10-11) (aged 78)
Schortens
Allegiance Weimar Republic (to 1933)
 Nazi Germany (to 1945)
 West Germany
Service/branch Reichsmarine
 Kriegsmarine
 German Navy
Years of service1931–45
1955–72
RankKorvettenkapitän (Kriegsmarine)
Konteradmiral (Bundesmarine)
Commands heldU-28
U-125
U-853
10th U-boat Flotilla
33rd U-boat Flotilla
destroyer Z-2 (D171)
Battles/warsWorld War II
AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Stern zum Großen Verdienstkreuz des Verdienstordens der Bundesrepublik Deutschland

Career

Kuhnke 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.

Kuhnke joined Bundesmarine in 1955.[1] commanded the destroyer Z-2 (D171) (formerly USS Ringgold (DD-500)) from 14 July 1959 until 15 November 1960. In 1966, he was promoted to Konteradmiral (rear admiral) in 1966. Kuhnke retired from service in September 1972.[2]

Awards

References

Citations
  1. "Bundesarchiv/Militärarchiv Bestand BM 25". Archived from the original on 2014-03-20. Retrieved 2013-09-08.
  2. "Bundesarchiv/Militärarchiv Bestand BM 10". Archived from the original on 2014-03-20. Retrieved 2013-09-08.
  3. Busch and Röll 2003, p. 67.
  4. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 279.
  5. 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 [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.
  • 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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