PRIN Gunter (Prien)

Prien, Gц?nther (Prien), (1909-1941), one of the most popular officers of the Navy submariners germanskogo. Born in Osterfeld. With fifteen years working on merchant ships. Thanks to the exceptional hard work and perseverance gained qualifications as a captain. During the Great Depression in 1931 was without work. After the Nazis came to power Prin volunteered in the Navy as an ordinary seaman and quickly climbed the corporate ladder. After school submariners, Prien became commander of the submarine U-26, took part in the Spanish Civil War on the side of Francisco Franco. In September-October 1939 the submarine U - 47, . under his command, . sank several British and French merchant ships in the Bay of Biscay, . for the commander of the naval forces of Germany, Admiral Erich Raeder Prina personally awarded the Iron Cross II degree,
. In the night from 13 to 14 October 1939 Prien managed to destroy the main base in the British Navy, Scapa Flow on Orkney, the largest British battleship Royal Oak, which killed British Admiral Blengrouv and 832 crew members. For this feat of the entire crew of the submarine U-47 was awarded the Iron Cross II degree, and the Prin received from the hands of the Fuhrer Knight's Cross. Since then he became an idol

The Third Reich, but fame did not spoil Prina. On his boat, still reigned iron discipline, and the commander used the love of his subordinates and colleagues for an extraordinary sense of humor, excellent communication, personal courage and high professional quality submarine officer. In June 1940 during the Battle of the Atlantic, German submarines sank 140 ships of Allied convoys, a total displacement of 585,496 tons, of which about 10% were on account of the submarine Prina. According to statistics from the Navy of Germany, all during the submarine Prina participation in hostilities, it was sunk by enemy vessels a total displacement of 160,939 tons. Prin became Germany's fifth officer, received the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross. March 8, 1941 during an attack a convoy of allied submarine Prina was destroyed escort ships under the command of the English commander James Roylenda. Navy Command in Germany for a long time concealed the death of adopted and his crew, only on 23 May by making public the news, but in Germany persisted in the most incredible rumors about the fate of adopted and his sailors. In particular, there was talk as if the crew of U-47 rebelled and got into Shtrafbat on the Eastern front, that allegedly Prien was in a concentration camp near Esterwegen and t. n.