| Gunter Jahn | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 27, 1910 |
| Died | 12 April 1992 (aged 81) |
| Place of birth | Hamburg |
| Place of death | Krailling |
| Allegiance |
 Weimar Republic Nazi Germany |
| Service/branch |
 Reichsmarine Kriegsmarine |
| Years of service | 1931 – 1945 |
| Rank | Korvettenkapitän |
| Commands held |
U-596 13 November 1941–27 July 1943 29th U-boat Flotilla |
| Awards |
Iron Cross 1st Class U-boat War Badge Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Gunter Jahn (27 September 1910 – 12 April 1992) was German U-boat commander during World War II. He was born in Hamburg, Germany and began his naval career in April 1931 as a Seekadett. He first served on the light cruiser Nürnberg for more than two years, including nine patrols in the first year of the war.
In March 1941 Jahn joined the U-boat force and his first patrol were on board U-98 in September 1941. Later in November he commissioned U-596. On his second patrol he broke through the Strait of Gibraltar and went on to become one of the most successful U-boat commanders in the Mediterranean Sea. In July 1943 he left the boat and became the commander of the 29th U-boat Flotilla. In September 1944 he fell into French captivity, where he spent nearly two years.
Summary of career
Awards
- Wehrmacht Long Service Award 4th Class (2 October 1936)[1]
- Iron Cross (1939)
- Medaille zur Erinnerung an die Heimkerhr des Memllandes (20 December 1939)[2]
- U-boat War Badge (1939) (6 October 1942)[2]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 30 April 1943 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-596[3]
Ships attacked
| Date | Name | Nationality | Convoy | Tonnage (GRT) |
Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 August 1942 | Suecia |  Sweden |
SC-95 | 4,966 | Sunk |
| 20 September 1942 | Empire Hartebeeste |  United Kingdom |
SC-100 | 5,676 | Sunk |
| 7 February 1943 | HMS LCI (L) 162 |  United Kingdom |
246 | Sunk | |
| 9 March 1943 | Empire Standard | United Kingdom |
KMS-10 | 7,047 | Damaged |
| 30 March 1943 | Fort Norman | United Kingdom |
KMS-10 | 7,133 | Damaged |
| 30 March 1943 | Fort a la Corne | United Kingdom |
ET-16 | 7,133 | Sunk |
| 30 March 1943 | Hallanger |  Norway |
ET-16 | 9,551 | Sunk |
References
- Citations
- 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 (in German). Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
- Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 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.
External links
- "Gunter Jahn". uboat.net. http://uboat.net/men/jahn.htm. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Korvettenkapitän Fritz Frauenheim |
Commander of the 29th U-boat Flotilla August 1943 – September 1944 |
Succeeded by disbanded |
| This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from Wikipedia (view authors). |
