Günther Prien
| Günther Prien | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Nickname(s) | Der Stier von Scapa Flow |
| Born |
16 January 1908 Osterfeld |
| Died | 7 March 1941 (aged 33) 200 miles south of Iceland |
| Buried at | (approximately 60°N 19°W / 60°N 19°W) |
| Allegiance |
 Nazi Germany
|
| Service/branch |
 Kriegsmarine
|
| Years of service | 1933–41 |
| Rank | Korvettenkapitän |
| Service number | NSDAP #1,128,487 |
| Unit | 7th U-boat Flotilla |
| Commands held | U-47 |
| Battles/wars |
|
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves |
Günther Prien (16 January 1908 – presumed 7 March 1941) was a German U-boat commander during World War II. He was the first U-boat commander to receive the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and the first member of the Kriegsmarine to receive the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves of Nazi Germany. It was Germany's highest military decoration at the time of its presentation to Prien.
Under Prien's command, the submarine U-47 was credited in Nazi propaganda with sinking over 30 Allied ships totaling about 200,000 gross register tons (GRT). He sank the British battleship HMS Royal Oak at anchor in the Home Fleet's anchorage in Scapa Flow.
Prien was one of three children of a judge. Prien joined the Handelsflotte (German Merchant marine) in mid-1923 After several years of work and study as a seaman, Prien passed the required examinations and became the Fourth Officer on a passenger liner. Prien received his sea captain's license in January 1932.
Unable to find work due to the severe contraction of the German shipping industry during the Great Depression, he was forced to turn to the Assistance Board for sustenance. Angry with what he considered to be an inept government, which seemed impotent in the face of the country's economic disaster, he joined the Nazi Party in May 1932.Donald Macintyre described Prien as "the most Nazified U-boat captain", "an ardent ruthless Nazi". In August 1932 Prien joined the voluntary labor corps of Vogtsberg at Olsnitz where he rose to the rank of deputy to the camp commander.
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