German naval officer
The basics
About
| Occupation | Korvettenkapitän Submariner |
| Country | Germany |
| Date of birth | Elbląg, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland |
| Date of death | Oct 11, 1990 Schortens, Friesland, Lower Saxony, Germany |
| Awards | Knight Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
The details
Biography
Günter Kuhnke (7 September 1912 – 11 October 1990) was a Korvettenkapitän with the Kriegsmarine during World War II and later a Konteradmiral with the Bundesmarine. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes).
He 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.
Fregattenkapitän Günter Kuhnke commanded the destroyer Z-2 (D171) (formerly USS Ringgold (DD-500)) from 14 July 1959 until 15 November 1960.
Summary of career
Ships attacked
| Date | Name of Ship | Nationality | Tonnage | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 September 1939 | Vancouver City |  United Kingdom | 4,955 | Sunk |
| 17 November 1939 | Sliedrecht |  Netherlands | 5,133 | Sunk |
| 25 November 1939 | Royston Grange | United Kingdom | 5,144 | Sunk |
| 21 January 1940 | Protesilaus | United Kingdom | 9,577 | Total loss (mine) |
| 9 March 1940 | P. Margoronis |  Greece | 4,979 | Sunk |
| 11 March 1940 | Eulota | Netherlands | 6,236 | Sunk |
| 18 June 1940 | Samartia |  Finland | 2,417 | Sunk |
| 19 June 1940 | Adamandios Georgandis | Greece | 3,443 | Sunk |
| 21 June 1940 | HMS Prunella |  Royal Navy | 4,443 | Sunk |
| 27 August 1940 | Eva |  Norway | 1,599 | Sunk |
| 28 August 1940 | Kyno | United Kingdom | 3,946 | Sunk |
| 9 September 1940 | Mardinian | United Kingdom | 2,431 | Sunk |
| 9 September 1940 | Harpenden | United Kingdom | 4,678 | Damaged |
| 9 September 1940 | Maas | Netherlands | 1,966 | Sunk |
| 26 October 1940 | Matina | United Kingdom | 5,389 | Damaged |
Promotions
Reichsmarine (1931–35)
- Offiziersanwärter (officer candidate) - 1 April 1931
- Seekadett (officer cadet) - 1 April 1932
- Fähnrich zur See (midshipman) - 1 April 1933
- Oberfähnrich zur See (senior midshipman) - 1 January 1935
- Leutnant zur See (acting sub-lieutenant) - 1 April 1935
Kriegsmarine (1935–45)
- Oberleutnant zur See (sub-lieutenant) - 1 January 1937
- Kapitänleutnant (lieutenant) - 1 October 1939
- Korvettenkapitän (corvette captain/lieutenant-commander) - 1 March 1943
Bundesmarine (1955–72)
- Joined 16 November 1955
- Fregattenkapitän (frigate captain/commander) - 16 June 1956
- Kapitän zur See (captain) - 16 October 1962
- Flottillenadmiral (flotilla admiral/commodore) - 28 January 1965
- Konteradmiral (rear-admiral) - 1 April 1966
- Retired 30 September 1972
Awards
- Wehrmacht Long Service Award, 4th class (2 October 1936)
- Iron Cross (1939)
- 2nd Class (29 September 1939)
- 1st Class (1 October 1939)
- War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords (30 January 1944)
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 19 September 1940 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-28
- Grand Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (26 June 1969)
- Grand Merit Cross with Star of the Federal Republic of Germany (30 September 1972)
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