Günther Krech

Günther Krech
File:Günther Krech.jpg
Born	(1914-09-21)21 September 1914 Wilhelmshaven
Died	Wuppertal
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Kriegsmarine
Years of service	1933–45
Rank	Kapitänleutnant
Unit	SSS Gorch Fock cruiser Karlsruhe Küstenfliegerstaffel 1./106 U-5, U-100
Commands held	U-558
Battles/wars	World War II Battle of the Atlantic
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Günther Krech (21 September 1914 in Wilhelmshaven – 3 June 2000 in Wuppertal) was a German U-boat commander in Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. As commander of U-558 he sank nineteen ships, totalling 100,771 tons, and damaged two ships (15,070 tons). He is thirty-third in the list of U-Boat aces of World War II.

Career

Krech joined the Reichsmarine in April 1933, initially training as an observer and pilot in the Marineflieger before transferring to the U-boat arm in November 1939. Krech conducted ten combat patrols in the Atlantic and Caribbean. He sank 18 merchant ships and the naval trawler HMT Bedfordshire, which was assisting the US Navy with anti-submarine patrols along the East Coast, for a total of 100,771 tons. He also damaged two merchant ships for a total of 15,070 GRT.

U-558 was sunk by depth charges from a Halifax from No. 58 Squadron RAF, and a B-24 Liberator from 19th Antisubmarine Squadron USAAF on 20 July 1943 in the Bay of Biscay, north-west of Cape Ortegal, Spain. Only Krech, the Leitender Ingenieur ("Leading Engineer"), and three men of the gun crew survived. Krech remained in Allied captivity until after the war. He died in 2000.

Summary of career

Ships attacked

Date	Name	Nationality	Tonnage	Convoy	Fate
28 August 1941	Otaio	United Kingdom	10,298	OS 4	Sunk
15 October 1941	Vancouver Island	Canada	9,472		Sunk
17 October 1941	Erviken	Norway	6,595	SC 48	Sunk
17 October 1941	Rym	Norway	1,369	SC 48	Sunk
17 October 1941	W.C. Teagle	United Kingdom	9,552	SC 48	Sunk
24 February 1942	Anadara	United Kingdom	8,009	ONS 67	Damaged
24 February 1942	Eidanger	Norway	9,432	ONS 67	Sunk
24 February 1942	Inverarder	United Kingdom	5,578	ONS 67	Sunk
12 May 1942	HMT Bedfordshire	United Kingdom	913		Sunk
18 May 1942	Fauna	Netherlands	1,254		Sunk
21 May 1942	Troisdoc	Canada	1,925		Sunk
23 May 1942	William Boyce Thompson	United States	7,061		Damaged
25 May 1942	Beatrice	United States	3,451		Sunk
27 May 1942	USAT Jack	United States Army	2,622		Sunk
2 June 1942	Triton	Netherlands	2,078		Sunk
25 August 1942	Amakura	United Kingdom	1,987	WAT 15	Sunk
13 September 1942	Empire Lugard	United Kingdom	7,241	TAG 5	Sunk
13 September 1942	Suriname	Netherlands	7,915	TAG 5	Sunk
13 September 1942	Vilja	Norway	6,672	TAG 5	Damaged, arrived safely Trinidad then later declared total loss
16 September 1942	Commercial Trader	United States	2,606		Total loss
23 February 1943	Empire Norseman	United Kingdom	9,811	UC 1	Sunk

Awards

• Luftwaffe Observation Badge (2 November 1936)
• Memel Medal (9 May 1940)
• Sudetenland Medal (3 September 1940)
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (12 October 1940 – 23 October 1940)
  • 1st Class (26 September 1940)
• U-boat War Badge (1939) (26 September 1940)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 17 September 1942 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-558
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 26 February 1942

Wehrmachtbericht references

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
Thursday, 26 February 1942	Wie durch Sondermeldung bekanntgegeben, versenkten deutsche Unterseeboote im Mittelatlantik in tagelangen hartnäckigen Kämpfen aus einem stark gesicherten Geleitzug sieben Schiffe, darunter zwei große Tanker, mit zusammen 52 000 BRT. Weitere sechs große Schiffe, darunter ein Tanker, wurden so schwer beschädigt, daß auch mit ihrem Verlust zu rechnen ist. Bei diesen Angriffen zeichnete sich das Unterseeboot unter Führung von Kapitänleutnant Krech besonders aus.	As announced by special bulletin, German submarines sunk in the mid-Atlantic in days of tenacious fighting from a heavily protected convoy seven ships, including two large tankers, with a total of 52 000 GRT. Another six large ships, including a tanker were so badly damaged that their loss can be assumed. In these attacks, the submarine under the command of Lieutenant Captain Krech particularly distinguished itself.

References

Notes

Bibliography