Gunter Jahn | |
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Born | 27 September 1910 Hamburg |
Died | 12 April 1992 Krailling | (aged 81)
Allegiance | Weimar Republic Nazi Germany |
Service | Reichsmarine Kriegsmarine |
Years of service | 1931–45 |
Rank | Korvettenkapitän |
Commands | U-596 13 November 1941–27 July 1943 29th U-boat Flotilla |
Awards | 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.