Günter Kuhnke

Korvettenkapitän (Crew 31)

Successes
11 ships sunk, total tonnage 42,252 GRT
1 auxiliary warship sunk, total tonnage 4,443 GRT
2 ships damaged, total tonnage 10,067 GRT
1 ship a total loss, total tonnage 9,577 GRT

Born	7 Sep 1912		Elbing
Died	11 Oct 1990	(78)	Schortens, Lower Saxony, Germany

Kapitänleutnant Günter Kuhnke.

Ranks

1 Apr 1931		Offiziersanwärter
14 Oct 1931		Seekadett
1 Apr 1933		Fähnrich zur See
1 Jan 1935		Oberfähnrich zur See
1 Apr 1935		Leutnant zur See
1 Jan 1937		Oberleutnant zur See
1 Oct 1939		Kapitänleutnant
1 Sep 1943		Korvettenkapitän

Decorations

29 Sep 1939		Iron Cross 2nd Class
1 Oct 1939		Iron Cross 1st Class
19 Sep 1940		Knights Cross
30 Jan 1944		War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords

U-boat Commands

U-boat	From	To
U-28	28 Oct 1938	16 Nov 1940	6 patrols (239 days)
U-125	3 Mar 1941	15 Dec 1941	2 patrols (100 days)
U-853	24 Aug 1944	15 Oct 1944	1 patrol (49 days)

Günter Kuhnke joined the Reichsmarine in April 1931. After some months on the pocket battleship Admiral Scheer, in September 1935 he transferred to the newly-formed U-boat arm and received an intensive prewar U-boat officer training. In October 1938 he took over command of U-28, a type VIIA boat.

After the start of the war in September 1939, U-28 made seven mostly successful patrols, including some minelaying operations. Kptlt Kuhnke left U-28 in January 1941 and two months later commissioned the long range type IXC U-125. After two patrols he turned the boat over to Kptlt. Ulrich Folkers, who took U-125 to the US for Operation Drumbeat (Paukenschlag) a month later.

Kptlt. Günter Kuhnke (left) after patrol. (right Kptlt. Heinrich Liebe)

In January 1942 Günter Kuhnke became commander of the 10th Flotilla based in Lorient. In August 1944 he took one of the flotilla's last U-boats to Flensburg, arriving in October 1944. There he took command of the 33rd Flotilla and served in this position to the end of the war.

In 1955 he joined the Bundesmarine (Federal German Navy), commanding the destroyer Z-2, and in 1966 became Chef des Marineamtes (Chief of the Navy Department). He retired in 1972 with the rank of Konteradmiral and decorated with the post-war Stern zum Großen Bundesverdienstkreuz (Knight Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit).

Sources

Busch, R. and Röll, H-J. (1998). German U-boat commanders of World War II.
Busch, R. and Röll, H-J. (1997). Der U-Bootkrieg 1939-1945 (Band 2).

Patrol info for Günter Kuhnke

	U-boat	Departure		Arrival
1.	U-28	19 Aug 1939	Wilhelmshaven	29 Sep 1939	Wilhelmshaven	Patrol 1,	42 days
2.	U-28	8 Nov 1939	Wilhelmshaven	18 Dec 1939	Wilhelmshaven	Patrol 2,	41 days
3.	U-28	18 Feb 1940	Wilhelmshaven	23 Mar 1940	Wilhelmshaven	Patrol 3,	35 days
4.	U-28	20 May 1940	Wilhelmshaven	6 Jul 1940	Wilhelmshaven	Patrol 4,	48 days
5.	U-28	11 Aug 1940	Wilhelmshaven	17 Sep 1940	Lorient	Patrol 5,	38 days
6.	U-28	4 Oct 1940	Lorient	6 Oct 1940	St. Nazaire		3 days
7.	U-28	12 Oct 1940	St. Nazaire	15 Nov 1940	Wilhelmshaven	Patrol 6,	35 days
8.	U-125	15 Jul 1941	Kiel	28 Jul 1941	Lorient	Patrol 7,	14 days
9.	U-125	12 Aug 1941	Lorient	5 Nov 1941	Lorient	Patrol 8,	86 days
10.	U-853	27 Aug 1944	Lorient	14 Oct 1944	Flensburg	Patrol 9,	49 days
9 patrols, 388 days at sea

Ships hit by Günter Kuhnke

Date	U-boat	Commander	Name of ship	Tons		Convoy
14 Sep 1939	U-28	Günter Kuhnke	Vancouver City	4,955	br
17 Nov 1939	U-28	Günter Kuhnke	Sliedrecht	5,133	nl
25 Nov 1939	U-28	Günter Kuhnke	Royston Grange	5,144	br	SL-8B

21 Jan 1940	U-28	Günter Kuhnke	Protesilaus (t.) [Mine]	9,577	br
9 Mar 1940	U-28	Günter Kuhnke	P. Margaronis	4,979	gr
11 Mar 1940	U-28	Günter Kuhnke	Eulota	6,236	nl
18 Jun 1940	U-28	Günter Kuhnke	Sarmatia	2,417	fi
19 Jun 1940	U-28	Günter Kuhnke	Adamandios Georgandis	3,443	gr
21 Jun 1940	U-28	Günter Kuhnke	HMS Cape Howe (X 02)	4,443	br
27 Aug 1940	U-28	Günter Kuhnke	Eva	1,599	nw	SC-1
28 Aug 1940	U-28	Günter Kuhnke	Kyno	3,946	br	HX-66
9 Sep 1940	U-28	Günter Kuhnke	Mardinian	2,434	br	SC-2
11 Sep 1940	U-28	Günter Kuhnke	Harpenden (d.)	4,678	br	OA-210
11 Sep 1940	U-28	Günter Kuhnke	Maas	1,966	nl	OA-210
26 Oct 1940	U-28	Günter Kuhnke	Matina (d.)	5,389	br
				66,339
13 ships sunk (56,272 tons) and 2 ships damaged (10,067 tons). Legend We have a picture of this vessel. (d.) means the ship was damaged. (t.) means the ship was a total loss (included in ships & tonnage lost). [Mine] indicates the vessel was hit by a mine laid by said U-boat.

About ranks and decorations
Ranks shown in italics are our database inserts based on the rank dates of his crew comrades. The officers of each crew would normally have progressed through the lower ranks at the same rate.