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Günther Hessler (14 June 1909 – 4 April 1968) was a ''Kriegsmarine'' ''Fregattenkapitän'' during World War II. He commanded the Type IXB U-boat , sinking twenty-one ships on three patrols, totalling of Allied shipping, of which was sunk on one patrol alone. He stands 21st on the list of highest scoring U-Boat aces of World War II. Hessler was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross ((ドイツ語:Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes)). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme bravery in combat or successful military leadership. ==Career== Günther Hessler joined the ''Reichsmarine'' of the Weimar Republic on 5 April 1927 as a member of "Crew 1927" (the incoming class of 1927). He underwent basic military training in the 8th company, 2nd department of the standing ship division of the Baltic Sea in Stralsund (5 April 1927 – 3 July 1927).〔2nd department —II. ''Abteilung''〕〔standing ship division —''Schiffsstammdivision''〕 Hessler was then transferred to the training ship SSS ''Niobe'' (4 July 1927 – 31 October 1927), attaining the rank of ''Seekadett'' (midshipman) on 1 October 1927. After more than 16 months aboard the light cruiser (1 November 1927 – 17 March 1929) he underwent officer cadet training at the Naval Academy at Mürwik, which included navigational training cruises on the tender ''Frauenlob'' and the survey vessel ''Meteor''. Hessler then advanced in rank to ''Fähnrich zur See'' (officer cadet) on 1 April 1929.〔Busch & Röll 2003, p. 146.〕 On 2 October 1936 he was appointed watch officer on the Aviso ''Grille'', Adolf Hitler's state yacht, and on 30 March 1938 transferred to the battleship ''Gneisenau''. In 1937 he married Karl Dönitz's daughter, Ursula. The marriage produced two sons, Peter and Klaus, and a daughter, Ute. Hessler took command of torpedo-boat ''Falke'' on 27 March 1938. He remained in this position until 8 January 1940, earning the Iron Cross 2nd Class on 18 November 1939. ''Falke'' was assigned to the 5th Torpedobootflottille on 4 April 1939. On the outbreak of World War II ''Falke'' was tasked with laying defensive naval mines and escort and security duties in the North Sea.〔Hildebrand; Röhr and Steinmetz 1993, p. 84.〕 In April 1940 Hessler transferred to the U-boat arm, and six months later commissioned the , without, unusually, having served as either a 1. ''Wachoffizier'' (1. WO—1st watch officer) or a ''Kommandantenschüler'' ("Commander-in-Training").〔 On his first patrol (24 January 1941 – 1 March 1941) Hessler sank four ships with a total of , but he became famous on his second patrol (29 March 1941 – 2 July 1941) — the most successful patrol of the entire war — sinking 14 ships with a total of . Oberleutnant zur See Helmut Witte was his first watch officer on these two patrols. His third patrol (6 September 1941 – 11 November 1941) accounted for another three ships, totalling 13,641 tons, giving Hessler a career tally of 21 ships totalling , including two Royal Navy ocean boarding vessels HMS ''Crispin'' and . Hessler then handed over command of ''U-107'' to Harald Gelhaus and transferred to the Befehlshaber der U-Boote (BdU). He served on the naval staff as 1. ''Admiralstabsoffizier'' (Asto—officer of the admiralty staff) from 24 November 1941 until the end of the war in Europe on 8 May 1945.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Günther Hessler」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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