Jürgen Oesten
| Jürgen Oesten | |
|---|---|
| Born |
24 October 1913 Grunewald, Berlin, Germany |
| Died |
5 August 2010 (aged 96) Hamburg, Germany |
| Allegiance |
.svg.png){kind=small} Nazi Germany |
| Service/branch |
 Kriegsmarine |
| Years of service | 1933–45 |
| Rank | Korvettenkapitän |
| Unit |
SSS Gorch Fock Karlsruhe Admiral Graf Spee U-20 |
| Commands held |
U-61 U-106 U-861 |
| Battles/wars |
|
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Jürgen Oesten (24 October 1913 – 5 August 2010) was a Korvettenkapitän in the Kriegsmarine during World War II. He commanded the U-boats U-61 and U-106, and then served as a staff officer before returning to command U-861. He sank nineteen ships for a total of 101,744 gross register tons (GRT), and damaged four others for 51,668 GRT to become number 29 on the list of the highest scoring U-Boat aces of World War II.
Career
Born in Grunewald, Berlin, Oesten joined the Reichsmarine in April 1933. After serving aboard the cruisers Admiral Graf Spee and Karlsruhe he transferred to the U-boat arm in May 1937, and was appointed watch officer of U-20.
World War II
U-61
In August 1939 Oesten commissioned U-61, sailing on nine patrols, and sinking five ships.
U-106
Taking command of U-106 in September 1940, he sailed on three patrols sinking another ten ships. On 20 March 1941 during an attack on convoy SL-68 he damaged the British battleship HMS Malaya.
9th Flotilla
In October 1941 Oesten became the first commander of the 9th U-boat Flotilla based in Brest, France. In March 1942 he joined the staff of FdU Nordmeer directing the U-boat war in the Norwegian Sea.
U-861
In September 1943 Oesten returned to active duty in U-861, sailing first to Brazilian waters where he sank another two ships and then around the Cape of Good Hope to join the Monsun Gruppe of U-boats operating in the Indian Ocean. He sank another two ships, bringing his career total to 19 ships sunk, totalling 101,744 GRT, and four ships damaged (51,668 GRT), before reaching Penang on 23 September 1944. U-861 left Soerabaya, Dutch East Indies, in January 1945 carrying a cargo of vital materials, but only two torpedoes, and reached Trondheim, Norway, in April, just before the German surrender.[1]
Post War
Oesten was a technical advisor for the 2005 submarine simulator Silent Hunter III.[2]
Summary of career
Ships attacked
As a U-boat commander of U-61, U-106 and U-861 Oesten is credited with the sinking of 18 ships for a total of 100,007 gross register tons (GRT) and one auxiliary warship 1,737 GRT. He further damaged three ships of 20,568 GRT and one warship, the HMS Malaya, of 31,100 metric tons (30,600 long tons; 34,300 short tons).
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Awards
- Spanish Cross in bronze without swords (6 June 1939)[3]
- Iron Cross (1939)
- Sudetenland Medal (20 December 1939)[3]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 26 March 1941 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-106[4]
- Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 22 March 1941
Wehrmachtbericht reference
| Date | Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording | Direct English translation |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 22 March 1941 | Bei dem Angriff auf den feindlichen Geleitzug an der afrikanischen Westküste haben sich die Unterseeboote unter Führung von Kapitänleutnant Oesten und Kapitänleutnant Schewe besonders ausgezeichnet.[5] | In the attack against the enemy convoy on the African West Coast, the submarines under the command of Captain Lieutenant Oesten and Captain Lieutenant Schewe have particularly excellent. |
References
- Notes
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Korvettenkapitän Jürgen Oesten". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
- ↑ "Softpedia News talks with the creators of Silent Hunter III". news.softpedia.com. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 Busch & Röll 2003, p. 114.
- ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 329.
- ↑ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 1, p. 452.
- Bibliography
- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (2003). Der U-Boot-Krieg 1939–1945 — Die Ritterkreuzträger der U-Boot-Waffe von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [The U-Boat War 1939–1945 — The Knight's Cross Bearers of the U-Boat Force from September 1939 to May 1945] (in German). Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn Germany: Verlag E.S. Mittler & Sohn. ISBN 978-3-8132-0515-2.
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
- Kurowski, Franz (1995). Knight's Cross Holders of the U-Boat Service. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 978-0-88740-748-2.
- Range, Clemens (1974). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Kriegsmarine [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Navy]. Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 978-3-87943-355-1.
- Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
- Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 1, 1. September 1939 bis 31. Dezember 1941 [The Wehrmacht Reports 1939–1945 Volume 1, 1 September 1939 to 31 December 1941] (in German). München, Germany: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 978-3-423-05944-2.
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "Jürgen Oesten". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
- Silent Hunter III dev - Jürgen Oesten interview on YouTube
