U-Boat Commander – By Commander Gunther Prien

“U-BOAT COMMANDER” By Commander Gunther Prien. Shortly after World War II broke out in 1939, Commander Prien maneuvered his German submarine U-47 into Scapa Flow and torpedoed the 29,000-ton British battleship Royal Oak. When the warship sank, 833 men were lost. The top-secret mission into Scapa Flow called for volunteers; Prien had no hesitation in accepting the dangerous patrol. Commander Prien returned to Germany as a war hero and was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross, the medal was personally awarded by Adolf Hitler. Gunther Prien was the first of the U-boat service and the second member of the Kriegsmarine to receive the prestigious award. Back in Germany Prien received the nickname “The Bull of Scapa Flow” and the emblem of a snorting bull was painted on the conning tower of U-47. Just two years later in March of 1941, thirty-three year old Gunther Prien failed to return from the North Atlantic, U-47 was lost with all hands. Now only his story remains. This book, long out of print, is among the ultra-rare submarine books. 1976 Paperback edition 156 pages, no photos, maps or index.

Good Cond. – $29.88