Günther Gumprich

Günther Gumprich
Born	6 January 1900 Stuttgart
Died	17 October 1943 (aged 43) 90 nautical miles east of Yokohama in the Yellow Sea
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918)  Weimar Republic (to 1933)  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Kaiserliche Marine  Reichsmarine  Kriegsmarine
Years of service	1916–43
Rank	Kapitän zur See
Commands held	4th Torpedoboat-Flotilla German auxiliary cruiser Thor German auxiliary cruiser Michel
Battles/wars	World War I World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Günther Gumprich (16 January 1900 – 17 October 1943) was a Kapitän zur See (captain) of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine who, during World War II, commanded a merchant raider. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Gumprich was killed in action when on 17 October 1943, auxiliary cruiser "Michel" (HSK-9) was sunk by USS Tarpon.

Awards

• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd Class (26 August 1918)^[1]
• Chilean Order of Merit 3rd Class (10 December 1925)^[1]
• The Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 (15 November 1934)^[1]
• Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 1st Class
• Wehrmacht Long Service Award 4th to 2nd Class (2 October 1936)^[2]
• Spanish Cross of Military Merit in White and Silver 3rd Class (21 August 1939)^[3]
• Sudetenland Medal with Bar (23 September 1939)^[3]
• War Merit Cross with Swords 2nd Class (30 January 1941)^[3]
• Italian Commander of the Order of the Crown (11 March 1941)^[3]
• German Cross in Gold on 11 September 1942 as Kapitän zur See on auxiliary cruiser Thor (ship 10)^[4]
• Japanese Order of the Sacred Treasure 3rd Class (19 October 1942)^[3]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 31 December 1942 as Kapitän zur See and commander of auxiliary cruiser Thor (HSK 4)^[5]
• Auxiliary Cruiser Badge (6 January 1943)^[3]

References

Citations

1. Dörr 1995, p. 224.
2. Dörr 1995, pp. 224–225.
3. Dörr 1995, p. 225.
4. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 154.
5. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 207.

Bibliography

• Dörr, Manfred (1995). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Überwasserstreitkräfte der Kriegsmarine—Band 1: A–K [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Surface Forces of the Navy—Volume 1: A–K] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2453-2.
• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. 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.
• Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
• 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 Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.

External links

• Günther Gumprich @ Deutsche Marinesoldaten
• Günther Gumprich @ Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945