Günther Hessler

Infobox Military Person
name=Günther Hessler
born=birth date|1909|6|14|df=y
died=dda|1968|4|4|1909|6|14|df=y
placeofbirth=Beerfeld
placeofdeath=Bochum


caption=
nickname=
allegiance=flagicon|Germany Weimar Republic (to 1933)
flagicon|Nazi Germany Nazi Germany
branch=navy|Weimar Republic
navy|Nazi Germany
serviceyears=1927-1945
rank=Fregattenkapitän
commands=U-107
unit=
battles=World War II
*Battle of the Atlantic (1939-1945)
awards=Iron Cross 1st Class
Iron Cross 2nd Class
U-boat War Badge
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
laterwork=

Commander Günther Hessler (14 June 1909 – 4 April 1968) was a famous "Fregattenkapitän" with the Kriegsmarine during World War II. He sailed with the U-107, sinking twenty-one ships on three patrols, for a total of 118.822 tons of Allied shipping of which 86,699 tons on one patrol alone.

In November 1937 Kapitänleutnant Hessler married Karl Dönitz's daughter, Ursula Dönitz. He also went to Nuremberg Trials as a witness to speak on behalf of the U-boat arm and his father in law, Großadmiral Karl Dönitz.

Awards

* Iron Cross
** 2nd Class (18 November 1939)
** 1st Class (1 March 1941)
* U-boat War Badge (1939) (27 November 1939)
* Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (24 June 1941)
* German Cross in Gold (9 November 1944)

References

* Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). "Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945". Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
* Kurowski, Franz (1995). "Knight's Cross Holders of the U-Boat Service". Schiffer Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0-88740-748-X.
* Range, Clemens (1974). "Die Ritterkreuzträger der Kriegsmarine". Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 3-87943-355-0.

;External link
* [http://uboat.net/men/hessler.htm uboat.net]