Victor Oehrn
German military officer (1907–1997)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Victor Otto Oehrn (21 October 1907 – 26 December 1997) was a Fregattenkapitän with the Kriegsmarine during World War II. He commanded the U-boats U-14 and U-37, sinking twenty-four ships on four patrols, for a total of 104,846 tons of Allied shipping.
Nazi Germany
Victor Oehrn | |
|---|---|
| Born | 21 October 1907 |
| Died | 26 December 1997 (aged 90) |
Burial place | Cemetery Rüngsdorf. Section II–Grave 226 |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany |
Branch | Reichsmarine Kriegsmarine |
Service years | 1927–45 |
Rank | Fregattenkapitän |
| Commands | U-14 U-37 |
Conflicts | World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Career
Oehrn joined the Reichsmarine in 1927, serving aboard the light cruisers Königsberg and Karlsruhe, before being one of the first officers to transfer to the newly formed U-boat arm in July 1935. He was appointed to command of U-14 in January 1936, and patrolled in Spanish waters during the Civil War in July–September 1936. In August 1939 he joined the staff of BdU as an Admiralstabsoffizier.[1]
In May 1940 Oehrn took command of U-37, in order to restore trust in the G7e/T2 torpedo, which had performed abysmally, often detonating prematurely or not at all. In four patrols he sank 23 merchant ships for a total of 103,821 GRT, damaged another of 9,494 GRT, and sank the British sloop HMS Penzance, before returning to the staff in August.[1]
From November 1941 Oehrn served on the Mediterranean U-boat staff, but during a mission to North Africa in July 1942, he was severely wounded and captured. After recovering at a British Military Hospital in Alexandria, Oehrn was sent to POW Camp 306 on the Suez Canal. He returned to Germany in October 1943 after being released in a prisoner exchange. Oehrn spent the remainder of the war serving on the staff in a number of posts.[1]
He died in December 1997.
Awards
- Sudetenland Medal (20 December 1939)[2]
- Iron Cross (1939)
- Italian Croce al Merito di Guerra with Swords (2 November 1941)[3]
- Italian Croce di guerra al valore militare (28 January 1942)[3]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 21 October 1940 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-37[4]
