Jürgen Oesten


Jürgen Oesten was a Korvettenkapitän in the Kriegsmarine during World War II. He commanded the U-boats and, and then served as a staff officer before returning to command. He sank nineteen ships for a total of, and damaged four others for 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 and he transferred to the U-boat arm in May 1937, and was appointed watch officer of.

World War II

U-61

In August 1939 Oesten commissioned, sailing on nine patrols, and sinking five ships.

U-106

Taking command of 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.

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, 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, and four ships damaged, 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.

Post War

Oesten was a technical advisor for the 2005 submarine simulator Silent Hunter III.

Summary of career

Ships attacked

As commander of, and Oesten is credited with the sinking of 18 ships for a total of and one auxiliary warship. He further damaged three ships of and one warship,, of.

DateU-boatShipNationalityTonnage
Fate
22 December 1939U-60Gryfevale4,434Damaged
22 January 1940U-60SydfoldNorway2,434Sunk at
18 February 1940U-60El SonadorPanama1,406Sunk
18 February 1940U-60SangstadNorway4,297Sunk at
10 July 1940U-60AlwakiNetherlands4,533Sunk at
16 July 1940U-60Scottish Minstrel6,998Sunk at
17 January 1941U-106Zealandic10,578Sunk at
29 January 1941U-106Sesostris2,962Sunk at
11 March 1941U-106Memnon7,506Sunk at
16 March 1941U-106Almkerk6,810Sunk at
17 March 1941U-106Andalusian3,082Sunk at
17 March 1941U-106Tapanoeli7,034Sunk at
20 March 1941U-10631,100Damaged at
20 March 1941U-106Meekerk7,995Damaged at
24 March 1941U-106Eastlea4,267Sunk at
30 May 1941U-106Silveryew6,373Sunk at
31 May 1941U-106Clan Macdougall6,843Sunk at
6 June 1941U-106Sacramento Valley4,573Sunk at
20 July 1944U-861Vital de Oliveira1,737Sunk at
24 July 1944U-861William Gaston7,177Sunk at
20 August 1944U-861Berwickshire7,464Sunk at
20 August 1944U-861Daronia8,139Damaged at
5 September 1944U-861Ioannis Fafalios5,670Sunk at

Awards