Erich Zürn

Erich Zürn
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Born	(1906-07-23)23 July 1906 Stuttgart
Died	Großholzleute near Isny
Allegiance	Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Reichsmarine Kriegsmarine
Years of service	1925–45
Rank	Kapitänleutnant (Ing.)
Unit	German cruiser Königsberg German cruiser Admiral Hipper U-3 U-26 U-48
Battles/wars	Spanish Civil War World War II Battle of the Atlantic
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Erich Zürn (23 July 1906 – 9 August 1965) was a German U-boat engineer (Ing.) in World War II and one of the first engineers to be awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Military career

Oberleutnant (Ing.) and later Kapitänleutnant (Ing.) Zürn contributed to the success of U-48 under the command of Herbert Schultze, Hans-Rudolf Rösing and Heinrich Bleichrodt. He served as chief engineer (Leitender Ingenieur - LI) on nine patrols on one of the most successful U-boats of World War II. As flotilla engineer in the 29th U-boat Flotilla (1 June 1942 – 31 January 1944) in La Spezia and Toulon and later in the 5th U-boat Flotilla, Zürn introduced a number of improvements which helped the flotilla operate at peak efficiency.

Awards

• Dienstauszeichnung 4th Class (2 October 1936)
• Dienstauszeichnung 3rd Class (6 January 1937)
• Spanish Cross (6 June 1939)
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd class (25 February 1940)
  • 1st class (3 July 1940)
• U-boat War Badge (1939) (20 April 1940)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 23 April 1941 as Oberleutnant (Ing.) and chief engineer on U-48

Promotions

6 January 1927:	Oberheizer
1 February 1929:	Heizergefreiter
14 September 1929:	Maschinengefreiter
1 May 1930:	Maschinenmaat
1 October 1932:	Maschinist, überzähliger Obermaschinist
1 April 1934:	Obermaschinist
1 October 1938:	Stabsobermaschinist
20 January 1939:	Ingenieursoffiziersanwärter (Engineering Officer Canidate)
24 March 1939:	Fähnrich (Ing.) (Engineering Officer Cadet)
15 September 1939:	Oberfähnrich (Ing.) (Senior Ensign)
1 November 1939:	Leutnant (Ing.) (Second Lieutenant)
1 November 1940:	Oberleutnant (Ing.) (First Lieutenant)
1 February 1942:	Kapitänleutnant (Ing.) (Captain Lieutenant)