Friedrich Wunderlich

Friedrich Wunderlich
Born	13 August 1891 Bückeburg
Died	27 March 1977 (aged 85) Munich
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918)  Weimar Republic (to 1921)  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Kaiserliche Marine  Reichsmarine  Kriegsmarine
Years of service	1910–21 1939–45
Rank	Fregattenkapitän
Unit	SMS Berlin SM U-16 SM U-69 SM U-157
Commands held	SM UB-104 SM UC-94 11. U-Jagdflottille 14. U-Jagdflottille 22. U-Jagdflottille
Battles/wars	World War I World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Friedrich Wunderlich (13 August 1891 – 27 March 1977) was a Fregattenkapitän with the Kriegsmarine during World War II and a recipient of 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.

Wunderlich joined the Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial German Navy) on 1 April 1910. As of August 1914, he served as an adjutant on SMS Berlin. Following this assignment, he transferred to the U-boat force. He served as a watch officer on SM U-16, SM U-69 and SM U-157. In 1917 he was appointed commander of SM UB-104. His last command at the end of World War I was commander of SM UC-94. Following World War I, he was released from active service on 16 January 1921 holding the rank of charakterisierter Kapitänleutnant (captain-lieutenant).^{[Note 1]}

Wunderlich was reactivated for active service in the Kriegsmarine—the navy of Nazi Germany—on 22 August 1939 shortly before the outbreak of World War II.

Awards

• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd Class
  • 1st Class
• Cross of Honor
• Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (27 April 1940)^[1]
  • 1st Class (21 May 1940)^[1]
• Minesweeper War Badge (29 November 1940)^[1]
• German Cross in Gold on 10 June 1944 as Korvettenkapitän zur Verwendung (for disposition) in the 22. U-Jagd-Flottille^[2]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 3 December 1943 as Korvettenkapitän zur Verwendung (for disposition) and chief of the 14. U-Jagd-Flottille^[3][4]

Notes

1. Charakter—was an unpaid honorary title for retired officers or civil servants.

References

Citations

1. Dörr 1996, p. 370.
2. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 525.
3. Scherzer 2007, p. 800.
4. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 454.

Bibliography

• Dörr, Manfred (1996). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Überwasserstreitkräfte der Kriegsmarine—Band 2: L–Z [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Surface Forces of the Navy—Volume 2: L–Z] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2497-6.
• 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.