Jürgen Oesten

Jürgen Oesten (24 October 1913 – 5 August 2010) was a German naval officer who served as a U-boat commander 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 held the rank of Korvettenkapitän. Oesten sank nineteen ships for a total of , and damaged four others for .

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.

Awards U-Boat War Badge Wehrmacht Long Service Award, 4th class Spanish Cross in bronze without swords (6 June 1939) Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (3 December 1939)