Walter Burghagen

Korvettenkapitän (zV) (Crew 4/11)



No ships sunk or damaged.


Born  21 Sep 1891 Dresden
Died  13 Jan 1971(79)Geretsried, Germany


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Ranks

1 Apr 1911 Seekadett
15 Apr 1912 Fähnrich zur See
3 Aug 1914 Leutnant zur See
See below Oberleutnant zur See
8 Mar 1920 Out of naval service
Date unknown Korvettenkapitän (zV)

Decorations

< Aug 1916 Iron Cross 2nd Class
1 Sep 1941 War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords
5 Jan 1944 Spange 1939 zum Eisernen Kreuz 2. Klasse 1914
12 Dec 1944 U-boat War Badge 1939

U-boat Commands

U-boatFromTo
U-219 12 Dec 1942 5 May 1945   2 patrols (183 days) 

One of the oldest Commanders
Korvettenkapitän (zV) Walter Burghagen was one of the oldest U-boat commanders of WWII to depart on patrol when he took his boat, the minelayer U-219, out from Bergen, Norway on 22 Oct 1943. He was 52 years old when he left for his 72 day patrol, arriving safely in Bordeaux, France on 1 Jan 1944.

He commanded the boat for the rest of the war, taking her out on another long patrol ending in the Fast East at Batavia in Dec 1944. The boat was taken over by the Japanese at Jakarta, Indonesia on 8 May 1945.

World War One

Walter Burghagen served in the Imperial German Navy (Kaiserliche Marine) and was a watch officer on SM U 44, SM U 49 and SM U 50 in 1916. He was taken POW in Nov 1916 and was released in 1919. Burghagen was promoted to Oberleutnant zur See on August 4, 1919 with a seniority of April 26, 1917, the date he would have been promoted to that rank had he not been captured.

Sources

Busch, R. and Röll, H-J. (1998). German U-boat commanders of World War II.
Niestlé, A. (1998). German U-boat losses during World War II.

Patrol info for Walter Burghagen

 U-boat Departure Arrival  
1. U-219 5 Oct 1943  Kiel  7 Oct 1943  Kristiansand   3 days
2. U-219 7 Oct 1943  Kristiansand  9 Oct 1943  Bergen   3 days
3. U-219 22 Oct 1943  Bergen  1 Jan 1944  Bordeaux  Patrol 1,72 days
4. U-219 23 Aug 1944  Bordeaux  11 Dec 1944  Batavia  Patrol 2,111 days
2 patrols, 183 days at sea

Media links


German U-boat Commanders of World War II

Busch, Rainer and Röll, Hans-Joachim

Listing of all U-boat commanders


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