Years of service 1925–45 Name Erich Zurn | Rank Kapitanleutnant (Ing.) | |
Born 23 July 1906
Stuttgart ( 1906-07-23 ) Died 9 August 1965(1965-08-09) (aged 59)
Grosholzleute near Isny Allegiance Weimar Republic (to 1933)
Nazi Germany Service/branch Reichsmarine
Kriegsmarine Unit German cruiser Konigsberg
German cruiser Admiral Hipper
U-3
U-26
U-48 | ||
Erich Zurn (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.
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Military career
Oberleutnant (Ing.) and later Kapitanleutnant (Ing.) Zurn contributed to the success of U-48 under the command of Herbert Schultze, Hans-Rudolf Rosing 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, Zurn introduced a number of improvements which helped the flotilla operate at peak efficiency.