Hans-Günther Kuhlmann
November 12, 1913 to July 30, 1942

Hans-Günther Kuhlmann was born at Cologne, Germany on November 12, 1913. As a teenager he studied both English and French (scoring higher marks in English), and after high school entered military service as a naval cadet. After his military training, Kuhlmann went to sea as an officer cadet in the merchant service.

Nineteen-year-old Hans Günther Kuhlmann as a naval cadet, 1932.

As Europe lurched toward war in the late 1930s, Kuhlmann was called to active duty. At the beginning of the war in 1939, he was serving as junior torpedo officer aboard the heavy cruiser Blücher. In this capacity, Kuhlmann would have become intimately familiar with the intricacies and capabilities of surface-launched torpedoes, which were similar in most respects to those used aboard German submarines. Blücher would be sunk during the invasion of Norway in April 1940, three months after Kuhlmann’s departure for service in Germany’s growing U-boat fleet.

Kuhlmann (standing, center) as a member of the 1936 German Navy handball team. Handball had its Olympic debut at the games in Berlin that year.

In January 1940 Kuhlmann was transferred to U-37, a Type IX boat commanded by Korvettenkapitän Werner Hartmann (1902-63). U-37 was quickly becoming known as a crack boat, and went on to become one of the most famous boats of the war.

Kuhlmann (arrow) aboard U-37. The U-boat's commander, Victor Oehrn, stands just to Kuhlmann's right, in the dark jacket.

Kuhlmann served aboard U-37 for fourteen months, during which time the boat completed eight war patrols and sank or damaged an astonishing forty-six Allied merchant ships. During that time Kuhlmann served under three commanders: Werner Hartmann, Victor Oehrn (1907-97) and Asmus Nocolai “Niko” Clausen (1911-43). All three men went on to win the coveted Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross, the first two while in command of U-37.

Kuhlmann (center) with crew members of U-37 at sea.

Kuhlmann advanced steadily, beginning his time aboard as third watch officer (III.WO) and being promoted in turn to second watch officer (II.WO, June 1940) and, in November 1940, to first watch officer (I.WO).

On March 30, 1941, Kuhlmann assumed command of U-7, a Type IIB U-boat designed for coastal defense. These small boats had quickly proved inadequate for the wide-ranging U-boat war and were soon relegated to training duties. Kuhlmann’s transfer to the school boat probably served two purposes. It helped him to become oriented to the responsibilities of being in command of a submarine, and also allowed senior officers to assess his qualities as a commander – not all capable junior officers make good commanders on their own.

In June 1941 Kuhlmann was succeeded in command of U-7 by Heinrich Schmid, and reported to the Bhlom & Voss Shipyard at Hamburg, where his new boat, U-580, was being completed. Kuhlmann probably oversaw the final fitting-out of U-580, and formally assumed command on July 24, 1941.

Click here to go to U-580

Gertrude and Hans Günther Kuhlmann, March 1942

On June 18, 1940, while on leave after his third patrol in U-37, Kuhlmann married Gertrude Wree, who he had known for several years. Based on surviving letters, theirs was a warm relationship, and he wrote her frequently when in port. He often sent home photographs, many of which appear on this website. He addressed her as “my dearest Tuttilein,” and signed himself “your Hansl.” Shortly before leaving on his last patrol, Kuhlmann wrote to Gertrude:

In three days it will be two years that we have been married. Our wedding journey. . . . Have these two years not been beautiful and we, completely lucky? How I am to be envied, my all-dearest. It hurts that I cannot be with you on that day, but “c’est la guerre.”

 In his last, brief note to Gertrude, written the morning U-166 sailed for the Gulf of Mexico, Kuhlmann closed with the following lines:

Keep me dear. I always think of you.

The officers and their wives enjoy a sailing outing, possibly in the spring of 1942. Hans and Ursula Traun (upper left), Hans and Gertrude Kuhlmann (right) and Erwin Klein (lower left). All three men had served together on U-580, and transferred as a group to U-166.

Click here to go to Kuhlmann's final patrol