Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Oberleutnant z.S. (Kr.O.)

Unit:

Kommandant des Räumbootes "von der Goeben", 3. Räumbootsflottille

Awarded on:

January 6th, 1943

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Oberleutnant zur See

Unit:

Kommandant U-Jäger "UJ 1430"

Awarded on:

September 10th, 1944

The following article by war correspondent Rolf Kröncke describes the Knight’s Cross action of Edgar Jungnickel as follows…

“A warhorse of the sea:

Magdeburger Knight’s Cross Holder — Climbed up from the enlisted ranks

Oberleutnant zur See Edgar Jungnickel (from Magdeburg), an expert in Channel defense operations and a proven warhorse in security against enemy maneuvers, was awarded the Knight’s Cross to the Iron Cross by the Führer. He is a commander with more than four years of naval experience operating on Britain’s doorstep, first on a minesweeper, then an escort vessel and finally on a submarine chaser. He has ultimately come to know the English Channel better than his own waistcoat. He is a sailor characterized by boldness, courage, experience and solid intuition. However he can also rely on his men.

He has been heavily involved in the daily small naval actions that characterized this theatre, proven by his surviving over 60 large attacks by fighter-bombers and 12 engagements with fast attack craft. He has moved through the Channel straits at Calais a dozen times under heavy long-range fire. Up until the beginning of the Invasion he was credited with 10 aircraft shot down and 2 fast attack craft sunk.

Near Le Havre, during the last hot August days, he and his crew along with the minesweepers of the flotilla under the command of Kapitänleutnant Nordt (recently awarded the Knight’s Cross) succeeded in taking on an overwhelming force of almost 30 British fast attack craft. They sunk 3 enemy ships and heavily damaged 3 more.

A few days later, during the retreat movements of German naval security formations from the Channel, he and a brave Vorpostenboot were involved in a 70 minute long firefight with three British destroyers that heavily outgunned them. In the course of this engagement 1 British destroyer was sunk and another heavily damaged. The two ships forced a breakthrough without taking any casualties of their own, and thereby have a major share in the successful withdrawal of the German formations from the area.”