Date of birth:

March 30th, 1909 (Hanau/Hesse-Nassau, Germany)

Date of death:

March 28th, 1998 (Bischofsheim, Germany)

Nationality:

German

Reinhard König was born in Hanau on March 30th, 1909. He enlisted on October 27th, 1928 with the Reichsmarine and was placed as cadet in Wilhelmshaven with the II. Marine-Artillerie-Abteilung. For his further schooling he was placed on October 1st, 1929 onboard the Battleship Schleswig-Holstein and was reassigned to the Battleship Hannover in March 1930. On this ship he was promoted to Maschinengefreiten on October 1st, 1930. Between April 1933 en April 1934 König studied at the Naval Academies in Kiel and Friedrichsort and was placed in April 1934 as Maschinenmaat onboard the Pocket Battleship Deutschland. In the following years he studied at the Naval Academy in Wesermünde, was promoted several times and was send as engineer to the Light Cruiser Köln on January 4th, 1939. From July 28th, 1939 onwards he was shortly involved with the building of the aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin, till he was reassigned on October 26th, 1939 to the commerce raider Atlantis.

The Atlantis left the port of Wilhelmshaven on March 30th, 1939 and stayed for 622 days at sea. During this patrol of almost two years she sank 22 ships (145.697 BRT) but when the Atlantis was sailing back to Germany she was intercepted on November 22nd, 1941 by the British Heavy Cruiser Devonshire and was sunk after a short artillery duel. The entire crew of the Atlantis escaped during the sinking of the ship and was saved by German and Italian submarines. After König’s return in Germany on January 1st, 1942 he was placed in the 4. Schiff-Stamm-Abteilung
.
On August 1st, 1942 he became the Chief Engineer on the U 123. (Type IXB) König sailed between August 1942 and June 1944 on four patrols with the U 123 and when he returned in June 1944 he was send to Hamburg. When he arrived on June 18th, in Hamburg he became the Chief Engineer of the new U 2506. (Type XXI) This new type U boat was still in a building stage and König was closely involved with the further buildup of the ship. As the Leading Engineer König sailed onboard the U 2506 during its long trial and trainings period and they were send in the last days of the war to Bergen (Norway) but the U 2506 didn’t made any combat patrols. On April 10th, 1945 König was promoted to Kapitänleutnant (Ing.) and with this rank he became a prisoner of war on May 19th, 1945. Reinhard König was released on April 1st, 1947 and passed away in Bieschofsheim on March 28th, 1998.

Promotions:
1st October 1930: Oberheizer;
1st October 1932: Maschinengefreiter;
1st April 1934: Maschinenmaat;
1st April 1936: Obermaschinistenmaat;
1st October 1938: Obermaschinist;
4th December 1938: Oberstabsmaschinist;
1st April 1942: Leutnant (Ing.) (Kr.O.);
1st October 1942: Oberleutnant (Ing.) (Kr.O.);
1st April 1945: Kapitänleutnant (Ing.) (Kr.O.).

Do you have more information about this person? Inform us!

• Photo 1: Known to STIWOT
• - Die Ordensträger der Deutschen Wehrmacht (CD), VMD-Verlag GmbH, Osnabrück, 2002
  - Fellgiebel W.P., Elite of the Third Reich, The recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939-1945: A Reference, Helion & Company Limited, Solihull, 2003, ISBN 1-874622-46-9
  - Patzwall K., Scherzer V., Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941-1945, Geschichte und Inhaber Band II, Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, Norderstedt, 2001, ISBN 3-931533-45-X
  - R. Busch/H-J Röll, Die Ritterkreuzträger der U-Boot-Waffe von September 1939 bis Mai 1945, Verlag E. S. Mittler & Sohn GmbH, Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn, 2003.
  - Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945
  - Uboat.net
  - Ubootwaffe.net
  - Lexikon der Wehrmacht.de
  - Axis Biographical Research