Klaus Bargsten

Klaus Bargsten
Klaus Bargsten
Born	(1911-10-31)31 October 1911 Bad Oldesloe, German Empire
Died	25 October 2000(2000-10-25) (aged 88) Bremen, Germany
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service / branch	Kriegsmarine
Years of service	1936–45
Rank	Kapitänleutnant
Unit	1st U-boat Flotilla 2nd U-boat Flotilla 4th U-boat Flotilla
Commands	U-563, 27 March 1941 – 15 March 1942 U-521, 3 June 1942 – 2 June 1943
Awards	U-boat War Badge Knight's Cross

Klaus Bargsten (31 October 1911 – 25 October 2000) was the captain and sole survivor of the sunken U-521. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

Career

U-521 under Bargsten's command was sunk on 2 June 1943 by the United States submarine chaser PC-565 east of Cape Hatteras. Bargsten was the sole survivor.

Kapitänleutnant Klaus Bargsten arrives in Norfolk

Bargsten was interrogated and held as a prisoner of war until his release in 1946. The Kriegsmarine falsely reported the entire crew of U-521 as MIA (Missing in Action).

Ranks and military decorations

Ranks

The following is a list of dates for Kptlt. Bargsten's promotions during World War II.

Date	Rank
1 July 1936	Fähnrich zur See
1 January 1938	Oberfähnrich zur See
1 April 1938	Leutnant zur See
1 October 1939	Oberleutnant zur See
1 August 1942	Kapitänleutnant

Decorations

The following is a list of Kptlt. Bargsten's awards and decorations.

Date	Decoration
23 July 1940	Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class
10 August 1940	U-boat War Badge (1939)
25 September 1940	Iron Cross (1939) 1st Class
30 April 1943	Knight's Cross as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-521

References

Bibliography

• Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (2003). Der U-Boot-Krieg 1939–1945 — Die Ritterkreuzträger der U-Boot-Waffe von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [The U-Boat War 1939–1945 — The Knight's Cross Bearers of the U-Boat Force from September 1939 to May 1945] (in German). Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn Germany: Verlag E.S. Mittler & Sohn. ISBN 978-3-8132-0515-2.
• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
• Gentile, Gary (1989). Track of the Gray Wolf. Avon Books. ISBN 0-380-75685-4.
• Römer, Felix (2012). Kameraden. Die Wehrmacht von innen [Comrades. An Inner View of the Wehrmacht] (in German). Munich, Germany: Piper. ISBN 978-3-492-05540-6.
• Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.