Adolf Hitler,
Fuehrer of the Third Reich,
March 1941
I have just gotten news that Gunther Prien’s U-47 has been lost. This is a moment of sadness for us, as we have truly lost a great commander. Under him, the submarine sank 193,808 tons of enemy ships. Admiral Doenitz had labelled Prien’s achievements at Scapa Flow “the boldest of bold enterprises” and he is right. In Prien’s own words before the attack “I felt a tremendous tension within me. Would it be possible to bring it off? My common sense calculated and questioned the chances, but by will had already decided that it could be brought off. At home, supper was already on the table. Absentmindedly I greeted my wife and child, for my thoughts were obsessed with the single idea of Scapa Flow.” A national hero has been lost, for he truly lived the life of a true Nazi soldier, and put the love for the Reich before himself. My regards for the men of the Kriegsmarine and I urge all of you to fight on despite this news.
