Hansjürgen Reinicke

Hans-Jürgen "Hansjürgen" Rudolf Reinicke (10 August 1902 – 29 January 1978) was a Kapitän zur See, commander of heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, in Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during the Second World War and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

Reinicke was born in Frankfurt and grew up in the German Empire.

Reinicke was born on 10 August 1902 in Frankfurt in Hesse-Nassau, a province of the Kingdom of Prussia.

He joined the Reichsmarine after World War I in 1922.

After a period of training on surface vessels and assignments on torpedo boats he served in various admiralty staff positions during the Spanish Civil War and in the first years of World War II.

In this function, he was involved in the conceptual planning of Operation Sealion, the never attempted amphibious landing of German forces in England.

Reinicke was chief of staff to Vizeadmiral Otto Ciliax during the Channel Dash, the transit of the ships of the Brest Group through the English Channel.

In the last year of the war he was given command of Prinz Eugen.

Prinz Eugen, stationed in the Baltic Sea, supported the German fighting retreat in the coastal region of the Eastern Front.

He began his naval career with the Reichsmarine on 11 July 1922 as a member of "Crew 22" (the incoming class of 1922).

He received his military basic training in the 4th coastal defense department in Cuxhaven (11 July – 22 October 1922).

He was then transferred to the pre-dreadnought battleship SMS Hannover for his on-board training.

Following his promotion to Matrosen-Gefreiter and Seeoffiziersanwärter (Able Seaman and Officer Candidate) on 1 April 1923 he was posted to the school ship Niobe (4 April – 2 July 1923).

On 2 July 1923 he transferred to the light cruiser SMS Berlin before he started the main cadet course at the Naval Academy at Mürwik on 30 March 1924.

Here he was promoted to Fähnrich zur See (Officer Cadet) on 1 April 1924.

He then underwent a number of specialized training courses which included a torpedo course in Mürwik (1 April – 3 June 1925), a pathfinder course for cadets at Kiel-Wik (3 June – 4 July 1925), a communication course for cadets at Mürwik again (4 July – 4 August 1925), a naval infantry course for cadets at the 2nd department of the standing ship division of the Baltic Sea in Stralsund (4 August – 1 October 1925), and lastly an artillery course for cadets at Kiel-Wik (1 October 1925 – 6 January 1926), before he was briefly transferred to the battleship SMS Braunschweig for further ship training (6–10 January 1926).

On 10 January, he was posted to the light cruiser GERMAN CRUISER Emden (10 January 1926 – 4 June 1928).

During this period he advanced in rank twice, first to Oberfähnrich zur See (Midshipman) on 1 April 1926 and then to Leutnant zur See (Ensign or Acting Sub-Lieutenant) on 1 October 1926.

This assignment was interrupted for the electronic measurement course (7 September – 3 October 1926).

He then sailed on Emden's first training cruise, which started on 14 November 1926 from Wilhelmshaven.

The journey took him and her crew to the Atlantic, Cape Town to the Cocos Islands.

Here, on 15 March 1927, the crew conducted a service in commemoration at the sinking site of SMS Emden (1908) which was lost on 9 November 1914.

The trip continued to Japan, Alaska, Cape Horn, Rio de Janeiro, the Azores and Spain before they returned home on 14 March 1928.

Following this training cruise he advanced in rank to Oberleutnant zur See (Lieutenant Junior Grade or Sub-Lieutenant) on 1 July 1928.

On 4 June 1928 he had been posted to the information department of the Marinestation der Nordsee (North Sea Naval Station).

The assignment was interrupted for technical officers training in Flensburg-Mürwik (25 September – 20 December 1928).

He served in this position until 26 September 1929.

On 27 September 1929 he became first watch officer on torpedo boat Leopard in the 3rd Torpedoboat-Demi-Flotilla.

Reinicke passed his interpreter test for the English language on 2 February 1931.

He was then transferred as a teacher to the torpedo and communications school in Flensburg-Mürwik (28 September 1931 – 28 September 1934).

During this assignment he himself underwent diver training for officers (2–30 June 1932), a fitness training for company leaders (16–30 March 1933) and more technical training at the torpedo and communications school (2 February – 16 March 1934).

Reinicke, who had been promoted to Kapitänleutnant (Captain Lieutenant) on 1 June 1934, was given command of the torpedo boat Möwe in the 4th Torpedoboat-Demi-Flotilla on 29 September.

During this command, the Reichsmarine was renamed the Kriegsmarine and the Demi-Flotilla was renamed to 4th Torpedoboat-Flotilla, effective as of 1 October 1935.

He commanded Möwe until September 1936.

He participated in the Spanish Civil War on the cruiser Deutschland to which he was assigned on 20 October 1936.

His role was 2.

Following the German surrender in 1945, Prinz Eugen was handed over as a war prize to the United States.

Reinicke, as a prisoner of war, co-captained Prinz Eugen under the leadership of his US Navy counterpart, Captain Arthur H. Graubart, during US sea trials.

He was released from captivity in September 1946.

Reinicke died in Wuppertal on 29 January 1978.