Paul Liebrecht König (March 20, 1867 – September 9, 1933) was a sailor and business executive. The son of a clergyman, married to an English wife from whom he separated for the duration of the war, he is most known for two visits he made to the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
in 1916 as captain of the
merchant submarine ''U-Deutschland''.
König was a
captain in the German
merchant navy. In 1916 during
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, he became a reserve ''
Kapitänleutnant'' in the
Imperial German Navy.
Later in 1916, König became
commanding officer of the
merchant submarine . He took it on two voyages to the United States for commercial purposes. He arrived at
Baltimore
Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
on the night of July 9, 1916 having been towed by the tug ''Thomas Timminns'' from the
Virginia Capes.
The cargo was
dyestuffs. While in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
he was interviewed by newspapermen, was even the recipient of
vaudeville
Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...
offers, was welcomed by
mayor of Baltimore and officials. On August 2 he sailed on the return voyage, later making a second voyage and putting in at
New London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the outlet of the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River in New London County, Connecticut, which empties into Long Island Sound. The cit ...
.
He received the
Iron Cross 1st class the same year. Following his return after the second journey, König wrote a book called ''Voyage of the Deutschland'', which was heavily publicized, as it was intended to be used as
propaganda
Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded l ...
.
Directed Readings on the U-Boat War
- Blake, Sam, East Carolina University, April 2003.
König then became commanding officer of a ''Sperrbrechergruppe'' (group of blockade runners; 1917), and later was an executive at Norddeutscher Lloyd (1919–1931). He died at Gnadau, on September 9, 1933, where he is buried.
Awards and decorations
* Iron Cross, 2nd class (1915 ) and 1st class (1916)
* Hohenzollern House Order (1916)
* Honorary Doctorate from the University of Halle (Saale), Dr.med.hc (1916)
Notes
References
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External links
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''The New York Times''
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Konig, Paul
1867 births
1933 deaths
People from Schmalkalden-Meiningen
Military personnel from the Province of Saxony
U-boat commanders (Imperial German Navy)
Imperial German Navy personnel of World War I
Military personnel from Thuringia