BERTRAM J. PRUEHER, LCDR, USN

Bertram Prueher '33

Date of birth: August 5, 1912

Date of death: August 12, 1943

Age: 31

Lucky Bag

From the 1933 Lucky Bag:

BERTRAM JOSEPH PRUEHER

Bloomer, Wisconsin

"Bert" "Lulu"

Bert, as he is known to us all, was sent to the Naval Academy from Wisconsin, and has proved himself a worthy representative of that state. He is well liked by his classmates, because of his pleasing personality and quiet unassuming manner. At times he seems to be a little shy and always keeps himself in the background. Bert exhibits all the traits that typify that hardy stock of people from the north woods. His love for swimming is supreme, having learned this pastime in the beautiful lakes near his home. The instinct of adventure is very marked in his nature. Immediately upon coming ashore in foreign ports, with camera in hand, he directs his course to the rural districts. On liberty days one may find him down at the shipbuilding docks or along the water front of Annapolis, always seeking some new item of interest. Sailing is one of Bert's pet hobbies and he finds no greater pleasure than running aground and then having the pleasure of shoving off again. The Academic Departments have never had a jinx on him; his easy and carefree attitude being the only obstacle that keeps him from starring. The fairer sex have no special appeal to him, although he cannot be classed as a "red mike." The ease with which Bert grasps the details of a new project make him well fitted for the naval profession. His ambition is to retire young with a large tract of land and an appreciable income.

Class Football 2; Orchestra 3, 2; M. P. O.

BERTRAM JOSEPH PRUEHER

Bloomer, Wisconsin

"Bert" "Lulu"

Bert, as he is known to us all, was sent to the Naval Academy from Wisconsin, and has proved himself a worthy representative of that state. He is well liked by his classmates, because of his pleasing personality and quiet unassuming manner. At times he seems to be a little shy and always keeps himself in the background. Bert exhibits all the traits that typify that hardy stock of people from the north woods. His love for swimming is supreme, having learned this pastime in the beautiful lakes near his home. The instinct of adventure is very marked in his nature. Immediately upon coming ashore in foreign ports, with camera in hand, he directs his course to the rural districts. On liberty days one may find him down at the shipbuilding docks or along the water front of Annapolis, always seeking some new item of interest. Sailing is one of Bert's pet hobbies and he finds no greater pleasure than running aground and then having the pleasure of shoving off again. The Academic Departments have never had a jinx on him; his easy and carefree attitude being the only obstacle that keeps him from starring. The fairer sex have no special appeal to him, although he cannot be classed as a "red mike." The ease with which Bert grasps the details of a new project make him well fitted for the naval profession. His ambition is to retire young with a large tract of land and an appreciable income.

Class Football 2; Orchestra 3, 2; M. P. O.

Loss

Bertram was lost when his PBY Catalina was shot down over the Atlantic near Brazil by a surfaced U-boat. From VP Navy:

12 AUG [1943] Lt.Cdr Prueher took off from Natal at 0900 hrs with an unprecedented gas load for this squadron (3400 gallons), intending to stay out for 15 hrs and sweep the estimated positions of two German U-Boats, which had been obtained by D/F bearings, which showed them to be at extreme range. Some time in the afternoon (no communications were ever received from the plane after take-off), a submarine was attacked and the plane was shot down on the second bombing run. The attack was assessed as a definite kill. The aircraft and the following crew members were lost: Lt. Cdr. Bertram J. Prueher, USN - Blommer, Wisc.; LT(jg) Grover C. Hannever, A-V(N) USNR - Providence, R.I.; Ens. Robert Tehan, A-V(N) USNR - St. Louis, Mo.; Ens. Eugene L. Coupe, A-V(S) USNR - Nebraska City, Neb.; Brandon, H.C. - ACRM, USN - Lithonia, Ga.; Gardner, D.W. - ARM2c USNR - Huron, S.D.; Merrick, G.G. - AOM1c USNR - Memphis, Mich.; Mihalsky, J.S 2c, USN - Whiting, Ind.; Smith, C.A. - ACMM, USN - Howard, Ida.; Van Horn, J.R. - AMM1c, USNR - Spokane, Wa.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Bertram married Jean Farrell on October 11, 1938, in the Fort Omaha Officers’ club in Nebraska. His twin brothers, Robert and James, were his attendants.
Bertram’s father Joseph G. was an attorney; his mother was Grace. In October 1942, Bertram’s brother Robert was staff sergeant of the Medical corps, and James was with the U.S. E.D. near Ketchikan, Alaska, on board an engineers’ craft, the P.B.-110. Sadly, Bertram’s maternal grandfather, Henry L. Brooks, died of a heart attack on May 31, 1933. He and his wife were staying at Bertram’s parents’ home while his parents were in Annapolis to watch him graduate.

From the 1953 edition of the book "Double Three Roundup," published by the class of 1933:

Bert served in the SARATOGA until June 1935 when he went to Pensacola for flight training, and on July 22, 1936, he was designated Naval Aviator. He went to Scouting Squadron 9 for a year and then reported to the PENSACOLA for duty with Cruiser Scouting Squadron 4.
On 1 September, 1938 he was ordered to Patrol Squadron 20 at Seattle and in July 1939 to Patrol Squadron 33 at Coco Solo, Canal Zone. This duty lasted until August 1941 when Bert became Exec and later Skipper of Patrol Squadron 83 (later VB-106), first at Norfolk, and later operating on antisubmarine duty out of Natal, Brazil.
The Legion of Merit Citation awarded him for his services reads in part:
"Skillfully supervising the training of his men and leading them with courageous aggressiveness in a ruthless and persistent campaign against enemy submarines, he developed his squadron into an effective fighting force which established an exceptional record in the destruction of hostile undersea craft and contributed immeasurably to the success of anti-submarine warfare in the South Atlantic area." He was declared Missing in Action when his plane was lost in the Mid-Atlantic on August 11, 1943, in an action for which he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. The citation reads: "While engaged in special antisubmarine patrol he pressed home repeated attacks which culminated in severe damage to an enemy German submarine and eventually forced the German crew to scuttle the ship. The forceful leadership and gallant fighting spirit displayed by Lieutenant Commander Prueher in the face of fierce enemy countermeasures contributed to the successful completion of a hazardous and vital mission…" Bert was also awarded the Presidential Unit Citation and the Purple Heart, posthumously.
He is survived by his widow, the former Jean Farrell, daughter of Colonel and Mrs. Louis Farrell of Nashville, Tennessee; two daughters, Elizabeth Elliston (1939) and Martha Brooks (1941), and a son, Joseph Wilson (1942). Their home residence is Jackson Boulevard in Nashville, Tennessee. Bert's parents, Mr. & Mrs. Joseph G. Prueher, live at 1630 Priddy Street, Bloomer, Wisconsin.

His wife was listed as next of kin. He has a memory marker in the Naval Academy cemetery.

Photographs

Wartime Service

Bertram was involved in an attack on U-161 in the Atlantic near Brazil on December 13, 1942; believe this to be the same as cited in his Distinguished Flying Cross below. (The U-boat crew did not scuttle the ship, though.) He was executive officer of Patrol Squadron (VP) 83, flying a PBY Catalina.

In January 1943 he took command of Patrol Squadron (VP) 83; the squadron was re-designated Bombing Squadron (VB) 107 on May 15, 1943.

Legion of Merit

From Hall of Valor:

The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Legion of Merit (Posthumously) to Lieutenant Commander Bertram Joseph Prueher (NSN: 0-72372), United States Navy, for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services to the Government of the United States during World War II. Skillfully leading his pilots in a ruthless and persistent campaign against enemy submarines from April 1942 to August 1943, Lieutenant Commander Prueher developed his squadron into an effective fighting force which established an exceptional record in the destruction of hostile undersea craft.
General Orders: Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin No. 325 (April 1944)
Action Date: April 1942 - August 1943
Service: Navy
Rank: Lieutenant Commander

Distinguished Flying Cross

From Hall of Valor:

The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross (Posthumously) to Lieutenant Commander Bertram Joseph Prueher (NSN: 0-72372), United States Navy, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight during World War II. Persistently tracking a hostile submarine while piloting a bomber in the South Atlantic, Lieutenant Commander Prueher pressed home repeated attacks which severely damaged the U-boat and ultimately force the Nazi crew to scuttle the submarine.
General Orders: Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin No. 326 (May 1944)
Action Date: World War II
Service: Navy
Rank: Lieutenant Commander

Navy Directories & Officer Registers

The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.

The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.

The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.

Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.