Wolfgang Riekeberg

Kapitänleutnant (Crew 37a)


Successes
1 warship sunk, total tonnage 39 tons

Born  14 Oct 1918 Peine, Hannover
Died  26 Apr 1945(26)Norwegian Sea


Kptlt. Wolfgang Riekeberg

Ranks

3 Apr 1937 Offiziersanwärter
21 Sep 1937 Seekadett
1 May 1938 Fähnrich zur See
1 Jul 1939 Oberfähnrich zur See
1 Aug 1939 Leutnant zur See
1 Sep 1941 Oberleutnant zur See
1 Apr 1944 Kapitänleutnant

Decorations

  Merchant Raider Badge
  Iron Cross 2nd Class
  Iron Cross 1st Class

U-boat Commands

U-boatFromTo
U-1054 25 Mar 1944 16 Sep 1944   No war patrols 
U-637 1 Oct 1944 26 Apr 1945  (+)  3 patrols (63 days, * died during this patrol) 

Wolfgang Riekeberg joined the Kriegsmarine as part of crew 37a in April 1937. He served as gunnery officer on the merchant raider Stier from March to Dec 1942. Riekeberg then was assigned as gunnery officer to the proposed merchant raider Hansa, which was cancelled, and he joined the U-boat force in May 1943.

Riekeberg first went through regular U-boat training from May to Oct 1943 and then a U-boat commander course with the 23rd flotilla (training) until Jan 1944. On 25 March 1944 he commissioned U-1054.

On 1 Oct 1944 he took over command of U-637.

On 26 April 1945 Riekeberg took his own life after suffering serious face wounds in a skirmish with two Norwegian motor torpedo boats off Utsira. Several of his crew died in action, and U-637 returned to base under the command of the Chief Engineer.

Sources

Busch, R & Röll, H-J. (1998). German U-boat commanders of World War II.

Patrol info for Wolfgang Riekeberg

 U-boat Departure Arrival  
1. U-637 13 Oct 1944  Kiel  16 Oct 1944  Danzig   4 days
2. U-637 25 Nov 1944  Danzig  13 Jan 1945  Danzig  Patrol 1,50 days
3. U-637 5 Apr 1945  Kiel  13 Apr 1945  Stavanger  Patrol 2,9 days
4. U-637 23 Apr 1945  Stavanger  28 Apr 1945  Stavanger  Patrol 3,4 days*
3 patrols, 63 days at sea
* Wolfgang Riekeberg died during this patrol on 26 Apr 1945

Ships hit by Wolfgang Riekeberg

Date U-boat Name of ship Tons Nat. Convoy
24 Dec 1944U-637 BMO-594 (No 90)39sj
 39

1 ship sunk (39 tons).


About ranks and decorations
Ranks shown in italics are our database inserts based on the rank dates of his crew comrades. The officers of each crew would normally have progressed through the lower ranks at the same rate.

Media links


U-Boat Attack Logs

Daniel Morgan and Bruce Taylor


amazon.co.uk
(£ 38.25)


German U-boat Commanders of World War II

Busch, Rainer and Röll, Hans-Joachim

Listing of all U-boat commanders


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