Wolfgang Riekeberg

Kapitänleutnant (Crew 37a)


Successes
1 warship sunk for a total of 56 tons

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


Kptlt. Wolfgang Riekeberg

Ranks

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

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) 

Personal information

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 on the propsed merchant raider Hansa but that ship never sailed 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 U-boat commander course at the 23rd flotilla (training) until Jan 1944. On 25 March 1944 he took command of his first U-boat, the U-1054.

On 1 Oct 1944 he took command of U-637, his second U-boat.

On 26 April 1945 Riekeberg died on his U-637 in skirmish with Norwegian motor torpedo boats, the boat suffered several dead but survived 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 MO-59456sj
 56

1 ship sunk (56 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.

Listing of all U-boat commanders