| Born | 5 Sep 1914 | Hannover | |
| Died | 20 Jan 1944 | (29) | Bay of Biscay |
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Ranks
Decorations
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U-boat Commands
| U-boat | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|
| U-20 | 5 Dec 1941 | 27 Mar 1942 | No war patrols |
| U-263 | 6 May 1942 | Dec 1942 | 1 patrol (34 days) |
| U-584 | 20 Dec 1942 | 11 Feb 1943 | 1 patrol (44 days) (Acting CO) |
| U-263 | 1943 | 20 Jan 1944 (+) | 1 patrol (2 days) |
Kurt Nölke commanded the U-263 from May 6 1942 until its loss on 20 Jan 1944. The boat was heavily damaged by aircraft on 24 Nov 1942 and was decommissioned the following month while undergoing extensive repairs for one year. During that time Nölke as still officially in command of the unmanned boat-in-repair but was also engaged elsewhere.
He took temporary command of the U-584 from Deecke on 20 Dec 1942 and completed one patrol with that boat.
Nölke died with his entire crew of 51 men when his U-263 was lost in the Bay of Biscay only two days out on its first patrol on 20 Jan 1944 after long repairs (Niestlé, 1998). The boat had reported that an external fuel tank had collapsed during deep dive trials and that the boat needed immediate help. Search for the boat and its crew were unsuccessful.
Sources
Busch, R. and Röll, H-J. (1999). German U-boat commanders of World War II.
Busch, R. and Röll, H-J. (1997). Der U-Bootkrieg 1939-1945 (Band 2).
Niestlé, A. (1998). German U-boat losses during World War II.
Patrol info for Kurt Nölke
| U-boat | Departure | Arrival | ||||||
| 1. | U-263 | 27 Oct 1942 | Kiel | 29 Nov 1942 | La Pallice | Patrol 1, | 34 days | |
| 2. | U-584 | 30 Dec 1942 | Brest | 11 Feb 1943 | Brest | Patrol 2, | 44 days | |
| 3. | U-263 | 19 Jan 1944 | La Pallice | 20 Jan 1944 | Sunk | Patrol 3, | 2 days | |
| 3 patrols, 80 days at sea | ||||||||
Ships hit by Kurt Nölke
| Date | U-boat | Name of ship | Tons | Nat. | Convoy | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Nov 1942 | U-263 | Grangepark | 5,132 | br | KMS-3 | ||
| 20 Nov 1942 | U-263 | Prins Harald | 7,244 | nw | KMS-3 | ||
| 12,376 | |||||||
2 ships sunk (12,376 tons). Legend | |||||||
Media links
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