| Born | 6 Jul 1917 | Kaltennordheim | |
| Died | 24 May 1944 | (26) | off Trondheim |
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Ranks
Decorations
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U-boat Commands
| U-boat | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|
| U-921 | 30 May 1943 | 24 May 1944 (+) | No war patrols |
Wolfgang Leu joined the Kriegsmarine in 1937. After serving in the Luftwaffe (Air Force) 1940-41, he underwent U-boat training and then served as I WO (1st Watch Officer) on U-456 (Teichert) Oct 1942 - Mar 1943.
He was then assigned to U-boat commander training with the 24th (Training) Flotilla and U-boat construction familiarization (Baubelehrung) in preparation for his own command.
Oblt Leu commissioned U-921 on 3 May 1943 and commanded her as part of the 8th (Training) Flotilla until 31 May 1944. She left Kiel for the first war patrol on 18 May 1944.A Canadian Sunderland flying boat (RCAF Sqdn 423/S, pilot F/L R.H. Nesbitt) attacked U-921 on 24 May 1944. The boat evaded the five depth charges it dropped, but three of the deck crew were wounded by strafing, including Oblt. Leu. As the boat crash-dived to escape the attack, Leu saw both wounded men below and then closed the hatch to prevent the boat sinking, thus sacrificing himself to save the boat and his crew. (Blair, 1998).
U-921 reached Trondheim, Norway on 26 May under the command of the I WO (1st Watch Officer). (An American submarine commander was awarded the Medal of Honor for the selfsame act of heroism in the Pacific). (Blair, 1998).
Sources
Blair, C. (1998). Hitler’s U-boat War. The Hunted, 1942-1945.
Patrol info for Wolfgang Leu
| U-boat | Departure | Arrival | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | U-921 | 18 May 1944 | Kiel | 24 May 1944 | *died at sea* | 7 days | ||
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
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