PropertyValue
rdf:type
rdfs:label
  • Wolfgang Lüth
rdfs:comment
  • Kapitän zur See (Captain) Wolfgang August Eugen Lüth (15 October 1913 – 14 May 1945), was the second most successful German U-boat ace of World War II. His career record of 46 merchant ships plus the French submarine Doris sunk during 15 war patrols, with a total displacement of , was second only to that of Korvettenkapitän (Lieutenant Commander) Otto Kretschmer, whose 47 sinkings totaled . Lüth's last service position was commander of the naval academy at Mürwik (Flensburg).
owl:sameAs
Unit
  • 1
  • 6
  • 12
  • 22
dcterms:subject
dbkwik:military/property/wikiPageUsesTemplate
serviceyears
  • 1933
Birth Date
  • 1913-10-15
Commands
death place
  • Flensburg-Mürwik, Germany
Name
  • Wolfgang Lüth
Caption
  • Wolfgang Lüth
Birth Place
  • Riga, Latvia
Title
  • Commander of
  • Commander of 1st Department of the Naval Academy Mürwik
  • Commander of 22nd U-boat Flotilla
  • Commander of Naval Academy Mürwik
Awards
death date
  • 1945-05-14
Rank
  • Kapitän zur See
Image size
  • 250
Battles
Before
  • unknown
  • Commissioned
  • Kapitänleutnant Heinz Scheringer
  • Kapitänleutnant Wilhelm Ambrosius
  • Korvettenkapitän Wilhelm Ambrosius
  • Oberleutnant zur See Max-Martin Schulte
Years
  • --01-15
  • --07-17
  • --09-18
  • --10-21
  • --12-16
  • --12-30
  • --05-09
  • --06-27
Alt
  • The head and shoulders of a young man, shown in semi-profile. He wears a peaked cap and black naval coat, a white shirt with an Iron Cross displayed at the front of his shirt collar. His facial expression is a determined and confident smile; his eyes gaze into the distance to the left.
After
  • unknown
  • Korvettenkapitän Heinrich Bleichrodt
  • Fregattenkapitän Kurt Freiwald
  • Kapitänleutnant Max-Martin Schulte
  • Kapitänleutnant Peter Lohmeyer
  • Oberleutnant zur See Hans-Joachim Schwantke
  • Oberleutnant zur See Wolfgang Kaufmann
placeofburial
  • Cemetery Adelby in Flensburg
abstract
  • Kapitän zur See (Captain) Wolfgang August Eugen Lüth (15 October 1913 – 14 May 1945), was the second most successful German U-boat ace of World War II. His career record of 46 merchant ships plus the French submarine Doris sunk during 15 war patrols, with a total displacement of , was second only to that of Korvettenkapitän (Lieutenant Commander) Otto Kretschmer, whose 47 sinkings totaled . Lüth joined the Reichsmarine in 1933. After a period of training on surface vessels, he transferred to the U-boat service in 1936. In December 1939 he received command of , which he took on six war-patrols. In June 1940 he took command of for two patrols. In October 1940 he transferred again, this time to the ocean-going submarine for five war-patrols. After two patrols on , the second being his longest of the war, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub, Schwertern und Brillanten). He was the first of two U-boat commanders to be so honored during World War II, the other recipient being Albrecht Brandi. Lüth's last service position was commander of the naval academy at Mürwik (Flensburg). He was accidentally shot and killed by a German sentry on the night of 13/14 May 1945. Lüth was given the last state funeral in the Third Reich, the only U-boat commander to be so commemorated.