| Robert-Richard Zapp | |
|---|---|
|
File:Richard Zapp.jpg Richard Zapp | |
| Born | 3 April 1904 |
| Died | 17 July 1964 (aged 60) |
| Place of birth | Germersheim |
| Place of death | Kiel |
| Allegiance |
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| Service/branch | Page Template:Plainlist/styles.css must have content model "Sanitized CSS" for TemplateStyles (current model is "wikitext"). |
| Years of service | 1923–1945 |
| Rank | Fregattenkapitän |
| Commands held | Page Template:Plainlist/styles.css must have content model "Sanitized CSS" for TemplateStyles (current model is "wikitext"). |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Robert-Richard Zapp (3 April 1904 – 17 July 1964) was a German U-boat commander in World War II. As commander of the Type IXC U-boat U-66, he sank sixteen ships on five patrols, for a total of 106,200 tons of Allied shipping, to become the 27th highest scoring U-Boat ace of World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (German language: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.
Career[]
Robert-Richard Zapp joined the Reichsmarine in May 1923.[Note 1] Before joining the U-boat service in 1939, he served aboard a minesweeper and later on took command of 251 Marineflak (Naval anti-aircraft artillery). After initial training, he served on board U-46 for a short while under Oberleutnant zur See Engelbert Endrass, with whom he participated in the battle against Convoy HX 79 in October 1940.[1]
Zapp was appointed commander of U-66 in January 1941. U-66 was one of the boats that participated in the first wave of attacks in "Operation Drumbeat". On the first patrol of this operation, he sank five vessels, totalling 33,456 tons. On his second patrol off the eastern seaboard of the United States, he was victorious again, sinking six vessels totaling 43,946 tons. Zapp was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 23 April 1942.[1]
In June 1942, he was posted ashore to become commander of 3rd U-boat Flotilla, based at La Rochelle, France. On 1 January 1945 he was promoted to Fregattenkapitän. In the last three months of the war, he became commander of Marine-Regiment Zapp and defended the U-boat base at La Rochelle until the very end of the war in May 1945. He spent over two years in a French captivity and was released on 7 July 1947.[1]
Summary of career[]
Ships attacked[]
| Date | Ship | Nationality | Tonnage | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 June 1941 | George J. Goulandris |  Greece |
4,345 | Sunk |
| 29 June 1941 | Kalypso Vergotti | Greece |
5,686 | Sunk |
| 30 June 1941 | Saint Aslem |  United Kingdom |
5,614 | Sunk |
| 19 July 1941 | Holmside | United Kingdom |
3,433 | Sunk |
| 26 July 1941 | I. C. White |  Panama |
7,052 | Sunk |
| 18 January 1942 | Allan Jackson |  USA |
6,635 | Sunk |
| 19 January 1942 | Lady Hawkins |  Canada |
7,988 | Sunk |
| 22 January 1942 | Olympic | Panama |
5,335 | Sunk |
| 24 January 1942 | Empire Gem | United Kingdom |
8,139 | Sunk |
| 24 January 1942 | Venore | USA |
8,017 | Sunk |
| 14 April 1942 | Korthion | Greece |
2,116 | Sunk |
| 16 April 1942 | Amsterdam |  Netherlands |
7,329 | Sunk |
| 17 April 1942 | Heinrich von Riedemann | Panama |
11,020 | Sunk |
| 26 April 1942 | Alcoa Partner | USA |
5,513 | Sunk |
| 29 April 1942 | Harry G. Siedel | Panama |
10,354 | Sunk |
| 2 May 1942 | Sandar |  Norway |
7,624 | Sunk |
| 3 May 1942 | Geo. W. McNight | United Kingdom |
12,502 | Damaged |
Awards[]
- U-boat War Badge (14 May 1941)[2]
- Iron Cross (1939)
- War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords (30 January 1945)[3]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 23 April 1942 as Korvettenkapitän and commander of U-66[4]
- Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 27 January 1942 and 7 May 1942
Notes[]
- ↑ The German Reichsmarine which was renamed the Kriegsmarine on 1 June 1935.
References[]
- Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Fregattenkapitän Richard Zapp". uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/men/zapp.htm. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Busch and Röll 2003, p. 210.
- ↑ Busch and Röll 2003, p. 211.
- ↑ Scherzer 2007, p. 802.
- Bibliography
- Busch, Hans-Joachim; Röll (2003) (in German). Der U-Boot-Krieg 1939–1945 — Die Ritterkreuzträger der U-Boot-Waffe von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [The U-Boat War 1939–1945 — The Knight's Cross Bearers of the U-Boat Force from September 1939 to May 1945]. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn Germany: Verlag E.S. Mittler & Sohn. ISBN 978-3-8132-0515-2.
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945. Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas, 2000. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
- Kurowski, Franz (1995). Knight's Cross Holders of the U-Boat Service. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 978-0-88740-748-2.
- Range, Clemens (1974). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Kriegsmarine [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Navy]. Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 978-3-87943-355-1.
- Scherzer, Veit (2007) (in German). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives]. Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
External links[]
The original article can be found at Robert-Richard Zapp and the edit history here.