Robert-Richard Zapp
Robert-Richard Zapp
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Richard Zapp
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Born | Germersheim |
3 April 1904
Died | Error: Need valid death date (first date): year, month, day Kiel |
Allegiance | <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
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Service/ |
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Years of service | 1923–45 |
Rank | Fregattenkapitän |
Commands held | <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/> |
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: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.
Contents
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 USA he sank six vessels totaling 43,946 tons. They included the 7,988 GRT Canadian passenger liner RMS Lady Hawkins on 19 January, whose final death toll was 251.[2] 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
As a U-boat commander of U-66 Zapp is credited with the sinking of 16 ships for a total of 106,200 gross register tons (GRT), and damaging one further ship, the Geo. W. McNight, of 12,502 GRT.
Date | Ship | Nationality | Tonnage | Fate |
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29 June 1941 | George J. Goulandris | ![]() |
4,345 | Sunk |
29 June 1941 | Kalypso Vergotti | ![]() |
5,686 | Sunk |
30 June 1941 | Saint Aslem | ![]() |
5,614 | Sunk |
19 July 1941 | Holmside | ![]() |
3,433 | Sunk |
26 July 1941 | I. C. White | ![]() |
7,052 | Sunk |
18 January 1942 | Allan Jackson | ![]() |
6,635 | Sunk |
19 January 1942 | RMS Lady Hawkins | ![]() |
7,988 | Sunk |
22 January 1942 | Olympic | ![]() |
5,335 | Sunk |
24 January 1942 | Empire Gem | ![]() |
8,139 | Sunk |
24 January 1942 | Venore | ![]() |
8,017 | Sunk |
14 April 1942 | Korthion | ![]() |
2,116 | Sunk |
16 April 1942 | Amsterdam | ![]() |
7,329 | Sunk |
17 April 1942 | Heinrich von Riedemann | ![]() |
11,020 | Sunk |
26 April 1942 | Alcoa Partner | ![]() |
5,513 | Sunk |
29 April 1942 | Harry G. Siedel | ![]() |
10,354 | Sunk |
2 May 1942 | Sandar | ![]() |
7,624 | Sunk |
3 May 1942 | Geo. W. McNight | ![]() |
12,502 | Damaged |
Awards
- U-boat War Badge (14 May 1941)[3]
- Iron Cross (1939)
- War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords (30 January 1945)[4]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 23 April 1942 as Korvettenkapitän and commander of U-66[5][6]
- Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 27 January 1942 and 7 May 1942
Wehrmachtbericht references
Date | Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording | Direct English translation |
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Tuesday, 27 January 1942 | Wie durch Sondermeldung bekanntgegeben, versenkten deutsche Unterseeboote an der nordamerikanischen und kanadischen Küste in Fortsetzung ihrer Angriffe auf die feindliche Schiffahrt in diesen Gewässern weitere zwölf Handelsschiffe mit zusammen 103 000 BRT, darunter sechs große Tanker. Bei diesen Angriffen war das Unterseeboot des Korvettenkapitäns Zapp besonders erfolgreich.[7] | As announced by special bulletin, German submarines at the North American and Canadian coast in continuation of their attacks against enemy shipping in these waters, sank further twelve merchant ships totaling 103,000 GRT, including six large tankers. In these attacks the submarine of Lieutenant Commander Zapp was particularly successful. |
Thursday, 7 May 1942 | Bei den Erfolgen deutscher Unterseeboote zeichnete sich das Unterseeboot unter Führung des Korvettenkapitäns Zapp besonders aus.[8] | In the success of German submarines, the submarine under the command of Lieutenant Commander Zapp distinguished itself from the rest. |
Notes
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References
- Notes
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- Bibliography
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External links
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Military offices | ||
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Preceded by
Kapitänleutnant Heinz von Reiche
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Commander of 3rd U-boat Flotilla June, 1942 – October, 1944 |
Succeeded by disbanded |
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- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Busch & Röll 2003, p. 210.
- ↑ Busch & Röll 2003, p. 211.
- ↑ Scherzer 2007, p. 802.
- ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 455.
- ↑ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 2, p. 20.
- ↑ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 2, p. 106.
- Pages with reference errors
- Pages with broken file links
- Age error
- Articles containing German-language text
- 1904 births
- 1964 deaths
- German prisoners of war
- Kriegsmarine personnel
- Military personnel referenced in the Wehrmachtbericht
- People from Germersheim
- People from the Palatinate (region)
- Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
- Recipients of the War Merit Cross, 2nd class
- Reichsmarine personnel
- U-boat commanders
- World War II prisoners of war held by France