Wolfgang Lüth

Infobox Military Person
name=Wolfgang Lüth
lived=birth date|1913|10|15|df=y — death date and age|1945|5|13|1913|10|15|df=y
placeofbirth=Riga, Latvia
placeofdeath=Flensburg-Mürwik, Germany


caption=
nickname=
allegiance=flagicon|Nazi Germany Nazi Germany
branch=navy|Nazi Germany
serviceyears=1933-1945
rank=Kapitän zur See
commands=
U-13, 1939-12-16 – 1939-12-28
U-9, 1939-12-30 – 1940-05-10
U-138, 1940-05-27 – 1940-10-11
U-43, 1940-10-21 – 1942-04-11
U-181, 1942-05-09 – 1943-10-31
22. Unterseebootsflottille; 1944-01 – 1944-05
Marineschule Mürwick; 1944-06 – 1945-05
unit=1. Unterseebootsflottille
6. Unterseebootsflottille
12. Unterseebootsflottille
22. Unterseebootsflottille
battles=Spanish Civil War
World War II
*Battle of the Atlantic (1939-1945)
awards=Iron Cross 1st Class
Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds
laterwork=
Captain Wolfgang Lüth (15 October 1913 – 13 May 1945) was the second most successful German U-boat ace of World War II. He also was the youngest German ever appointed captain, and the youngest to ever command the Naval Academy Mürwik. Lüth was one of the only two German Navy officers, both U-boat captains, who received the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds. The other recipient was Albrecht Brandi.

Biography

Lüth was a Baltic German born in Riga in the Russian Empire. After studying Law for three semesters he joined the Kriegsmarine in April 1933, attaining the rank of "Seekadett" on 23 September, 1933. He served with surface ships at first, going on a 9-month training tour around the world in the light cruiser "Karlsruhe" in 1934, and served for a year aboard the Light Cruiser "Königsberg".

In February 1937 he transferred to the U-boat arm. In July he was appointed 2nd Watch Officer of U-27, with which he sailed on a patrol in Spanish waters during the Spanish Civil War. In October he was appointed the 1st Watch Officer of U-38, and with this boat he was on patrol when the war started on 1 September 1939.

World War II

On 30 December 1939 he took command of U-9, a Type IIB U-boat, and with this boat he went on six war patrols, achieving successes steadily, including sinking the French submarine "Doris" on 9 May 1940. On 27 June 1940 he took command of U-138, a Type IID, with which he sunk 4 ships on his first patrol for GRT|34,633|metric|first=yes. In October, after having returned from his second patrol, he was awarded with the Knight's Cross for his successes.

On 21 October 1940 Lüth took command of U-43, a long range Type IX U-boat. With this boat he made five patrols sinking 12 ships for GRT|68,077|metric. On 1 January 1941 he was promoted to Kapitänleutnant. On 9 May 1942 he took command of a Type IXD-2, U-181. He left on his first patrol in September 1942, departing from Kiel. The target of this patrol was the Indian Ocean and South African waters. In October he reached the sealanes outside Cape Town and spent a month patrolling, sinking 12 ships for GRT|58,381|metric before returning to Bordeaux, France, in January 1943. On 16 November 1942 he received the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross.

In March 1943 Lüth set out for a second patrol off South Africa. This patrol lasted an incredible 205 days, during which he sank 10 ships for GRT|45,331|metric. He was awarded with the Crossed Swords his Knight's Cross during this patrol. He was also promoted to Korvettenkapitän on 1 April 1943. On 8 September of the same year, Luth was awarded Diamonds to his Knight's Cross, more commonly known as the Ritterkreuz among German submariners.

After five years of operational u-boat service Lüth took command of 22. Unterseebootsflottille in January 1944. This was a training unit for U-boat commanders. In July 1944 he took command of the 1st Department of the "Marineschule Mürwik" (Naval Academy Mürwik) in Flensburg-Mürwick. He was promoted to Fregattenkapitän on 1 August 1944 and became the commander of the entire "Marineschule" in September, and promoted to Kapitän zur See.

Death

On the night of 13 May 1945 Lüth was shot by a German sentry at the Flensburg-Mürwik Naval Academy when he failed to respond to the sentry's challenge. Whether he deliberately failed to respond, perhaps in order to commit suicide, or if the guard simply did not hear his response is unknown. Lüth was buried on 15 May 1945, receiving the last state funeral of the Third Reich. Hitler's successor as Head of State, Reichspräsident and Großadmiral Karl Dönitz, delivered the last words.

Achievements

Lüth was awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class, the U-boat War Badge and the Knights Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds, one of only two Naval Officers thus honored.

During his career he sunk 46 commercial ships for GRT|225,204|metric, one warship of 552 tons, and damaged two ships for GRT|17,343|metric.

Awards

* Spanish Cross in Bronze
* U-boat Front Clasp
* U-boat War Badge with Diamonds
* Eisernes Kreuz 2. and 1. Class
* Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub, Schwertern und Brillianten
** Ritterkreuz (24 October 1940)
** 142. Eichenlaub (13 November 1942)
** 29. Schwertern (15 April 1943)
** 7. Brillianten (9 August 1943)
* Mentioned two times in the Wehrmachtbericht

References

* Berger, Florian (1999), "Mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern. Die höchstdekorierten Soldaten des Zweiten Weltkrieges". Selbstverlag Florian Berger. ISBN 3-9501307-0-5.
* Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). "Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945". Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
* Kurowski, Franz (1995). "Knight's Cross Holders of the U-Boat Service". Schiffer Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0-88740-748-X.
* Range, Clemens (1974). "Die Ritterkreuzträger der Kriegsmarine". Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 3-87943-355-0.

;External link
*