Date of birth:

April 3rd, 1904 (Germersheim, Pfalz, Germany)

Date of death:

July 17th, 1964 (Kiel, Germany)

Nationality:

German

Richard Zapp started his naval career in May 1923. Before joining the U-boat fleet in 1939, he served aboard a minesweeper and later on took command of 251 Marineflak (Naval anti-aircraf gunnery). After the usual training, he served in U-46 for a short while under Oberleutnant zur See Engelbert Endrass with whom he participated in the battle against HX 79 in October 1940. HX 79 was a convoy consisting of 49 vessels of which 12, totaling 75.069 tonnes, were sunk by a Wolfpack, including U-46.
January 1941, Zapp was posted aboard U-66. After three patrols in the Atlantic Ocean, his was one of the boats that participated in the first wave of attacks in Operation Paukenschlag (Drumbeat). On the first patrol of this operation, he sank five vessels, totaling 33.456 tonnes. On his second patrol off the eastern seaboard of the United States, he was victorious again, sinking six vessels totaling 43.946 tonnes. April 23rd, 1942, he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (Knight's Cross to the Iron Cross). In June 1942, he was posted ashore to become commander of 3rd Flotilla, based at La Rochelle in France. January 1st, 1945, he was promoted to Fregattenkapitän (Captain of Frigates). In the last three months of the war, he became commander of the Naval 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 prison and was released July 7th, 1947.
Richard Zapp died July 17th, 1964.
His personal record stands at 16 vessels sunk, totaling 106.200 tonnes and one 12.502 ton vessel damaged, placing him in 27th position in the ranking of highest-scoring U-boat aces.

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Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Korvettenkapitän

Unit:

Kommandant "U 66" / 2.Unterseebootsflottille

Awarded on:

May 14th, 1941

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Korvettenkapitän

Unit:

Kommandant "U 66" / 2.Unterseebootsflottille

Awarded on:

August 6th, 1941

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Korvettenkapitän

Unit:

Kommandant "U 66" / 2.Unterseebootsflottille

Awarded on:

August 6th, 1941

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Korvettenkapitän (Lieutenant Commander)

Unit:

Kommandant "U 66" / 2.Unterseebootsflottille

Awarded on:

April 23rd, 1942

The following newspaper excerpt (dated 06.05.1942) describes why Zapp received the Knight’s Cross…

“Korvettenkapitän Robert-Richard Zapp has so far sunk 13 armed enemy merchant ships (with a total of 103000 GRT) whilst serving as a U-Boat captain. Zapp is one of the most successful America raiders, and as one of the oldest U-Boat commanders he has consistently demonstrated toughness, boldness and fearless devotion to duty in every one of his war patrols.”

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

January 30th, 1945

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

January 27th, 1942

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

May 7th, 1942

• Photo: Wilco Vermeer
• - DIXON, JEREMY, The U-boat Commanders, Naval Institute Press, 2019.
  - Fellgiebel W.P., Elite of the Third Reich, The recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939-1945: A Reference, Helion & Company Limited, Solihull, 2003, ISBN 1-874622-46-9
  - Deutsche-marinesoldaten.de
  - Ubootwaffe.net
  - Uboat.net
  - Bochumer Anzeiger (Edition 104)