Ralph Kapitzky

Kapitänleutnant (Crew 35)

Successes
4 ships sunk, total tonnage 27,231 GRT

Born	28 Jun 1915		Dresden
Died	7 Aug 1943	(28)	Caribbean Sea

Ranks

5 Apr 1935		Offiziersanwärter
25 Sep 1935		Seekadett
1 Apr 1936		Fähnrich zur See
1 Jan 1938		Oberfähnrich zur See
1 Apr 1938		Leutnant zur See
1 Oct 1939		Oberleutnant zur See
1 Jun 1942		Kapitänleutnant

U-boat Commands

U-boat	From	To
U-615	26 Mar 1942	7 Aug 1943 (+)	4 patrols (221 days)

Beginning in the North Atlantic on the 29 July 1943, Ralph Kapitzky fought one of the longest serial actions by any U-boat against aircraft during the war. Although his boat was ultimately sunk, by that time having reached the Caribbean, the long-running battle absorbed the attentions of the US forces in the area and enabled the many other U-boats in the Caribbean to surface and escape to the east.

The first to attack was an American B-18 bomber, and over the week that followed the boat fought its way across the Atlantic through multiple air attacks, shooting down one Mariner flying boat and damaging others. The boat was finally overwhelmed and sunk by six more Mariners and one Ventura on the 7 August. Kptlt. Kapitzky died on the bridge still directing the defence of his boat.

Patrol info for Ralph Kapitzky

	U-boat	Departure		Arrival
1.	U-615	5 Sep 1942	Kiel	30 Oct 1942	La Pallice	Patrol 1,	56 days
2.	U-615	25 Nov 1942	La Pallice	9 Jan 1943	La Pallice	Patrol 2,	46 days
3.	U-615	18 Feb 1943	La Pallice	20 Apr 1943	La Pallice	Patrol 3,	62 days
4.	U-615	12 Jun 1943	La Pallice	7 Aug 1943	Sunk	Patrol 4,	57 days
4 patrols, 221 days at sea

Ships hit by Ralph Kapitzky

Date	U-boat	Name of ship	Tons		Convoy
11 Oct 1942	U-615	El Lago	4,221	pa	ONS-136
23 Oct 1942	U-615	Empire Star	12,656	br

11 Apr 1943	U-615	Edward B. Dudley	7,177	am	HX-232
28 Jul 1943	U-615	Rosalia	3,177	nl
			27,231
4 ships sunk (27,231 tons). Legend We have a picture of this vessel.

About ranks and decorations
Ranks shown in italics are our database inserts based on the rank dates of his crew comrades. The officers of each crew would normally have progressed through the lower ranks at the same rate.