Ralph Kapitzky (28 June 1915 – 7 August 1943) was the kapitanleutnant of U-615 during World War II. He sunk four freighters, and he was killed in the largest aircraft hunt for a single u-boat during the war.
Biography[]
Ralph Kapitzky was born on 28 June 1915 in Dresden, German Empire. He joined the Kriegsmarine and served in World War II, being promoted to kapitanleutnant on 1 June 1942 and commanding U-615. Kapitzky sunk Panamanian ship MV El Lago on 11 October 1942, British ship MV Empire Star on 23 October 1942, US ship MV Edward B. Dudley on 11 April 1943, and Dutch ship MV Rosalia on 28 July 1943, a total of 27,231 tons of material.
On 7 August 1943, after a long chase by USAF planes, U-615 was bombed off Isla de la Margarita, Venezuela. Kapitzky and three others were killed, and 43 crew members survived.