Fritz Rolf Rüggeberg was born in Barcelona Spain on Monday 4th March 1907.His father was at one time the German Consul for Barcelona, formerly an officer in the Imperial Navy and intelligence agent for the Abwehr ( German Military Intelligence ).
Young 'Fritz' who was nearly always known as Rolf followed in his fathers footsteps when he enrolled for officer training at the German Naval Academy Mürwik in 1926.In 1934 he was working as a radio expert for Naval Intelligence. It was during this time that he was recruited by his fathers old friend and colleague the enigmatic master spy chief Admiral Wilhelm Canaris head of the Abwehr ( Rolf's godfather ) to coordinate German Naval Intelligence in a new Spain under Franco rule. On 12th January 1939 Rolf Rüggeberg arrived in Burgos to satisfy a Spanish request for a naval instructor at the San Fernando Naval School in Cadiz. His undercover intelligence activities reveal him as considerably more than a mere instructor, as does the amount of effort Canaris exerted to keep him in Spain. He was involved with the Etappendienst the clandestine service revamped by Canaris before the Spanish civil war to arrange for secret Spanish support regarding the German Navy and especially it's U-boat arm. After spending time as the Assistant to the German Naval Attaché ( Madrid ) and Naval Attaché in Lisbon he returned to Germany in 1941 to commence training for active U-boat service.
Training to be a U-boat Commander started in April 1941 and finished the following November. Practical training at sea was aboard the U-107 under the command of Kptlt. Günther Hessler who became a celebrated figure after leading the most successful U-boat patrol in the entire war earlier that year. At the beginning of 1942 Rüggeberg had his first commission the U-513, which he commanded until May 1943.
Following time hospitalized after his third patrol, Commander Rüggeberg was transferred to Norway to oversee the operations of the 13th U-boat Combat Flotilla. He was characterized by his former crew as being quiet and cautious, thus suiting him ideally to the role of contact keeper for a group of U-boats. However, though showing daring and a spirit of attack on his first patrol, the two following patrols found him exercising more and more caution; rescued crew members after the U-513 sinking were interrogated and stated that on several occasions when radar was intercepted on the G. S. R., he would give the order to submerge, even though the G. S. R. operator assured him that the radar station was land-based. Again, on the third patrol, four fishing vessels were observed in the vicinity of the Canary Islands,Rüggeberg fearing a U-boat trap, ordered a dive though everyone on board beseeched him to use his forward deck gun in an effort to establish the status of these boats. Some of the crew were of the opinion that U-513 would not have been surprised on the surface ; when she was sunk, had Rüggeberg been her commander at that time. Generally speaking, he kept to himself and let the crew have its own way; the result was that the performance of the boat decreased and that his successor, Kapitänleutnant Guggenberger found it necessary to devote considerable time to the drilling and exercising of the men after he took over command of U-513, just before her fourthand last patrol. The crew was under the impression that Rüggeberg would not get another U-boat command in view of his age and health; however, no one was sure where he had been transferred. With the capitulation of Norway in Nov 1944 he became a POW, being released the following year. As a serving Officer he was required to submit too but not attend the Nuremberg War Trials; with no case to answer and a commendation regarding his wartime conduct he returned to active service. Post war positions based largely in Northern Germany led to a new career opportunity. The Allies were always looking for non Nazi sympathizers to represent the new Germany. The captain was a perfect choice and seized the chance to represent his country . In 1960 Captain Fritz Rolf Rüggeberg became the new Naval Attaché to Great Britain and in so doing so followed in his fathers footsteps once again by becoming a diplomat. After a successful and enjoyable term in London he retired with his wife to their native Germany. The 'Captain' died in 1979 he left a wife and three children.
