WWI U-boat commanders

Max Viebeg

Kapitänleutnant (Crew 4/06)

Successes
50 ships sunk with a total of 79,748 GRT
10 ships damaged with a total of 49,140 GRT
1 ship taken as prize with a total of 1,047 GRT

Born:6 Apr 1887 Rössel/Ostpreußen 
Died:9 Nov 1961  

Max Viebeg

Ranks

1 Apr 1906 Seekadett
6 Apr 1907 Fähnrich zur See
30 Sep 1909 Leutnant zur See
19 Sep 1912 Oberleutnant zur See
26 Apr 1917 Kapitänleutnant
28 Jan 1920 Out of naval service

Decorations

 Iron Cross 2nd class
 Iron Cross 1st class
23 Jul 1917  Royal House Order of Hohenzollern
31 Jan 1918  Pour le Mérite
6 Jul 1918  Saxe-Ernestine House Order

U-boat Commands

UC 104 Nov 1915 - 8 Dec 1915
UB 2010 Feb 1916 - 31 Jan 1917
UB 3225 Feb 1917 - 5 Aug 1917
UC 651 Aug 1917 - 3 Sep 1917
UB 808 Sep 1917 - 11 Nov 1918

Notes

Viebeg entered the Kaiserliche Marine as Seekadett in 1906 and served on the battleship SMS Hessen in 1910. He then became watch officer on the torpedo boat V 190 in the 1st Torpedo Boat Flotilla until joining the U-boat school in October 1915. After commanding UC 10 and UB 20 in the Baltic he was transferred with UB 32 to the Flanders Flotilla in February 1917. He briefly took command of UC 65 and was then commander of UB 80 until the end of the war.

Awarded the Pour le Mérite on the 30 or the 31 of January, probably the 31 together with others. For outstanding leadership and distinguished naval planning and successful submarine operations. Also given in recognition of having sunk a total of 169,656 BRT of enemy shipping (later research has reduced this number quite a bit).

Max Viebeg retired from military service on 28 January 1920 and left Germany to manage a tea plantation on Java, Dutch East Indies.

Ships hit by Max Viebeg

DateU-boat Name of shipType of shipTonsNat.
 
2 Aug 1916 UB 20 Bror OskarSteamer368sw
2 Aug 1916 UB 20  CommerceSteamer638sw
2 Aug 1916 UB 20 Themis (p.)Steamer1,047sw
2 Aug 1916 UB 20 VeraSailing vessel312sw
2 Aug 1916 UB 20 VermlandSteamer213sw
 
13 Mar 1917 UB 32 ComradesFishing vessel (smack)58br
13 Mar 1917 UB 32 De Tien KindersFishing vessel44be
13 Mar 1917 UB 32 Gold SeekerFishing vessel (smack)62br
30 Mar 1917 UB 32 Penshurst (d.)Q-ship1,191br
31 Mar 1917 UB 32 BoazSailing vessel111br
31 Mar 1917 UB 32 GippeswicSailing vessel116br
31 Mar 1917 UB 32  Gloucester Castle (d.)Hospital ship7,999br
31 Mar 1917 UB 32 Queen Louise (d.)Steamer4,879br
1 Apr 1917 UB 32 EndymionSailing vessel73br
4 Apr 1917 UB 32 ParanaSteamer4,461bz
5 Apr 1917 UB 32 Ernest LegouveSailing vessel2,246fr
24 Apr 1917 UB 32 Marie BlancheSailing vessel359fr
25 Apr 1917 UB 32  BallaratTroopship11,120br
27 Apr 1917 UB 32 AlfalfaSteamer2,993br
27 Apr 1917 UB 32 BeemahSteamer4,750br
28 Apr 1917 UB 32 PursueFishing vessel (smack)37br
29 Apr 1917 UB 32 Ellen HarrisonSailing vessel103br
29 Apr 1917 UB 32 MermaidSailing vessel76br
30 Apr 1917 UB 32 PortbailSteamer378fr
8 Jun 1917 UB 32 VinaesSteamer1,107nw
11 Jun 1917 UB 32 Mar CorSteamer3,257it
12 Jun 1917 UB 32 South PointSteamer4,258br
14 Jun 1917 UB 32 VigoureuseSailing vessel152fr
5 Jul 1917 UB 32 HavbrisSteamer677nw
6 Jul 1917 UB 32 Wabasha (d.)Tanker5,864br
19 Aug 1917 UC 65 General Du TempleDredger585fr
25 Aug 1917 UC 65 GarmSteamer725nw
25 Aug 1917 UC 65  NermaSteamer689da
29 Aug 1917 UC 65 Laura C. AndersonSailing vessel960am
31 Aug 1917 UC 65 Erissos (d.)Steamer2,885gr
1 Sep 1917 UC 65 Peronnesteamer3,342fr
26 Nov 1917 UB 80 Ango (d.)Steamer7,393fr
27 Nov 1917 UB 80  BleamoorSteamer3,755br
30 Nov 1917 UB 80 KalibiaSteamer4,930br
4 Dec 1917 UB 80 VavSteamer1,255nw
5 Dec 1917 UB 80 Armenia (d.)Steamer5,463am
 
11 Jan 1918 UB 80 BarsacSteamer1,806fr
11 Jan 1918 UB 80  Mississipi (d.)Steamer6,687fr
14 Jan 1918 UB 80 Arthur CapelSteamer822fr
17 Jan 1918 UB 80 KingsdykeSteamer1,710br
17 Jan 1918 UB 80 War Thistle (d.)Steamer5,166br
4 Mar 1918 UB 80 PolkerrisSteamer943fr
5 Mar 1918 UB 80 UskmoorSteamer3,189br
7 Mar 1918 UB 80 MarthaSteamer653be
9 Mar 1918 UB 80 GraneSteamer1,122nw
15 Apr 1918 UB 80 Ailsa CraigSteamer601br
16 Apr 1918 UB 80 George Harper (d.)Steamer1,613br
18 Apr 1918 UB 80 BamseSteamer958br
21 Apr 1918 UB 80 Westergatesteamer1,760br
25 Apr 1918 UB 80 SevillaSteamer1,318nw
7 Jun 1918 UB 80 Axpe MendiSteamer2,873sp
10 Jun 1918 UB 80 StrynSteamer2,143br
11 Jun 1918 UB 80 BomaSteamer2,694br
30 Jul 1918 UB 80 Stock ForceQ-ship732br
6 Sep 1918 UB 80  AudaxSteamer975br
9 Sep 1918 UB 80 TaurusSteamer1,239nw
 129,935
51 ships sunk (80,795 tons) and 10 ships damaged (49,140 tons).


Legend
(d.) means the ship was damaged.
(p.) means the ship was taken as prize (included in ships & tonnage lost).
We have a picture of this vessel.

Media links


Kaiserliche Marine U-Boote 1914-1918

Dufeil, Yves

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