Wolfgang Zenker was part of the 6st destroyer division at the outbreak of the war, operating in the Baltic Sea near Danzig and later transferred to the North Sea after the Polnish campaign. The ship took part in two mining operations in British coastal waters.

During in Operation Weserübung  the Wolfgang Zenker was part of the Kriegsschiffgruppe 1 heading for Narvik and scuttled on 13.04.1940 in the Rombakkenfjord near Narvik after a battle with British destroyers because being out of ammo and fuel.