U-188

Type

IXC/40

Ordered

15 Aug, 1940

Laid down

18 Aug, 1941

AG Weser, Bremen (werk 1028)

Launched

31 Mar, 1942

Commissioned

5 Aug, 1942

Oblt. Siegfried Lüdden (Knights Cross)

Commanders

5 Aug, 1942 - 9 Aug, 1944

Kptlt. Siegfried Lüdden (Knights Cross)

Career

3 patrols

5 Aug, 1942 - 31 Jan, 1943 4. Flottille (training)
1 Feb, 1943 - 20 Aug, 1944 10. Flottille (front boat)

Successes

8 ships sunk for a total of 49.725 GRT
1 warship sunk for a total of 1.190 tons
1 ship damaged for a total of 9.977 GRT

Fate

Scuttled on 20 August, 1944 at the U-boat base in Bordeaux, France when unable to escape the Allied advance. Broken up in 1947.

See the 10 ships hit by U-188 - View the 3 war patrols

Wolfpack operations

U-188 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
Seeteufel (21 Mar, 1943 - 30 Mar, 1943)
Adler (7 Apr, 1943 - 12 Apr, 1943)

Attacks on this boat

2 May, 1943
At 10.14 hours, the inbound boat was strafed and attacked with 4 bombs by a British Whitley aircraft (RAF Sqdn 612 / W) in the Bay of Biscay. Gunfire wounded the commander KptLt Siegfried Lüdden and another crew member, who died in a hospital in Paris on 14 May. [Matrosengefreiter Leo Rupp] (Sources: Rohwer/Ritschel)

1 recorded attacks on this boat.

General notes on this boat

HMS Beverly took part in sinking U-188's sister ship U-187 on 4 Feb, 1943.

June 19, 1944: The U-188 successfully arrives in Bordeaux with a cargo of tin, wolfram, opium and quinine after leaving Penang, Sumatra on January 9th. U-boat Control had assumed U-188 was sunk because the boat's radio had failed and it had been unable to send messages since early May.

Men lost from the boat

2 May, 1943
The boat was heading home through the Bay of Biscay when it was attacked by a Whitley aircraft. The commander, KL Siegfried Lüdden and a crewmember were heavily wounded. The crewmember died two weeks later in a hospital in Paris. [Matrosengefreiter Leo Rupp]

Related: For more info on such losses see - Men lost from U-boats -