Type | VIIC | |||||||||||||
| Ordered | 10 Apr 1941 | |||||||||||||
| Laid down | 18 Jan 1942 | Bremer Vulkan-Vegesacker Werft, Bremen-Vegesack (werk 40) | ||||||||||||
| Launched | 8 Oct 1942 | |||||||||||||
| Commissioned | 25 Nov 1942 | Ltnt. Helmut Bork | ||||||||||||
| Commanders |
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| Career 9 patrols |
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| Successes | 1 ship sunk, total tonnage 4,934 GRT 1 warship sunk, total tonnage 1,090 tons | |||||||||||||
| Fate | Sunk 10 March, 1945 in the English Channel south of Newhaven, in position 50.36N, 00.04E, by a mine. 48 dead (all hands lost). | |||||||||||||
Wolfpack operations
U-275 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
Leuthen (15 Sep 1943 - 24 Sep 1943)
Rossbach (24 Sep 1943 - 9 Oct 1943)
Borkum (18 Dec 1943 - 3 Jan 1944)
Dragoner (21 May 1944 - 22 May 1944)
Attacks on this boat
1 Oct 1943
The boat reported an unsuccessful attack by a Hudson aircraft. (Sources: Blair, vol 2, page 428)
14 Jun 1944
At 17.15 hours, U-275 was attacked by 12 British Typhoon aircraft (Sqdn 263) when leaving the harbour of St. Peter Port, Guernesey. The U-boat was not damaged, but two of the escorting patrol vessels were. (Sources: BdU)
22 Jul 1944
An aircraft discovered the boat when she rose to periscope depth to take bearings and vectored in a British hunter-killer group that pursued the boat for 7 hours before the boat managed to shake them off. (Sources: Blair, vol 2, page 604)
24 Jul 1944
When the boat arrived at Bay of Seine she was hunted for 8 hours by a hunter-killer group but managed to elude its pursuers once again. After that each time she raised her periscope the boat was attacked again and finally managed to enter Boulogne on Aug 1. Date is approximate. (Sources: Blair, vol 2, page 604)
18 Sep 1944
At 09.20 hours, the inbound boat was attacked by eight Mosquito fighter bombers on an anti-submarine strike mission off Utvaer. The formation consisted of two TseTse Mosquitos (248 Sqdn RAF/E and O), four aircraft carrying two Mark XI depth charges (248 Sqdn RAF/B, J, U and V) and two escorting fighters (235 Sqdn RAF/J and H). U-275 tried to crash dive but touched the ground in a depth of about 9 meters and was strafed and bombed twice by the aircraft while being half submerged. The bombs of one aircraft failed to release and the 6pdr gun of another aircraft jammed during the second run, but six depth charges fell close to the boat and at least 11 hits were observed by the TseTse Mosquitos and numerous cannon hits by all other aircraft. The Mosquitos left when a nearby coastal battery opened accurate AA fire, observing the U-boat limping away with a list to port. (Sources: KTB U-275/ADM199-1786)
5 recorded attacks on this boat.
General notes on this boat
3 Jan 1944. On 3 January, 1944 U-275 had to return to base because the commander was suffering from appendicitis.
Schnorchel-fitted U-boat
This boat was fitted with a Schnorchel underwater-breathing apparatus and sailed equipped with it in August 1944 but it was of course installed prior to that date. Read more about the Schnorchel and see list of fitted boats.
Men lost from U-boats
Unlike many other U-boats, which during their service lost men due to accidents and various other causes, U-275 did not suffer any casualties (we know of) until the time of her loss.
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