U-278
Type | VIIC | |||||||||||||||||
| Ordered | 10 Apr 1941 | |||||||||||||||||
| Laid down | 26 Mar 1942 | Bremer Vulkan-Vegesacker Werft, Bremen-Vegesack (werk 43) | ||||||||||||||||
| Launched | 2 Dec 1942 | |||||||||||||||||
| Commissioned | 16 Jan 1943 | Oblt. Joachim Franze | ||||||||||||||||
| Commanders |
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| Career 7 patrols |
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| Successes | 1 ship sunk for a total of 7,177 GRT 1 warship sunk for a total of 1,810 tons | |||||||||||||||||
| Fate | Surrendered at Narvik, Norway on 9 May, 1945. Transferred to Loch Eriboll, Scotland, on 19 May and later to Lisahally for Operation Deadlight. Operation Deadlight (post-war Allied operation, info) | |||||||||||||||||
The U-boats that were in the Narvik area at the end of the war were all moved to the Skjomenfjord upon Allied orders to avoid conflicts with the Norwegians on 12 May. On 15 May, a German convoy of four ships (the fleet tender Grille with the staff of FdU Norwegen aboard, the fleet oiler Kärnten and the depot ships Huascaran and Stella Polaris) and 15 U-boats (U-278, U-294, U-295, U-312, U-313, U-318, U-363, U-427, U-481, U-668, U-716, U-968, U-992, U-997 and U-1165) left for transfer to Trondheim, but was intercepted after two days by the 9th Escort Group off the Norwegian coast and officially capitulated. While the ships were allowed to proceed to Trondheim, the U-boats were escorted to Loch Eriboll, Scotland, arriving on 19 May. All U-boats were later that month transferred to Lisahally or Loch Ryan for Operation Deadlight.
Wolfpack operations
U-278 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
Isegrim (16 Jan 1944 - 27 Jan 1944)
Werwolf (29 Jan 1944 - 18 Feb 1944)
Boreas (4 Mar 1944 - 5 Mar 1944)
Taifun (5 Mar 1944 - 10 Mar 1944)
Thor (10 Mar 1944 - 3 Apr 1944)
Donner & Keil (25 Apr 1944 - 3 May 1944)
Greif (3 Aug 1944 - 26 Sep 1944)
Faust (21 Apr 1945 - 1 May 1945)
Attacks on this boat
3 May 1944
A British Martlet (Wildcat) aircraft attacked the boat. The aircraft was from the British escort carrier HMS Activity but was not shot down as the Germans reported. (Sources: fazzinpa@muohio.edu, http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=9584)
1 recorded attack on this boat.
Schnorchel-fitted U-boat
This boat was fitted with a Schnorchel underwater-breathing apparatus in October 1944. 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-278 did not suffer any casualties (we know of) until the time of her loss.
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