Type | VIIC | |||||||||
| Ordered | 5 Jun 1941 | |||||||||
| Laid down | 21 Mar 1942 | Flender Werke AG, Lübeck (werk 311) | ||||||||
| Launched | 20 Jan 1943 | |||||||||
| Commissioned | 23 Mar 1943 | Oblt. Joachim Zander | ||||||||
| Commanders |
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| Career 2 patrols |
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| Successes | 1 ship sunk, total tonnage 10,342 GRT | |||||||||
| Fate | Sunk on 22 April, 1944 in the North Atlantic south west of Iceland in position 52.09N, 19.07W, by depth charges from the Canadian frigates HMCS Matane and HMCS Swansea. 51 dead (all hands lost). (FDS/NHB, April 1986). | |||||||||
Previously recorded fate
- Sunk 24 April, 1944 southwest of Ireland, in position 50.36N, 18.36W,
by depth charges from a Canadian Sunderland aircraft (Sqdn. 423/A). (Postwar assessment)
Notes. This attack was in fact against U-672 inflicting severe damages.
Wolfpack operations
U-311 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
Coronel (7 Dec 1943 - 8 Dec 1943)
Coronel 1 (8 Dec 1943 - 14 Dec 1943)
Coronel 2 (14 Dec 1943 - 17 Dec 1943)
Amrum (18 Dec 1943 - 23 Dec 1943)
Rügen 5 (23 Dec 1943 - 2 Jan 1944)
Rügen 4 (2 Jan 1944 - 7 Jan 1944)
Rügen (7 Jan 1944 - 19 Jan 1944)
Preussen (19 Mar 1944 - 22 Mar 1944)
Attacks on this boat
12 May 1943
Aircraft attack, aircraft shot down:British B-17 Fortress (Sqdn 206)
12 Mar 1944
Aircraft attack, aircraft shot down:
British Halifax HX225 (58 Sqdn RAF/L)
At 01.20 hours, the outbound boat shot down the Halifax (misidentified as Fortress) in the Bay of Biscay after being strafed and attacked with depth charges. All eight crewmen were lost.
(Sources: Franks/Zimmerman)16 Mar 1944
While attacking big tanker convoy CU 17 the boat was hunted for hours by its surface escorts but managed to penetrate its defences and destroy the large tanker Seakay. The boat managed to elude the escorts and get away. (Sources: Blair, vol 2, page 506)
3 recorded attacks on this boat.
Men lost from U-boats
Unlike many other U-boats, which during their service lost men due to accidents and various other causes, U-311 did not suffer any casualties (we know of) until the time of her loss.
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