U-38

Type

IX

 
Ordered29 Jul 1936
Laid down15 Apr 1937 AG Weser, Bremen (werk 943)
Launched9 Aug 1938
Commissioned24 Oct 1938Kptlt. Heinrich Liebe (Knights Cross/Oak Leaves)
Commanders
24 Oct 1938 - 22 Jul 1941  Kptlt. Heinrich Liebe (Knights Cross)
15 Jul 1941 - 6 Jan 1942   Heinrich Schuch
1943 - 1943  Oblt. Ludo Kregelin (in deputize) -- acting
5 Jan 1943 - 22 Aug 1943  Oblt. Helmut Laubert
23 Aug 1943 - 14 Dec 1943  Oblt. Paul Sander
16 Dec 1943 - Dec, 1943  Oblt. Goske von Möllendorff
Jan, 1944 - 14 Apr 1944  Oblt. Herbert Kühn
15 Apr 1944 - 5 May 1945  KrvKpt. Georg Peters
Career
11 patrols
24 Oct 1938-31 Aug 1939  6. Flottille (front boat)
1 Sep 1939-31 Dec 1939  6. Flottille (front boat)
1 Jan 1940-30 Nov 1941  2. Flottille (front boat)
1 Dec 1941-31 Mar 1942  24. Flottille (training)
1 Apr 1942-30 Nov 1943  21. Flottille (school boat)
1 Dec 1943-28 Feb 1945  4. Flottille (trial boat)(eb)
1 Mar 1945-5 May 1945  5. Flottille (trial boat)(eb)
Successes35 ships sunk for a total of 188,967 GRT
1 ship damaged for a total of 3,670 GRT
Fate

Scuttled 5 May, 1945 west of Wesermünde in position 53.34N, 08.32E, broken up in 1948.

See the 36 ships hit by U-38 - View the 11 war patrols

Wolfpack operations

U-38 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
   Prien (12 Jun 1940 - 17 Jun 1940)
   Grönland (10 Aug 1941 - 27 Aug 1941)
   Markgraf (27 Aug 1941 - 3 Sep 1941)
   Schlagetot (20 Oct 1941 - 1 Nov 1941)
   Raubritter (1 Nov 1941 - 11 Nov 1941)

Attacks on this boat

2 Jan 1941
The boat was attacked by an escort with depth charges and suffered slight damage.

1 recorded attack on this boat.

General notes on this boat

* Georg Peters sailed on the following U-boats during WWI: SM U 25, SM U 52 and SM U 96.

Men lost from U-boats

Unlike many other U-boats, which during their service lost men due to accidents and various other causes, U-38 did not suffer any casualties (we know of) until the time of her loss.


We have an emblem for this boat!

You can view it here. (The emblem on the left is not the emblem for this boat).



U-Boat Operations of the Second World War - Vol 2
Wynn, Kenneth


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Books dealing with this subject include:

German U-Boat Losses During World War II. Niestle, Axel, 1998.
Hitler's U-boat War. Blair, Clay, 1996.
Hitler's U-boat War, Vol II. Blair, Clay, 1998.
U-Boat Operations of the Second World War - Vol 1. Wynn, Kenneth, 1998.
U-Boat Operations of the Second World War - Vol 2. Wynn, Kenneth, 1998.


There was another U-38 in World War One
That boat was launched from its shipyard on 9 Sep 1914 and commissioned into the Imperial Navy on 15 Dec 1914. The Naval war in WWI was brought to an end with the Armistice signed on 11 Nov, 1918. Read about the U 38 during WWI.