List of all U-boats

U-453

Type

VIIC

 
Ordered30 Oct 1939
Laid down4 Jul 1940 Deutsche Werke AG, Kiel (werk 284)
Launched30 Apr 1941
Commissioned26 Jun 1941Kptlt. Gert Hetschko
Commanders
26 Jun 1941 - 8 Jul 1941  Kptlt. Gert Hetschko
9 Jul 1941 - 6 Dec 1943  Kptlt. Freiherr Egon Reiner von Schlippenbach (Knights Cross)
7 Dec 1943 - 21 May 1944  Oblt. Dierk Lührs
Career
17 patrols
26 Jun 1941-1 Nov 1941  7. Flottille (training)
1 Nov 1941-31 Dec 1941  7. Flottille (front boat)
1 Jan 1942-21 May 1944  29. Flottille (front boat)
Successes9 ships sunk, total tonnage 23,289 GRT
1 warship sunk, total tonnage 835 tons
2 ships damaged, total tonnage 16,610 GRT
1 warship a total loss, total tonnage 1,705 tons
Fate

Sunk 21 May, 1944 in the Ionian Sea north-east of Cape Spartivento, in position 38.13N, 16.30E, by depth charges from the British destroyers HMS Termagent and HMS Tenacious and the escort destroyer HMS Liddesdale. 1 dead and 51 survivors.

See the 13 ships hit by U-453 - View the 17 war patrols

Attacks on this boat

12 Dec 1942
The U-453 sustained so much damage during a depth charge attack that she was forced to return to base in the Mediterranean.

24 Apr 1943
Aircraft attack, aircraft shot down:British Hudson (500 Sqdn RAF/N, pilot W/O R. Obee)

At 00.12 hours, the boat was illuminated by the Hudson with flares after obtaining a radar contact off Oran and subsequently attacked. AA fire hit the aircraft (misidentified as Hampden) during its inital strafing run and killed the pilot. No depth charges were dropped as the front gunner struggled to save the Hudson from crashing. The navigator then flew the aircraft to their base at Tafaraoui, but the four remaining crewmen bailed out and let it crash because they could not land the Hudson safely.This aircraft was formerly credited with sinking U-602, but was in fact against U-453 inflicting no damage.

(Sources: Franks/Zimmerman)

4 Feb 1944
Aircraft attack, aircraft shot down:South African Ventura 565 (17 Sqdn SAAF/Y, pilot Lt A. de Jong)

At 19.44 hours, the boat was attacked by the Ventura (misidentified as Mosquito) south of Cyprus. The aircraft made a first attack assisted by Leigh Light and dropped four bombs in a second attack, but the port engine caught fire after being hit by AA fire and it was seen by the Germans to crash into the sea about 1000 meters away, killing all four crewmen. The bombs missed on the port side and did not damage the U-boat. (Sources: Franks/Zimmerman)

3 recorded attacks on this boat.

Men lost from the boat

13 Oct 1942
1 man was killed and 3 wounded on U-453 in an accident during handling the machine gun. [Matrosengefreiter Horst Saupe + on 13th Oct., Steuermannsgefreiter Helmut Lorenz died 2 months later]

24 Feb 1944
During test firing with the machine gun at the base in Salamis, Greece were two men killed (not crew members).

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



Hitler's U-boat War, Vol II

Blair, Clay


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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.