List of all U-boats

U-564

Type

VIIC

 
Ordered24 Oct 1939
Laid down30 Mar 1940 Blohm & Voss, Hamburg (werk 540)
Launched7 Feb 1941
Commissioned3 Apr 1941Oblt. Reinhard Suhren (Oak Leaves with Swords)
Commanders
3 Apr 1941 - 1 Oct 1942  KrvKpt. Reinhard Suhren (Knights Cross)
1 Oct 1942 - 14 Jun 1943  Oblt. Hans Fiedler
Career
9 patrols
3 Apr 1941-1 Jun 1941  1. Flottille (training)
1 Jun 1941-14 Jun 1943  1. Flottille (active service)
Successes18 ships sunk, total tonnage 95,544 GRT
1 warship sunk, total tonnage 900 tons
4 ships damaged, total tonnage 28,907 GRT
Fate

Sunk at 1730hrs on 14 June 1943 in the North Atlantic north-west of Cape Ortegal, Spain, in position 44.17N, 10.25W, by depth charges from a British Whitley aircraft (10 OTU RAF/G). 28 dead and 18 survivors.

Loss position

See the 23 ships hit by U-564 - View the 9 war patrols

Wolfpack operations

U-564 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
   Brandenburg (16 Sep 1941 - 19 Sep 1941)
   Breslau (2 Oct 1941 - 29 Oct 1941)
   Natter (2 Nov 1942 - 8 Nov 1942)
   Westwall (8 Nov 1942 - 16 Dec 1942)
   Seeteufel (21 Mar 1943 - 30 Mar 1943)
   Löwenherz (1 Apr 1943 - 10 Apr 1943)

Attacks on this boat and other events

24 Oct 1941
After mounting successful attacks on convoy HG 75 on the morning of this day, U-564 was attacked twice in the evening: an unidentified aircraft dropped one bomb, then three hours later the boat was depth charged by an escort. No damage.

13 Jun 1943
Aircraft attack, aircraft shot down: British Sunderland flying boat (228 Sqdn RAF/U, pilot F/O L.B. Lee)

18.59 hrs, Bay of Biscay NW of Finisterre, outbound: a group of five boats (U-185, U-358, U-564, U-634 and U-653) were attacked by the Sunderland. After bombing U-564, the aircraft crashed in flames after being hit by intense flak. All 11 aircrew died.

U-564 suffered heavy damage and returned to base escorted by U-185, but was sunk by aircraft the next day.

(Sources: Franks/Zimmerman)

14 Jun 1943
Aircraft attack, aircraft shot down: British Whitley Mk.V BD220 (10 OTU RAF/G, pilot Sgt A.J. Benson)

The sinking of U-564: 14.39 hrs, Bay of Biscay: two inbound U-boats were sighted by the Whitely. U-564 was unable to dive following an air attack the day before and was being escorted back to France by U-185. With fuel running low, the pilot decided to attack at 16.45 hrs and approached U-564. Both boats opened fire and hit the bomber, but its depth charges caused more damage to U-564 and she sank at 17.30 hours. The hydraulics and the starboard engine of the Whitley were damaged, so the crew was forced to ditch, and ended up as German prisoners after being picked up by a French trawler.

The commander and 17 crewmen were picked up by U-185, which transferred them to the German destroyer Z-24 two hours later and then continued her patrol. Canadian Hampden bomber X2961 (415 Sqdn RCAF/S, pilot S/L J.G. Stronach) arrived in the area around the time of the air attack and was shot down by a German Ju88C fighter (15./KG 40, Hptm Hans Morr) with the loss of all four aircrew. (Sources: Franks/Zimmerman/Goss)

3 recorded attacks on this boat.

Annoucements related to this boat

Over 400 pictures of U-564 found in England (15 Mar 2001)

Men lost from the boat

28 Mar 1943
A man was lost in the North Atlantic. [Fähnrich zur See Heinrich Feuerhake]

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

U-boat Emblems

We have 1 emblem entry for this boat. See the emblem page for this boat or view emblems individually below.


Cat times 3

Media links


U-Boat Attack Logs

Daniel Morgan and Bruce Taylor


amazon.co.uk
(£ 38.25)


Teddy Suhren - Ace of Aces

Suhren / Brustat-Naval: trans. Frank James


amazon.com
($ 77.04)


U-boat War Patrol

Paterson, Lawrence


German U-Boat Losses During World War II

Niestle, Axel


Hitler's U-boat War, Vol II

Blair, Clay


U-Boat Operations of the Second World War - Vol 2

Wynn, Kenneth


Hitler's U-boat War

Blair, Clay


Submarine Design

Gabler, Ulrich




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